Abstract
The onset of several human diseases takes place in an inefficient intestine. We probably should reevaluate the relationship between food and health. Three million Italians and twenty million Americans suffer from the gluten sensitivity syndrome, similar yet different from celiac disease. Different pathological status arise as a consequence of sensitivity to gluten, depending on the genetic polymorphism of the subjects and the environment in which they live. If we gain more knowledge on interactions between food, eating habits, genomics and the environment, this could mean better prevention and/or treatment. The era of epigenetics has begun, while the dogma of genetic determinism seems to be fading.