Gluten-Free: Fad or Fiction?

We’ve all heard of the great gluten-free diet…

Without a doubt vendors and grocery stores greatly profit from these products. According to Mintel, a marketing research company, gluten-free products are projected to produce more than 15 billion US dollars in annual sales just in 2016. I have seen that through effective marketing the man behind the curtain tacitly distills the thought that gluten-free products are more nutritious and lead to better health, you don’t have to look beyond the packaging. But what’s gluten? Why do some people find gluten hard to stomach? Celiac disease, what is that? Are the loathers, and avoiders on a path to better health than the rest of us? Are there any realistic medical reasons to avoid gluten-containing products? Let’s examine what this is all about.

Gluten (from glue) is an umbrella name given to a group of proteins found in wheat (emmer, durum, farina, farro, spelt, kamut, khorasan wheat and einkorn). These proteins provide texture to wheat bread and allow it to rise and hold its shape. Gluten is also commonly found in barley and rye. According to a 2012 Mayo Clinic survey, 1.8 million Americans suffer from a condition known as celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that makes one’s own defense cells attack the small intestine when gluten is ingested (90 percent of digestion takes place in the small intestine). The same survey also concluded that another 18 million have gluten sensitivity. Celiac disease can lead to serious medical problems, for these individuals, gluten is a serious threat to their health and strict dietary measures are to be developed with the help of a gastroenterologist and a clinical dietician. But what about for the majority of people, those who don’t have celiac or a gluten sensitivity? According to a recent ConsumerReports article, a survey involving more than 1,000 Americans found that 63 percent believed a gluten-free diet would improve physical and mental health. Some of the benefits cited by the populous were better digestion and gastrointestinal function, increase energy, lower cholesterol, enhanced immune system, and healthy weight reduction. Yet there’s limited research findings to corroborate any of these claims, says, Alessio Fasano M.D., director of the Center for Celiac Research at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In fact, people who go completely gluten-free without having developed a diet plan with a dietician “…can develop deficiencies pretty quickly.” says Laura Moore R.D., dietician at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

This graph shows an increase interest in the words “gluten-free and Paleo” over time in Google searches. It also highlights the time frame of a few celebrity claims of gluten allergies, diets, and books. This makes the correlation appear more of a fad than a true health concern. Interestingly, Google searches for celiac have not changed much over time.

The warnings are clear, a gluten-free diet poses no significant benefits and can be detrimental to one’s health. Not to mention that people who embark in a gluten-free diet can increase their exposure to inorganic arsenic (a known carcinogen), this is because many gluten-free products contain rice. Rice tends to absorb more arsenic from the soil than other plants. In a 2014 Spanish study, researchers estimated that people in a strict gluten-free diet who suffer from celiac disease consume 10 times the amount of inorganic arsenic believed to be appropriate. Currently in the U.S. there are no federal limits for arsenic in rice or rice products. ConsumerReports states that white rice from Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana are among the highest in inorganic arsenic, brown rice contains 80 percent more inorganic arsenic than white rice on average (this is due to arsenic accumulating in the outer layer, which is removed to make white rice), organic rice absorbs the same amount of arsenic as conventional rice. Children should rarely eat hot rice cereal or rice pasta, one serving could put them over the maximum, rice cakes supply kids with the approximate weekly limit, and children under five should not have any rice drinks. So what’s left? The report says that white basmati rice from California, India, Pakistan and sushi rice from the U.S. have, on average, half the amount of inorganic arsenic when compared to other types, so these are good alternatives for consumers.

In conclusion, a gluten-free diet does not promote the presumed benefits claimed by many proponents. In fact, if there are any studies linking a gluten-free diet to better health these are probably observational associations and not causations. A good study would account for external factors like, could it be that people who eat a gluten-free diet are in a higher income bracket (gluten products are more expensive) ergo having more access to health care? Or could it be that gluten-free proponents are regular gym goers and take better care of their health? Secondly, a gluten-free diet without consulting with a professional has the potential to increase exposure to inorganic arsenic, and lastly, a review of studies in the Journal of Medicinal Food, found that a gluten-free diet “seems to increase the risk of overweight and obesity.” as these products tend to have more calories, sugars, and fats not say they also cost more than their regular counterparts.

I hope you’ve found bits of helpful information here. As always, leave you kudos, subscribe, send me comments, suggestions, complaints, etc.

Until next time!

Mounir C. Cejin