The Staying Young Show: Gluten

For centuries, bread has been known as the “staff of life.” But for millions of Americans affected by gluten-related disorders, consuming gluten, the complex protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, can be hazardous to their health. World-renowned gluten-related disorders expert Dr. Alessio Fasano presents the groundbreaking roadmap to a gluten-free lifestyle, and how millions can live better by going gluten free.

Alessio Fasano

Dr. Fasano completed his medical training at the University of Naples in Italy, and in 1993 he founded the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Ten years later, Dr. Fasano published the groundbreaking study in the Annals of Medicine that established the prevalence rate of celiac disease at one in 133 people in the U.S.



In 1996 Dr. Fasano founded the Center for Celiac Research, the first celiac center in the United States, which is currently located at MassGeneral Hospital for Children. Clinical and research work at the Center has helped to identify the new disorder of non-celiac gluten sensitivity as a condition on the spectrum of gluten-related disorders.



Dr. Fasano leads a team of researchers across nine countries and enjoys research partnerships with institutions around the world. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and he has received numerous awards for his translational science and other achievements. Dr. Fasano has been named one of America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly for five consecutive years (2007-2011) and was a 2005 finalist for the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award.



In the year 2000 Dr. Fasano’s team discovered “zonulin,” the molecule which regulates intestinal permeability, also known as “leaky gut”, and their totally ground-breaking research has linked an overproduction of zonulin to the development of a series of autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, celiac disease and multiple sclerosis.

The Center for Celiac Research