Gluten-free diet has no benefits for healthy people

October 13, 2022  16:18

A gluten-free diet is of no benefit to healthy people, say scientists from the University of Reading, University of Sheffield and Sheffield University Hospitals, the researchers' paper was published in Gastroenterology.

Healthy volunteers without celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity participated in the study.

All participants followed a gluten-free diet for two weeks before the experiment began. The volunteers were then divided into two groups. In the first group, participants continued to follow the gluten-free diet for two more weeks, while the diet of the second group contained organic gluten.

Doctors evaluated the severity of gastrointestinal symptoms (abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, and heartburn) in all participants before and after the experiment. The gluten-free group reported no more severe problems or side effects compared to the control group.

The results show that not having gluten may not be good for the health of many of those who avoid it in their diets, believing that gluten is inherently bad for the human gut. Gluten does not cause stomach problems in people who have no physiological sensitivity to it, explained David Sanders, lead author of the study.

The researchers emphasized that a gluten-free diet is indicated for celiac disease (a disease caused by gluten intolerance that affects about 1% of the population) and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. But before switching to a restrictive diet, you should ask your doctor for a recommendation.

Medical studies confirm that foods with gluten are appropriate for most people, but now the idea is developing that it is bad for everyone in general. Because of this, many people without any apparent problems are now following a restrictive diet, while others seem to have rejected it completely and consider avoiding gluten a "fad." This can cause real problems for people with clinical gluten sensitivity because their medical needs are not always taken seriously, shared Iain Croall, co-author of the study.

As the study notes, a gluten-free diet is the best treatment for clinical gluten sensitivity - celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

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