My name is Hyunseok Kim (Brandon) and I'm an internal medicine resident at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School with special research interests in the epidemiology of GI diseases. Thank you for NEJM group for inviting me to be a lead moderator in this wonderful forum.

I believe this topic is very interesting and look forward to an active discussion! I would like to welcome our internationally renowned experts on celiac disease who will provide valuable insights.

Recently, gluten-free diets have seen an enormous growth in popularity. Despite unclear benefits of gluten-free diets in the general population, gluten-free followers without medical indications are driving the market.

Before we discuss health consequences of a gluten-free diet, I would like to begin our discussion about epidemiology.

What is the epidemiology of gluten-free diets? How many are on a strict gluten-free diet or trying gluten-free products these days? Are there any reports that describe people on a gluten-free diet?

What are the medical indications to be on a gluten-free diet? Are there other medical conditions that may have benefits from gluten-free diet other than the celiac disease?