From the article in Scientific American and other sources on the internet, it appears that contrary to prior medical thought, gluten intolerance is not only contracted by infants and children, but can strike people at any age - particularly middle to late age - unexpectedly.
It's also associated with what has been termed a "leaky gut". In celiac disease, the problem peptide - a fragment of the gluten protein - is called "gliadin". In intolerant people, the gut allows this peptide to cross into the blood before being broken down further. In the blood, the body's immune system attacks the gliadin and the cells lining the small intestine. The result is actual damage to the lining, with resultant indigestion, failure to absorb properly many other nutrients, and skin conditions. It's also been associated with diabetes and arthritis, which may also be immune system related maladies.
Interestingly, the incidence of gluten intolerance is quite low in countries in Asia where wheat and barley are not as common as rice or other starch foods. It's far more common in European cultures. In fact, there is evidence that feeding wheat products too early to infants - before their guts can handle the gliadin - can result in eventual gluten intolerance.
I don't know of any gluten free bakeries in my area, but I'll look around. I do have a bread machine, though. So far the gluten free recipes I've seen recommend adding something called xanthan gum to compensate for the lack of gluten, but I couldn't find any of that when I visited Whole Foods last weekend.
