Happy Celiac Disease Awareness Month! What You Didn't Know About The History of Celiac Disease

Travel Gluten Free Podcast

Season 09 Episode 04

Celiac Disease Awareness Month

May is Celiac disease awareness month, a special time to create public awareness about the disease, which can have devastating effects if not diagnosed early and managed since it has no known cure. Join us for today’s  Travel Gluten-free Podcast to learn about the history of Celiac disease and the importance of educating the public and restaurant staff about Celiac disease. Thank you to Beyond Celiac for their fantastic Celiac history timeline.

History of Celiac Disease

Celiac disease has been in the human gene pool for a long time. The earliest archeological finding that shows evidence of Celiac disease dates back to the first century. For example, the archeological dig in Corsa, Italy, in 2008 revealed a first-century woman whose skeleton had the Celiac gene. One notable public figure whose records show had Celiac disease was Blaise Pascal in the 1600s. Other mentions of Celiac disease in the past were by physicians Matthew Baillie and Samuel Ghee in the 1800s. 

Celiac Disease Support Groups

In 2003, the first organization for Celiac was founded, and it was initially named The National Organization for Celiac Awareness, later renamed Beyond Celiac. The organization was formed to drive the diagnosis of Celiac disease and enable access to gluten-free food. Beyond Celiac also pivots for research for a cure since it was established that a gluten-free diet is insufficient for many patients. 

Many other organizations have since been formed in different parts of the World to support Celiac research and treatments, such as; The National Celiac Association, Celiac Disease Foundation, Gluten Intolerance Group, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in the United States. There are also two other resources outside the United States: the Canadian Celiac Association and the Australian Celiac Organization.

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