80% on Gluten-Free diet don't have Celiac. Most who actually have celiac are undiagnosed.
http://www.celiaccentral.org/research-news/mayo-clinic-80-percent-gluten-free-diet-no-celiac-disease-diagnosis-8306/
Mayo Clinic: 80% of People onGluten-Free Diet Do Not Have Celiac Disease Diagnosis
From the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness website:
An estimated 1.6 millionAmericans eating gluten-free have adopted the diet without having a celiac disease diagnosis, according to a new study from the Mayo Clinic.
The research confirms food industry reports that have found more people are buying gluten-free food for a variety of health reasons. But researchers caution against going gluten-free without first undergoing proper testing.
“There are a lot of people on a gluten-free diet, and it’s not clear what the medical need for that is,” said Joseph Murray, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, a co-author of the study and a member of NFCA’s Scientific/Medical Advisory Council. “It is important if someone thinks they might have celiac disease that they be tested first before they go on the diet.”
Here are more statistics from the same Mayo Clinic study:
http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/most-with-celiac-disease-unaware-of-it-study-reveals
Roughly 1.8 million Americans have celiac disease,but around 1.4 million of them are unaware that they have it, a Mayo Clinic-ledanalysis of the condition's prevalence has found. Meanwhile, 1.6 million peoplein the United States are on a gluten-freediet even though they haven't been diagnosed with celiac disease, according tothe study published Tuesday in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.