Truth about ‘ gluten’

By EDITORS

The biggest trend in the food world shows no signs of slowing down. According to a recent survey of more than 1,000 Americans by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, 63 percent thought that following a gluten-free diet would improve physical or mental health.

Yet there’s very limited research to substantiate any of those beliefs, notes Dr. Alessio Fasano, director of the Center for Celiac Research at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Unless you have celiac disease or true gluten sensitivity, there’s no clear medical reason to eliminate it, Fasano says. Before you decide to ride the wave of this dietary trend, consider why it might not be a good idea.

-- Gluten-free isn’t more nutritious (and may be less so). A quarter of the people in the survey thought gluten-free foods have more vitamins and minerals than other foods. But a recent Consumer Reports review of 81 products free of gluten across 12 categories revealed that they’re a mixed bag in terms of nutrition. Many gluten-free foods aren’t enriched or fortified with nutrients such as folic acid and iron; the products that contain wheat flours are. And it may come as a surprise to learn that ditching gluten often means adding sugar and fat.

-- You’ll probably increase your exposure to arsenic. About half of the gluten-free products Consumer Reports purchased contained rice flour or rice in another form. In 2012, it reported on its tests of more than 60 rices and packaged foods with rice (such as pasta, crackers and infant cereal). It found measurable levels of arsenic in almost every product tested. Many of them contained worrisome levels of inorganic arsenic, a carcinogen.

-- You might gain weight. More than a third of Americans think that going gluten-free will help them slim down, according to Consumer Reports’ survey. But there’s no evidence that doing so is a good weightloss strategy; in fact, the opposite is often true. In a review of studies on nutrition and celiac disease published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, researchers said that a gluten-free diet “seems to increase the risk of overweight or obesity.” The authors attributed that to the tendency for gluten-free foods to have more calories, sugars and fat than their regular counterparts.

-- You’ll pay more. ConsumerReports’research found that in every category except ready-to-eat cereal, the gluten-free versions were more expensive than their regular counterparts -- often double the cost, and in some cases considerably more. For example, brownies made from the Duncan Hines regular mix cost about 8 cents per serving; Betty Crocker’s gluten-free mix cost 28 cents per serving. Why are foods without gluten more expensive? “One factor in the price differential may be attributed to the added costs incurred by the manufacturer to meet certification and labeling regulations,” explains Andrea Levario, executive director of the American Celiac Disease Alliance, a nonprofit group.

-- You might miss a serious health condition. If you’re convinced that you have a problem with gluten, see a specialist to get a blood test to check for certain antibodies associated with celiac disease. You need to be eating gluten when the test is done to get a proper diagnosis, notes Dr. Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University’s medical school. If it’s positive, then you should have an endoscopic biopsy of your small intestine to check for damage.

-- You might still be eating gluten, anyway. A recent study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at 158 food products labeled gluten-free over three years. It found that about 5 percent -- including some that were certified gluten-free -- didn’t meet the Food and Drug Administration’s limit of less than 20 parts per million of gluten.