The Big Gluten Myth: Why Are We Convinced That Wheat Is So Bad?

“I’ve asked myself a lot why I’m on this diet, I used to think it was okay to eat dairy and gluten, but now I think we only have one life to live and I want to live it well. My health and vitality.”

US star “Kourtney Kardashian” talks about removing gluten and dairy from her and her three children’s diet (1)

Kourtney Kardashian is just one example of a list of celebrities who have come forward to announce that they are gluten-free. Another prominent example is the Egyptian soccer player, “Mohamed Salah”, who confirmed during a television interview that he eats gluten-free bread for breakfast (2). You may be tempted by these claims that a gluten-free diet supports your health and improves your fitness, especially as these foods invade grocery and retail store shelves, but is it worth it? Should you work harder and pay more to avoid gluten in your diet?

Food is the villain

The underlying problem known as “gluten intolerance” is not a general problem, but is associated with specific individuals suffering from this type of disorder. (Shutterstock)

Gluten is a group of proteins found naturally in certain grains such as wheat, barley and rye. Gluten proteins are highly elastic, which is why gluten-containing grains are ideal for baking. Imagine a pizza maker tossing and stretching the dough, and without gluten the dough splits easily (3)(4).

Many people today present gluten as the nutritional villain of the 21st century, blame it for many diseases, and advocate its complete ban from the human diet. The main reason behind this is that our body does not have the right enzymes to break down the complex proteins in gluten.

However, these exaggerated warnings ignore the fact that humans have been eating wheat for over 10,000 years without significant problems (5). In addition, there is little published research to support widespread claims about gluten harm. In fact, the underlying problem known as “gluten intolerance” is not a general problem, but is associated with specific individuals suffering from this type of disorder.

The term “gluten intolerance” refers to 3 types of health disorders, the first of which is celiac disease, or “gluten-sensitive enteropathy,” which is an inflammatory autoimmune disease caused by genetic and environmental factors (6). The second is wheat allergy, which is more common in children, but it can also affect adults. A third type is non-gastrointestinal gluten sensitivity (7). In these cases, removing gluten from the diet can reverse the damage, and in the specific case of celiac disease, a gluten-free diet is the primary medical treatment (4).

False accusations

Some promoters of gluten-free diets claim that it causes unwanted weight gain, but evidence suggests that gluten consumption levels are not related to daily calorie intake or body mass index. (Shutterstock)

But while avoiding gluten may be helpful for some conditions, many of the claims made about its dangers for healthy people have not been scientifically proven. On top of these claims, the claim that gluten peptides enter the bloodstream and cause systemic inflammation, scientific studies prove to be completely false.

A study published in 2021 aimed to determine the relationship between eating gluten and the risk of developing certain inflammatory bowel disorders (IBD), particularly Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and concluded that there was no link between the two things (11). This result dispels the accusation that gluten causes systemic inflammation, and that this is because gluten peptides pass from the gut cavity into the blood at very low levels. Their ability to carry out any biological activity (7).

Also, some claim that eliminating gluten strengthens cognition and improves attention in general, but only people with severe sensitivities, such as those who eat gluten and suffer from celiac disease, are more likely to experience cognitive impairment due to gluten. , so evidence of poor concentration or so-called “brain fog” is common only in people diagnosed with celiac disease and mistakenly eating gluten-containing foods.

In the case of gluten-insensitive people, avoiding gluten does not sharpen their mental faculties. This was confirmed by a large study of 13,500 middle-aged women who did not have celiac disease for 28 years to see if there were any possible associations between eating gluten and mental abilities. The results of the study showed that there was no statistical evidence of any association between long- or short-term gluten intake and cognitive function. These results indicate that dietary gluten restriction is not warranted to protect cognitive function in the absence of celiac disease (12).

Some promoters of gluten-free diets also claim that it causes unwanted weight gain. A recent study investigated this claim and concluded that there is no evidence that gluten peptides affect appetite control centers in the brain or alter metabolism. (BMI) 13).

Potential benefits

Avoiding gluten leads to reduced intake of beneficial whole grains, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in the long term, a study suggests. (Shutterstock)

In contrast, current scientific and medical literature concludes that eating gluten-containing foods is beneficial if a person is not gluten-sensitive. In an article published in Psychology Today, Dr. Gary L., professor of immunology and clinical genetics at The Ohio State University. Wink argues that the scientific literature contradicts the popular advice that dietary gluten is completely harmful: if you’re not sensitive to gluten, eating foods that contain gluten can be beneficial to your health, he points out (6).

In fact, the authors of a study published in 2017 warned that “gluten-free diets” are being promoted by ill-informed nutritionists and that there is not enough reliable evidence of long-term benefits from going gluten-free. The study looked specifically at the association between chronic gluten consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in adults without celiac disease, concluding that dietary gluten intake was not associated with increased risk of these diseases.

Conversely, avoiding gluten led people to reduce their intake of beneficial whole grains, which may increase cardiovascular disease risk in the long term, the study suggests. The study concluded that promoting gluten-free diets among people without celiac disease should not be encouraged (8).

Similarly, several studies have linked whole grain consumption to improved general health. For example, one study found that people who ate between 2-3 servings a day of whole grains, including high amounts of wheat, were less likely to develop heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Less than two servings per day. 4).

The potential benefits of gluten don’t stop there, as studies show that it plays a role in feeding the “good” bacteria in our bodies (9). For example, there is arabinoxylan oligosaccharide, a compound derived from wheat bran, which has been shown to stimulate the activity of bifidobacteria in the colon. Bifidobacterium is commonly found in the healthy human gut, and negative changes in its size or activity are associated with gastrointestinal diseases, including appendicitis, colon cancer, and irritable bowel syndrome (10).

Profit by “blaming” gluten

The first to win from these prevailing beliefs is not the health of the user, as some think, but rather the companies that specialize in the production of gluten-free foods and foods. (Shutterstock)

The “Healthline” website indicates that avoiding gluten has become a very common health trend in the past decade (7), prompting millions of people to give up gluten in hopes of losing weight, improving mood, and achieving better health. The evidence presented on the harms of gluten is confusing and controversial.

For example, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) show that gluten avoidance in the United States tripled from 2009 to 2014 (4). According to market research firm “NDP” group, 1 in 4 consumers in the US believe that eliminating gluten is good for everyone, and 11% of US households follow a gluten-free diet (3) .

The first to win from these prevailing beliefs is not the health of the user, as some think, but rather the companies that specialize in the production of gluten-free foods and foods. The gluten-free food industry grew 136% from 2013 to 2015, reaching $12 billion. Surprisingly, studies show that people without celiac disease are the most likely to buy gluten-free products (2).

What about the anecdotal evidence of people reporting improved health, mood and weight loss after following a gluten-free diet? Avoiding gluten usually involves cutting down on processed foods like fast food, baked goods, and sugary grains. Not only do these foods contain gluten, they are also high in calories, sugar, and unhealthy fats. The health benefits reported by people avoiding gluten may be due to the avoidance of unhealthy foods, as is commonly believed (6).

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