Taking gluten-free nutritional health supplements may be a good way to sidestep inflammation reactions to wheat and other grains. After all, gluten intolerance appears to be a growing problem.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates that one in 133 Americans has an intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. The condition is hereditary, meaning that if a member of your family has been diagnosed with it, you are about six times more likely to have it too.

Gluten intolerance is no small problem. A study published in the journal PLoS ONE estimated that worldwide, about 42,000 children die each year from severe intestinal responses to gluten.

In order to avoid the inflammation caused by exposure to gluten, individuals may consider eating rice- and potato-based starches, as well as consuming that do not contain wheat and other gluten-heavy grains.

Individuals who definitively have gluten intolerance may benefit from nutritional health supplements in another way. The Office of Dietary Supplements explains that this sensitivity can result in vitamin A deficiency, a condition that dietary supplements may be able to reduce.