Lee A R, Ng D L, Zivin J, Green P H R
Celiac Disease Center, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
J Hum Nutr Diet. 2007 Oct;20(5):423-30. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-277X.2007.00763.x.
Coeliac disease is a common, autoimmune disorder, for which the only treatment is lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet. This study evaluates the economic burden of adhering to a gluten-free diet.
A market basket of products identified by name brand, weight or package size for both regular wheat-based products and gluten-free counterparts was developed. The differences in price between purchase venues, both type of store (general grocery store, an upscale grocery store and a health food store and four internet-based grocery sites) and region was also analysed.
Availability of gluten-free products varied between the different venues, regular grocery stores carried 36%, while upscale markets carried 41%, and health food stores 94%, compared with 100% availability on the internet. Overall, every gluten-free product was more expensive than their wheat-based counterpart (P <or= 0.05). Bread and pasta was twice as expensive as their wheat-based counterparts. Cost was affected more by shopping venue than geographic location.
This study demonstrated that gluten-free foods have poor availability and are more expensive than their gluten-containing counterparts. The impact of these findings on dietary compliance and the quality of life needs to be addressed.
乳糜泻是一种常见的自身免疫性疾病，其唯一的治疗方法是终身坚持无麸质饮食。本研究评估了坚持无麸质饮食的经济负担。
制定了一个按品牌名称、重量或包装尺寸确定的普通小麦基产品和无麸质对应产品的购物篮。还分析了购买场所（商店类型，即普通杂货店、高档杂货店、健康食品店和四个基于互联网的杂货店网站）和地区之间的价格差异。
不同场所无麸质产品的可得性各不相同，普通杂货店有36%的无麸质产品，高档市场有41%，健康食品店有94%，而互联网上的可得性为100%。总体而言，每种无麸质产品都比其小麦基对应产品更贵（P≤0.05）。面包和意大利面的价格是其小麦基对应产品的两倍。成本受购物场所的影响大于地理位置。
本研究表明，无麸质食品的可得性差，且比含麸质食品更贵。这些发现对饮食依从性和生活质量的影响需要加以探讨。
