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-Sensitivitt 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.