Gluten has been getting a bad rap lately, a rap that is undeserved. For the vast majority of people gluten is harmless and may be beneficial for your health.
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and some other grains. Gluten gives bread dough its elasticity and texture and helps it to rise by holding the carbon dioxide produced by the yeast in small bubbles. The image shows gluten strands in baked bread. Unfortunately, it has become trendy to avoid gluten, with ill-informed "influencers" spreading inaccurate claims about gluten's supposed health dangers. Some folks buy into all the scare-mongering that has grown up around gluten (much of which, needless to say, comes from people trying to sell you gluten-free products).
Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity
It's true that about 1% of people have a true gluten allergy known as celiac disease, and consuming even small amounts of gluten can cause these people great distress and serious medical problems. damages the lining of the small intestine. This can lead to nutrient malabsorption, causing symptoms such as diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, and anemia. Long-term exposure to gluten in individuals with celiac disease can result in complications like osteoporosis and increased risk of certain cancers. The only effective treatment is a strict, lifelong gluten-free diet. Celiac disease is diagnosed with blood tests for specific antibodies and usually a small‑intestinal biopsy while still eating gluten, sometimes supported by genetic testing.
A slightly larger percentage of people have what is called gluten sensitivity. This is when eating gluten causes symptoms similar to those of celiac disease but all of the tests for celiac are negative. But gluten sensitivity is not an autoimmune disease and does not cause intestinal damage.
Gluten is Fine for Most Folks
For the other 95%+ of us, however, there is nothing to worry about. After all, gluten has been part of the human diet for some 10,000 years, and there is not a single shred of legitimate medical evidence linking gluten to autism, Alzheimer's, or any other health issues. Really, not a shred!
Some folks claim to have lost weight with a gluten-free diet. Well duh, if you don't eat any bread, bagels, cake, or pasta, that will happen! Some folks claim to simply "feel better" without gluten, but that's a subjective response that may be more the result of eating a lot fewer carbs without being directly related to gluten at all. On the negative side, it's also the case that when eating gluten-free, it's very easy to short yourself on the fiber, vitamins, and minerals that are found in gluten-containing grains.
So, if you want to be trendy by avoiding gluten, go right ahead, but don't fool yourself into thinking you are getting any health benefits.
