by
You’ve probably heard of people going on a gluten-free diet for their health and thought, “Is gluten bad for you?” The answer: maybe – it depends on the individual.
Gluten is not inherently bad for you unless you have certain underlying conditions, such as celiac disease. However, for most people, gluten is fine to eat. Cutting gluten out of your diet can be harmful to your health due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies associated with the diet.
In this article, learn about the effects of gluten on the body and whether gluten is bad for you.
Alvarez/Getty Images
What Is Gluten, and Is It Really Bad For You?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye grains and in products made from these grains, such as bread, soy sauce, malt vinegar, beer, and more. In baking, gluten helps hold ingredients together as “glue.”
Contrary to popular belief, gluten is not “bad” for you you have a specific health condition that requires a gluten-free diet.
Potential Negative Effects of Gluten
For most people, gluten does not affect them, and it is healthier to eat a diet containing gluten than to eliminate gluten from the diet.
However, gluten can have an autoimmune and inflammatory effect on people with certain conditions.
In less than 1% of people with celiac disease, gluten acts as a trigger for the immune system to attack the lining of the small intestine, leading to malabsorption, inflammation, villous atrophy, and hundreds of possible symptoms .
Conditions That May Exacerbate Gluten
A number of health conditions benefit from a gluten-free diet, the primary and unprovoked one being celiac disease. Research on the effects of gluten is limited or ongoing for many of these conditions.
Celiac Disease
The gluten protein and gluten-free diet were discovered in 1941 as a treatment for celiac disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition in which the white blood cells lining the small intestine attack when gluten is ingested. This is a genetic, hereditary condition, and the only treatment available is a strict, gluten-free diet for life.
Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), also known as gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity, is when a person reacts to gluten but does not have an autoimmune response or wheat allergy.
This is a relatively new condition, and there is some controversy surrounding it. Some scientists suggest that there may be other triggers besides gluten, viz amylase-trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) and FODMAPs (oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides and polyols).
Wheat Allergy vs Celiac Disease vs Gluten Intolerance
Unlike celiac disease and gluten intolerance, people with a wheat allergy are not reacting to gluten. They have an allergic reaction to wheat but will be able to eat non-wheat gluten sources (such as barley and rye). However, many people with wheat allergies buy gluten-free products or order from gluten-free menus because of overlap and availability.
Inflammatory Conditions
Aside from celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, scientists have theorized that a gluten-free diet may benefit certain inflammatory conditions.
Inflammatory conditions for which there is limited research to support a gluten-free diet include:
The benefits of a gluten-free diet have also been studied for other conditions, such as endometriosis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, autism spectrum disorder, and more. However, there is insufficient evidence to support the recommendation of a gluten-free diet for these conditions.
Is a gluten-free diet recommended for irritable bowel syndrome?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders. Sometimes, a gluten-free diet is recommended as treatment. However, the evidence on a gluten-free diet for IBS is conflicting and inconsistent. Scientists say there is not enough evidence to recommend a gluten-free diet for people with IBS. More evidence supports the benefits of a low-FODMAP diet for IBS.
When to consider going gluten free
Do not go gluten-free before being tested for celiac disease. This is because you need to be eating gluten for celiac disease tests to be accurate.
People with celiac disease need to avoid gluten more than those with gluten intolerance or other conditions. They cannot have any cross contact (for example, they must use a separate toaster, clean all pots and pans, not eat food fried in shared oil, and more). For this reason, it is essential to get an accurate diagnosis.
Living as if you have celiac disease when you don’t can be socially and nutritionally limiting. On the other hand, if you don’t follow a gluten-free diet strictly enough when you have celiac disease, it can lead to serious health consequences.
If you have symptoms of celiac disease or gluten intolerance, such as bloating, nausea, brain fog, diarrhea, constipation, and more, talk to a healthcare provider about a diagnosis.
Who Can Eat Gluten Without Problems?
Most people can eat gluten without problems. Only those diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity should avoid gluten. Some other inflammatory conditions may benefit from avoiding gluten, but talk to a health care provider before changing your diet.
To put this into context, less than 1% of the general population has celiac disease. We know much less about gluten sensitivity, but according to self-report studies, this affects somewhere between 0.5% and 13% of the population.
Based on these statistics, most of the population should be able to consume gluten without problems. The gluten-free diet itself can be harmful to your health, so it’s best to avoid it unless it’s necessary.
Summary
Gluten is a protein that occurs naturally in wheat, barley and rye. Going gluten-free is not necessarily better for your health; in fact, gluten-free diets have been linked to nutritional deficiencies and heart disease.
Only people with specific medical conditions, such as celiac disease or gluten intolerance, can benefit from the gluten-free diet.
