Global change Excessive nitrogen fertilization of wheat crops may explain the high prevalence of celiac disease 4 de March 2021Adriana Clivillé Wheat fields are being fertilized with more and more nitrogen and this practice may be directly linked to the increasing prevalence of celiac disease, an autoimmune human condition. Between the 1960s and today, there has been a ten-fold increase in the use of nitrogen fertiliser for wheat crops worldwide, because it improves soil yields.