Till about a few years ago, not too many people would have heard about ‘gluten’, a mixture of proteins found in wheat, barley and rye. Today, thanks primarily to celebrity endorsements, social media and, to some extent, misinformation, gluten has become a common word, but mostly as a food component to be avoided at all costs.
So, is going gluten-free the right choice? Or is it simply another diet trend with unforeseen effects on your health? Is gluten harmful even for those without gluten intolerance or celiac disease?
Gluten is the wheat, barley, and rye protein responsible for the elasticity of dough. Foods such as chapatis, parathas, naan, suji (semolina) dishes such as upma, and bakery items made of maida (wheat flour) contain gluten.
“Gluten is harmless to most of the population and can be a component of a healthy diet,” says Pooja Udeshi, consultant sports nutritionist, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai. “It has to be removed only from the diet of a patient with celiac disease, non-celiac gluten intolerance (NCGS) or wheat allergy since the immune system reacts adversely to gluten in such patients.”
In individuals who are not suffering from these conditions, blanket exclusion of gluten results in deficiency and limited diet. Udeshi adds, “Instead of avoiding gluten blindly, individuals should be eating a balanced diet of mixed whole grains in order to ensure long-term health.”
Esha Wadhwa, senior nutritionist at BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital, Delhi, adds, “Foods rich in gluten such as wheat and barley contain fibre, vitamin B and iron, which are all part of gut health and overall metabolic function. Eliminating these without any medical necessity can lead to an unbalanced diet.”
Gluten intolerance, or non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), shares the same symptoms as celiac disease but without an autoimmune response and inflammation of the intestines. “Gluten intolerance is not very clearly understood,” says Wadhwa of BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital, adding: “Altered gut microbiota and dysregulation of the immune system may be involved.”
Wadhwa explains further, “Many patients with gluten sensitivity have bloating, fatigue, and mental fogginess, but these are usually blamed on a few suspects in the foods and not gluten. The key is to single out the suspect without drastically restricting grains that are valuable.”
Udeshi, too, mentions that certain carbohydrates in wheat, which are also referred to as fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs), are not broken down within the small intestine in their entirety and cause issues to the gastrointestinal system, causing bloating and discomfort to certain individuals.
FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates in foods such as wheat, onions, garlic, beans, apples, and milk that are hard to digest and cause bloating, gas, and gastrointestinal distress in some people. “Sometimes people mistakenly blame symptoms on gluten, when actually it could be the result of an overall poor diet, insufficient fibre, or intolerance to some other food constituent.”
Right choice?
With more and more people choosing to eat gluten-free foods, they assume gluten inherently is unhealthy for them. Experts say that the trend is not scientific but originates from social media, which creates poorly informed dietary habits.
“There is little scientific evidence to back up the claim that gluten-free diets are healthy for people who don’t have celiac disease or gluten intolerance,” Wadhwa says, adding: “Most gluten-free foods are ultra-processed and contain added sugar and artificial preservatives that also enhance the risk of disease instead of decreasing it. These lead to obesity, metabolic disorders, and an unhealthy gut.”
Udeshi concurs: “People view gluten-free diets as a means to lose weight and digest better but both of those are byproducts of staying away from refined carbs and processed foods, not gluten. They have no idea that gluten-free can also be linked to fibre, vitamin B12, and iron deficiencies and be impacting energy and overall health.”
Packaged perils
To achieve a similar taste and mouthfeel of wheat-made food, manufacturers nowadays use potato starch, tapioca starch, and rice flour, which are devoid of high fibre and nutritional elements. Furthermore, many gluten-free foods are also higher in sodium and emulsifiers, which in the long term can be unhealthy if consumed on a regular basis, experts maintain.
“Ultra-processed food constitutes most of what gluten-intolerant people consume and is made of refined starch, added sugars, and artificial preservatives, and these are inferior in quality to whole grain food with gluten,” says Wadhwa. “Daily consumption can propel obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.”
Instead, Udeshi recommends replacing whole naturally gluten-free foods like millets, quinoa, amaranth, and pulses as a nutritional upgrading strategy. “Not only are these cereals gluten-free but also rich in fibre, protein, and micronutrients and hence an upgrade over highly refined gluten-free ready-to-eat foods,” she adds.
Unnecessary concerns
India has a variety of whole grains such as wheat, barley, and millets containing gluten. It is dangerous to exclude them in the absence of a medical crisis, experts opine.
“Whole grains contain fibre, vitamin B and iron. Removing them will lead to lack of nutrients, impaired gut health, and increased risk of chronic disease,” insists Udeshi. “Gluten does not need to be avoided except in people who have been diagnosed with intolerance or celiac disease.”
Wadhwa adds, “Most people don’t know about the function of whole grains. A radical gluten-free process change can be detrimental rather than beneficial by creating an even wider reliance on refined starch and fillers.”
They cite cases where individuals with no real medical need became iron anaemia deficient, suffered gastrointestinal distress, and were tired after being deceptively gluten-free.
“I have witnessed some cases where the person was lacking in fibre, vitamin B12, and iron and thus remained low on energy and suffered from stomach issues,” says Wadhwa. “This is proof that an expert should be consulted before doing a complete change in diet. Most people in such instances were misled through fake information presented on social media and then suffered from digestion and nutrient imbalance.”
Udeshi adds, “When people eliminate gluten for reasons other than medical concerns, they are removing nutrient-dense whole foods that are providing us with vital prebiotics and micronutrients. It can contribute to long-term disease issues, like compromised metabolic well-being and risk of lifestyle disease.”
Misleading information
Although social media content producers have marketed gluten-free as a weight-loss tool, individuals embraced the habit without medical need and have experienced negative impacts on their health.
“Social media has been squarely to blame for unnecessary gluten-free diets,” Udeshi says. “There were some individuals who were following influencer advice and later on developed nutrient deficiencies, weight gain, and gastrointestinal problems. They are eliminating gluten without knowing anything about the nutrition component involved, and therefore they have imbalanced diets with ill-effects on their health.”
Despite most of them citing that gluten-free diets lead to weight loss, experts opine that effects come from reduced consumption of processed food rather than directly through avoidance of gluten.
“Eating smarter with less processed and refined foods is the way to lose weight,” says Wadhwa. “Taking gluten out alone without consideration of total nutrition will not result in long-term weight loss. In fact, most of the packaged gluten-free foods are filled with added sugar and unhealthy fat, and those will ultimately do the opposite.”
Udeshi adds, “Removing gluten alone is not always equal to weight loss. Instead, consume more fibre, lean protein and healthy fats for long-term, sustainable results.”