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Monday, March 13th, 2017

How healthy are low-gluten diets anyway?

Author:     Sara Chodosh
Source:     Popular Science/The Raw Story
Publication Date:     10 Mar 2017 at 00:11 ET
Link: How healthy are low-gluten diets anyway?
Stephan:   Where I live giving a dinner party has become a study in trying to plan a menu around the dietary restrictions of the people you want to invite. One of the biggest issues is gluten, its presence or absence. Most of this is affectation based on faux-science. And I am sorry to say that it is a few holistic doctors and chiropractors using applied kinesiology muscle testing who are responsible. First applied kinesiology is not a reliable test of anything, no medical decisions should be made on the basis of muscle testing. Why do I say that so categorically, and how do I know? Because, supported by the BIAL Foundation, and Atlantic University, I spent more than a year doing experimental research on this topic, and the results were stark and unequivocal: Applied kinesiology did not work. Period. Full stop. If you want to get the paper, go to Academia.edu and search on my name, then search on "applied kinesiology" and you will find the paper which you can freely download. Please do so. But it is worse than that, many of these diet fads, produce negative unintended consequences, and that includes eliminating gluten. Here's the story.

Credit: shutterstock

Eating less gluten is associated with a higher risk of diabetes, but it’s more complicated than that. (emphasis added)

In the pantheon of fad diets, there is perhaps none more hated on than gluten-free. And despite how annoying fad dieters are (if I hear one more person order a salad because they’re ‘gluten-free’ and then ask for croutons…), it’s not unreasonable to want to avoid foods that might possibly be bad for you. But is gluten actually bad for people who don’t have a problem with it?

There’s no real evidence that avoiding gluten leads to tangible health benefits, assuming that you don’t have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. But there also haven’t been many studies that actually asked that question—there’s just not much information out there. On Thursday we got some preliminary answers…kind of.

People who eat low gluten diets are at a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes, according to results presented on Thursday at the American Heart Association […]

Read the Full Article

3 Comments

  1. Norm on Monday, March 13, 2017 at 6:30 am

    I would take any study funded by the American Heart Association with a “grain” of salt.  Proctor and Gamble originally heavily funded AHA to promote high carb/low saturated fat diets as a means to market their vegetable oils and numerous corn and grain based food products.   It turned out to be a hoax based on faulty science that contributed to the obesity crisis today.

  2. Dianne Adams on Monday, March 13, 2017 at 6:59 am

    Anyone who doesn’t read to the end of this article is easily miss led to think that gluten free equals diabetes risk, which the article later backs away from. As someone who struggled with weight and health problems until discovering a non-celiac gluten sensitivity at age 54, I feel you do a disservice by running this obviously slanted piece. My sensitivity is in fact an autoimmune disease which causes my body to attack itself. I only wish I had discovered my issue earlier so I wouldn’t have had to replace both knees and recently a hip due to my immune system eating my cartilage. No, I am not celiac. However, the low quality of our factory farming and pesticide use have led to this sorry state of gluten sensitivity in the wider population than in the past. As a dinner guest, I have always found something I can eat as long as the vegetables and meat aren’t all drenched in gluten. Our overweight population is likely comprised of a good percentage who are gluten sensitive and as a result degraded their digestive system. That is what led me and most of my friends to discover better health without gluten. Surely, you wouldn’t criticize those who choose this approach to their health. If this sensitivity hasn’t hit you or anyone in your family, count your blessings.

    I have been a reader for 10+ years and thoroughly enjoying and appreciate what you offer, but on this issue I feel you are myopic.

  3. Mark R on Monday, March 13, 2017 at 6:06 pm

    Thanks for the academic paper reference.