CommentaryThe Gluten-Free Diet: Recognizing Fact, Fiction, and Fad
Section snippets
The Gluten-Free Trend in the US and Worldwide
An estimated 0.5% of individuals living in the US adhere strictly to a GFD,4 although a far greater proportion of the population gravitates towards gluten-free foods to more variable degrees. A 2015 Nielsen survey of 30 000 adults in 60 countries worldwide (reported margin of error ± 0.6%) found that 21% of individuals surveyed rated gluten-free as a “very important” attribute when making food purchasing decisions.5 The widest appeal was seen in Latin America (32%) and the Middle East/Africa
Fact or Fiction?
Available data regarding the GFD warrant clarification and emphasis, given considerable and systematic circulation of misinformation regarding the diet's potential for harm as well as good. This segment will provide an evidence-based approach to address several of the most common inaccuracies regarding the GFD.
Fiction: The GFD is a healthy lifestyle choice with no disadvantages.
Fact: For individuals who do not have CD, wheat allergy, or NCGS, the latter which has been described in adults but
Discussion
It is undeniable that many people perceive benefit from a GFD, often without a clear scientific explanation. Nevertheless, with the guidance of an experienced registered dietitian and provided that CD is excluded, for a minority of individuals the GFD may lead to better health and improved quality of life (Table).
There is no evidence that processed gluten-free foods are healthier than their gluten-containing counterparts, nor have there been proven health or nutritional benefits of a GFD,
References (58)
- et al.
Arsenic and rice: translating research to address health care providers' needs
J Pediatr
(2015) Wheat-based foods and non celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity: is drastic processing the main key issue?
Med Hypotheses
(2015)- et al.
The global village of celiac disease
Dig Liver Dis
(2004) - et al.
Clinical, serologic, and histologic features of gluten sensitivity in children
J Pediatr
(2014) - et al.
Nonceliac gluten sensitivity or wheat intolerance syndrome?
J Pediatr
(2015) - et al.
Awareness of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity in the United States
Gastroenterology
(2011) Determinants of systemic manifestations of food allergy
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(2000)- et al.
Gluten introduction to infant feeding and risk of celiac disease: systematic review and meta-analysis
J Pediatr
(2016) - et al.
Increasing incidence of celiac disease in a North American population
Am J Gastroenterol
(2013) - Topper A. Non-celiacs Drive Gluten-Free Market Growth. Mintel Group Ltd. Web....
Trends and racial/ethnic disparities in gluten-sensitive problems in the United States: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 1988 to 2012
Am J Gastroenterol
Prevalence of gluten-free diet adherence among individuals without celiac disease in the USA: results from the Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2010
Scand J Gastroenterol
Assessment of nutritional adequacy of packaged gluten-free food products
Can J Diet Pract Res
Intakes of nutrients in Italian children with celiac disease and the role of commercially available gluten-free products
J Hum Nutr Diet
Nutritional differences between a gluten-free diet and a diet containing equivalent products with gluten
Plant Foods Hum Nutr
Body mass index and the risk of obesity in coeliac disease treated with the gluten-free diet
Aliment Pharmacol Ther
Celiac disease in normal-weight and overweight children: clinical features and growth outcomes following a gluten-free diet
J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr
Metabolic syndrome in patients with coeliac disease on a gluten-free diet
Aliment Pharmacol Ther
Evidence of high sugar intake, and low fibre and mineral intake, in the gluten-free diet
Aliment Pharmacol Ther
Nutritional inadequacies of the gluten-free diet in both recently-diagnosed and long-term patients with coeliac disease
J Hum Nutr Diet
Increased Mercury Levels in Patients with Celiac Disease following a Gluten-Free Regimen
Gastroenterol Res Pract
Cooking rice in a high water to rice ratio reduces inorganic arsenic content
J Environ Monit
Cost and availability of gluten-free food in the UK: in store and online
Postgrad Med J
Economic burden of a gluten-free diet
J Hum Nutr Diet
Development and validation of a celiac disease quality of life instrument for North American children
J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr
Cited by (92)
Knowledge of and behaviors toward a gluten-free diet among women at a health sciences university
2023, Journal of Taibah University Medical SciencesTextural and functional analysis of sorghum flour cookies as ice cream inclusions
2023, Grain and Oil Science and TechnologyAround the same table: Uniting stakeholders of food-related communication
2022, AppetiteCitation Excerpt :CRITIQUE: Social media food influencers have been criticized because their messages are often contradictory and non-evidence based (Boyle et al., 2008; Byrne, Kearney, & MacEvilly, 2017; Nagler, 2014; Ramachandran et al., 2018; Regan et al., 2014). They communicate about fashion diets and hypes promoting fad diets such as carb-free, low-fat, gluten-free, ketogenic, or vegan diets (Byrne et al., 2017; Reilly, 2016). They seldomly can be classified as experts in food, nutrition and/or health, even though they profile themselves as experts (Iheme, 2019).
The author declares no conflicts of interest.