Prescriptions for gluten-free foods are declining rapidly in England, finds study

THE rate of prescribing gluten-free foods is “rapidly declining”, a new study has found.

Researchers examined the rate of prescriptions for such foods and found a significant drop between 2012/13 and 2016/17.

The prescription of gluten-free foods is a “controversial issue”, the experts from the University of Oxford said. Sticking to a gluten-free diet is the only effective treatment for coeliac disease and such prescribing may be associated with better adherence to such diets.

A consultation was launched last year on the continued prescription of gluten-free foods on the NHS in England. Following the consultation, the Government announced that gluten-free prescribing would be restricted to bread and flour mixes.

In the latest study, the researchers set out to examine prescribing practices by looking at information from GP surgeries across the country.

Their analysis, published in the journal BMJ Open, found that there were 1.3 million glutenfree prescriptions between July 2016 and June 2017, down from 1.8 million in 2012/2013, with cost reducing from £25.4 million to £18.7m.