The Inequities of Celiac Disease

Diet Culture and Celiac Disease
Diet culture often promotes restrictive eating for excessive weight loss. In the current media, many celebrities and magazines endorse a gluten-free diet as being “healthier,” and helping achieve the goal of thinness. For example, celebrity and influencer Kourtney Kardashian recently put her family on a gluten-free diet, saying that it significantly “improved their quality of life” [5]. Watching these stars choose a celiac diet influences the average person to do the same, especially if those celebrities have a desirable body type. Diet culture has turned gluten-free eating into a trend rather than a medical necessity. While this trend has driven market growth and expanded the availability of gluten-free options, it has also trivialized the condition, leading to misconceptions and stigma, and it has increased the price of goods, making them less accessible for those with Celiac diseases. As an article by Georgia State University points out, “With an increase in demand, there is also an increase in price [and] Gluten-free products from mass-market producers have been shown to be 139% more expensive than the same gluten-containing product” [6]. With this knowledge, let's better understand how finances impact a gluten-free diet.

How Socioeconomic Factors Shape Access to Gluten-Free Food
Living with Celiac disease comes with a cost. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, “gluten-free cereals, pasta, and snacks in the United States can be up to 139% more expensive than their gluten-containing counterparts [2].” Additionally, traditionally gluten-free foods such as quinoa or special types of bread and flour also tend to be expensive as well, so those with Celiac disease have a substantial financial burden to carry. A study published by the National Library of Medicine found that Celiac disease patients tend to have higher out-patient costs than non-Celiac patients, spending upwards of $4000 more per month on medical necessities and proper food [3]. This situation raises many ethical questions. Why should individuals be penalized for a situation they have no control over? This inequity is common with broader medical disparities, disproportionately affecting people of color, who often face the worst outcomes due to higher poverty rates in the United States [4]. Like many other medical expenses there is a clear link between financial stability and access to care, but is this link fair? Most would argue no, but what can be done to create equity? Unlike conditions that can be managed with insurance-covered medications, celiac disease relies on food—an everyday necessity—as the primary form of treatment. Without systemic intervention, this inequity perpetuates a cycle where economic status determines health outcome