Yes…
Sweden once called celiac disease an epidemic.
And no…
I’m not exaggerating.
Between 1984 and 1996, diagnoses of celiac disease in Swedish infants and toddlers skyrocketed.
At the peak…
Diagnosis rates in young children increased nearly fourfold.
Later, some children born during that period showed celiac rates approaching 3%…
Nearly triple the global average.
So what happened?
Researchers believe changes in infant feeding recommendations played a major role:
• Gluten introduced later
• Larger amounts introduced at once
• Sometimes without ongoing breastfeeding
In other words…
Sweden accidentally gave researchers one of the strongest real-world lessons in celiac science:
Genes may load the gun… but environment can pull the trigger.
Did you know celiac disease was once considered an epidemic?