Gluten sensitivity is a multifactorial phenomenon. In the medical context, it is associated with symptoms that occur after the consumption of gluten-containing foods. However, not all cases of perceived gluten sensitivity are medically diagnosable. Only for celiac disease and wheat allergies clear diagnostic criteria exist. In most cases patients have non-Celiac Non-Wheat Allergy Wheat Sensitivity (NCWS). Gluten can rarely be detected as a causative agent in NCWS. Rather, other ingredients of wheat, such as ATI or FODMAP, or a disturbed intestinal microbiota may be considered as triggers for the disease. Cordula Harter puts it straight: gluten sensitivity is a fashion trend that is followed by many more people than there are diagnosed patients. The author shows that gluten-containing cereals are nutritionally high-quality foods that provide valuable nutrients and fiber. Elimination is rarely medically indicated and often benefits the food industry more than the consumer.

 This Springer essential is a translation of the original German 1st edition essentials, Gluten-Sensitivität by Cordula Harter, published by Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature in 2019. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors.