<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> I clipped this from something some time ago. Forgot where I got it, but the link seems defunct now. The other is what I copied, so it's a direct quote. If the figures there are accurate it looks as if the incidence of celiacs in northern Italy is above 14 percent. Is that possible or am I overlooking something. -vance <<Estimating the incidence of coeliac disease with capture-recapture methods within four geographic areas in Italy. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=89.35462&form=6&db =m&Dopt=b the incidence found is: Piedmont Region (north) 143/1000 Lombardia Region (north) 141/1000 Umbria Region (central) 72/1000 Sardinia Region (south) 80/1000 that is, the incidence was found to be roughly twice as great in the North. now, I think most people are aware that there are different ethnic mixes in Italy north to south; the Northern peoples are more Celtic, while the Southern are more Middle Eastern. and, wheat and barley are very old crops originating only in the Middle East, and spreading out from there. got the picture?>>