Dear Dr. Roach: I am a reasonably healthy 81-year-old retired man, although I wear a pacemaker and have bad arthritis. My daughter insists that I'd be much healthier and happier if I eliminated gluten from my diet. I don't even know what gluten is or which foods it's in. So, am I flying blind into a storm about all this?

— Prof. G

Dear Prof. G.: Gluten is a protein found in cereal grains, specifically wheat (which has many types and names such as durham, semolina, spelt, farro and einkorn), rye, barley, triticale and sometimes oats. (Oats have no gluten but are often contaminated by being grown, processed or transported with a gluten-containing grain.)

Gluten contains a protein called gliadin, which causes some people to develop an immune reaction. It isn't an allergy, but in people w

See Full Page