No proof that gluten-free ‘fad’ is good for you
FOR some, a gluten-free diet is a medical must. But for many these days, it is just a health fad – and one that should be avoided, according to a leading expert, who warned that cutting gluten from your diet by excluding food such as bread and pasta could mean you are missing out on vital nutrients.
Gluten-free alternatives are often highly processed and packed with fat and sugar, added Dr Norelle Reilly, of Columbia University Medical Centre in New York.
Writing in the Journal of Paediatrics, she said there was no proof of adults or children experiencing any health benefit from avoiding gluten, unless they had been diagnosed with coeliac disease, a wheat allergy, or a confirmed sensitivity to gluten. She added: ‘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 gluten-free diet.
‘In fact, the opposite may be true in certain cases, particularly when the diet is followed without the guidance of an experienced registered dietitian or physician.’
Dr Reilly said patients who had religiously followed the diet often had a higher fat and calorie intake, were more likely to become overweight, and could be deficient in vitamins and iron which were normally found in fortified foods like breakfast cereals. They were also at greater risk of exposure to certain toxins, including arsenic, which can build up in people who eat too much rice – which is often used as a gluten-free alternative to wheat and pasta.
Coeliac disease is a condition where the immune system attacks substances found in gluten, damaging the intestines and disrupting the body’s ability to process food.
It is treated by abstaining from gluten for life and affects around one in 100 people in the UK, although three-quarters of sufferers are thought to be undiagnosed.
Gluten-free diets have been popularised in recent years by celebrities like actress Gwyneth Paltrow and health food writer Deliciously Ella. A poll last year found 60 per cent of UK adults had bought gluten-free products, and the growing gluten-free market in Britain is now worth around £240million.
Dr Reilly urged people considering taking up a gluten-free diet without a medical reason to consider the cost.
Gluten-free bread can be four times more expensive than a regular loaf, while gluten-free pasta often costs twice as much as the normal price.
Describing the diet as a ‘fad’, Dr Reilly added: ‘The gluten-free diet should be recommended judiciously and patients self-prescribing should be counselled as to possible financial, social and nutritional consequences of unnecessary implementation.’