Celiac disease and gluten-free diet: past, present and future

A gluten-free diet is a special type of diet intended for people with gluten intolerance. The introduction of targeted screening into the practice has improved celiac diagnosis, with an increase of newly diagnosed patients who have remained life-long dependents on a gluten-free diet. On the other hand, the gluten-free diet has also been voluntarily adopted by people with other diagnoses, or even healthy individuals. It is expected that in the future, the gluten-free diet’s consumption is set to increase, due to its increased popularity with these populations. In this situation, gluten-free diets have been misinterpreted as a "miracle drug" that is effective on a variety of problems. Here we report on the past and present production and supply of gluten-free products and ultimately about their future position. The medical community will also be confronted with the future problems of people who are dependent on a gluten-free diet and, on the contrary, with the complications arising with the consumers of a gluten-free diet without medical reasons. Compliance to the principles of a gluten-free diet should be maintained, and should not be recommended to healthy persons or persons without relevant reasons.