Doctors say not all who avoid eating the wheat protein need to do so The New York Times, May 8, 2007 Brandi Walzer, a 29-year-old cartographer in Savannah, Ga., loves bread, not to mention pizza and beer. But she tries to avoid them, because they contain gluten - a substance she says upsets her stomach, aggravates her arthritis and touches off depression. She is among a growing number of Americans who believe that gluten - a protein found in wheat, barley and rye - is responsible for a variety of ills, from skin eruptions to infertility to anxiety to gas. Though diagnostic tests have not indicated she has an allergy or sensitivity to gluten, she nonetheless says she is better off without it. There is no question that eating gluten aggravates celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients. But doctors say it is unclear whether gluten can be blamed for other problems. Nevertheless, it has become a popular dietary villain. "A lot of alternative practitioners like chiropractors have picked up on it and are waving around magic silver balls, crystals and such, telling people they have gluten intolerance," said Don Powell, a gastroenterologist at the University of Texas.