Friday, June 12, 2009

Did you know these facts about Celiac?

So you've been going about your daily life, dealing with all the frustration and confusion of living gluten-free, but have you stopped to take a look at the facts regarding Celiac Sprue? Some of these statistics might amaze you...

Did you know that...

  • One in 133 North Americans have Celiac Disease.
  • 95% of Celiacs are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions.
  • 10 years is the average time a person waits to be correctly diagnosed.
  • 17% of Celiac patients have an immediate family member who also has Celiac.
  • Celiac disease can lead to a number of other disorders including infertility, reduced bone density, neurological disorders, some cancers and other autoimmune diseases.
  • $5,000-$12,000 is the average cost of misdiagnosis per person/per year of Celiac, not including lost work time.
  • There are NO pharmaceutical cures for Celiac Disease.
  • A 100% gluten-free diet is the only existing treatment for Celiac today.
  • A positive attitude, 100% of the time, helps Celiacs create a gluten-free lifestyle for themselves and their affected family members.
  • 500,000 new Celiac diagnoses are expected to occur in the next 5 years thanks to efforts to raise public awareness of Celiac Disease.
  • The gluten-free marketplace is expected to reach $1.7 billion by 2010 thanks to new vendors manufacturing better tasting and more affordable products.
Shocking, right?

The facts speak for themselves and demonstrate the need for education and awareness throughout the community. Fortunately, there has been a tremendous increase in awareness recently regarding Celiac Sprue and living gluten-free.

What does this mean for you?

This is good news and means that food manufacturers are hearing your cries! You can expect to see more gluten-free products in your local stores in the very near future. Some of the largest food manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada have plans to increase their gluten-free food production. I'll keep you posted on any new information that I hear.

P.S. Have you joined Gluten-Free Faces yet? It's the fastest growing social network on the internet dedicated to everything gluten-free! If you haven't joined yet, you are missing out on some great gluten-free information, discussions, recipes and news. Here is the link for you to sign up (oh, and by the way, it's totally FREE!)...

www.GlutenFreeFaces.com

P.P.S. Check out the quick 1:23 minute video on the home page if you would like to find out a little more about Gluten-Free Faces before you become a member.

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