Instagram Facebook Youtube

Is Gluten Even That Bad?

If you ask the average person about bread, they’ll tell you it’s deathly bad for you. It’s the carb that gets blamed for making people unhealthy, fat, and ugly. The commonly proposed root cause is gluten thus resulting in the rise of gluten free diets.

You would think such a popular trend has some legitimacy to it, but oddly enough, it doesn’t. In fact, if you ask any passionate gluten free dieter what gluten is, they wouldn’t even have an answer. They’d look at you like a clueless bandwagon rider who acts morally superior for avoiding toast.

Anyways, let’s get to the bottom of this shall we?

What the Heck is Gluten?

Gluten is a group of proteins found in grain products, particularly wheat. It contributes to bread rising and provides an elastic structure (1). This is why gluten free bread usually fails to have that distinct bread texture we all know and love.

Beer also contains gluten, so people who drink it are clearly not gluten intolerant.

So Is Gluten Even That Bad?

Some paleo friend of yours might’ve convinced you gluten is deeply evil, but this is only the case if you have celiac disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that genetically predisposes you to small intestine damage even from a minimal amount of gluten (2).

People with celiac disease will feel extremely sick if they eat a gluten free bagel toasted in a toaster that previously had a regular bagel. With little research for a cure, they’re essentially sentenced to eat a gluten free diet for life (2).

You undoubtedly know when you have celiac disease because it genuinely sucks.

Fortunately, research finds only about 0.7% of people have celiac disease (3). You’re probably not one of them. If you are, you’ll likely need to supplement for common nutrient deficiencies like iron, calcium and magnesium and vitamin B, D, E (27).

Is Gluten Sensitivity Real?

Despite these statistics, many people will still claim to have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. However, this is merely a self-diagnosis (4).

One survey even found only 0.5% of people with a self-proclaimed non-celiac gluten sensitivity actually ate a gluten free diet (5). (probably cause most of them don’t actually have a legitimate gluten sensitivity)

You see this in real life too. We all have that annoying friend who freaks out about a crouton, but is somehow fine when he/she binges on their favorite pastry.

When people claim they’re gluten sensitive, the explanation is usually the nocebo effect (6,7). In other words, very little physiological impact is consistently happening and side effects are highly perceived if any.

Recent research has shown us that the average human is a gullible sheep. It shows an increasingly large amount of people continue to falsely label themselves as gluten sensitive despite indications of physiological gluten sensitivity remaining the same for years (8).

This is not to say gluten sensitivity is not real. It still impacts about 7% of the population (25,26). However, arbitrarily switching to a gluten free diet often makes your diet quality worse and increases inflammatory potential (28).

So Grains and Gluten Aren’t Bad For Me?

However, if you don’t have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, grains/gluten are not bad for you (14). Research has consistently debunked all the common rumors against them like how they cause inflammation or make you fat.

Let me rundown the science for you.

  • Grains and wheat do not make you fat. They either show a neutral effect or a beneficial effect on body weight/composition (9,10).
  • The claim that grains or gluten causes inflammation is an absolute joke. Studies consistently show they’re either neutral or even reduce inflammation (11,12).
  • One study even found whole grains are as anti-inflammatory as fruits and vegetables, but through different pathways suggesting that it’s best to include whole grains in your diet to have all bases covered (13).
  • Lastly, any health risk or disease ever studied with whole grains/gluten shows they reduce risk and improve your chances of living (15,16,17,18).

As you can see, gluten is not something you need to fear. In fact, research shows if you don’t have a specific diagnosis, avoiding gluten can be dangerous as you you’ll miss out on many nutrients along with fiber (19,20).

Fat Loss Related Benefits

Besides all the health benefits already mentioned, whole grains and gluten are deeply fat loss friendly.

Whole wheat and whole grain bread have been shown to be more filling than many other common health foods including some grains that don’t even contain gluten (21).

Higher fiber bread is also better for fat loss. One study had 2 obese groups eat 12 slices each of either white or high fiber bread in an equal caloric deficit (24). Despite eating an entire loaf per day, both groups lost weight, but the high fiber bread group lost 2.5kg more in 8 weeks.

Another study looked at 2 different dieting groups, one with bread and one without bread (22). The group who got to include bread in their diet lost the same amount of weight, got more consistent results, and had 3 times fewer dropouts. In other words, bread increases the adherence to your diet.

Bonus Study

This last study looking at romance is pretty neat (23). It basically concludes if you identify as following a gluten free diet on a first date, you’d be perceived as more picky, demanding, judgmental, high-maintenance, and a complainer. Males were also seen as less masculine.

Long story short, eating gluten free will hurt your chances at romance cause science, duh.

The Ultimate Takeaways

Ok, here’s the part where I condense a long message into short adorable bullet points.

  • Gluten shouldn’t be avoided unless you have celiac disease.
  • Gluten sensitivity apart from celiac disease is possible, but extremely unlikely.
  • Whole grains improve markers of health and decrease markers of disease risk.
  • Gluten containing foods like bread can be beneficial for satiety, adherence, and fat loss.
  • Being gluten free might keep you single forever. Seriously, who wants to date a dork that declines breadsticks? Such a turn off.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
  1. Shewry, Peter R, et al. “The Structure and Properties of Gluten: an Elastic Protein from Wheat Grain.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 28 Feb. 2002, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11911770.
  2. Parzanese, Ilaria, et al. “Celiac Disease: From Pathophysiology to Treatment.” World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pathophysiology, Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 15 May 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5437500/.
  3. Rubio-Tapia, Alberto, et al. “The Prevalence of Celiac Disease in the United States.” The American Journal of Gastroenterology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22850429.
  4. Bardella, Maria Teresa, et al. “Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity.” SpringerLink, Springer US, 17 Oct. 2016, link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11894-016-0536-7.
  5. DiGiacomo, Daniel V, et al. “Prevalence of Gluten-Free Diet Adherence among Individuals without Celiac Disease in the USA: Results from the Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2010.” Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23834276.
  6. Carroccio, Antonio, et al. “Non-Celiac Wheat Sensitivity Diagnosed by Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Challenge: Exploring a New Clinical Entity.” The American Journal of Gastroenterology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22825366.
  7. Capannolo, Annalisa, et al. “Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity among Patients Perceiving Gluten-Related Symptoms.” Digestion, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26043918.
  8. Croall, Iain D, et al. “A Population Survey of Dietary Attitudes towards Gluten.” Nutrients, MDPI, 5 June 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31195638.
  9. Pol, Korrie, et al. “Whole Grain and Body Weight Changes in Apparently Healthy Adults: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23945718.
  10. “Does Wheat Make Us Fat and Sick?” Journal of Cereal Science, Academic Press, 22 June 2013, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0733521013000969.
  11. Hajihashemi, Parisa, et al. “Whole-Grain Intake Favorably Affects Markers of Systemic Inflammation in Obese Children: a Randomized Controlled Crossover Clinical Trial.” Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24478050.
  12. Andersson, Agneta, et al. “Whole-Grain Foods Do Not Affect Insulin Sensitivity or Markers of Lipid Peroxidation and Inflammation in Healthy, Moderately Overweight Subjects.” The Journal of Nutrition, U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17513398.
  13. Kopf, Julianne C, et al. “Role of Whole Grains versus Fruits and Vegetables in Reducing Subclinical Inflammation and Promoting Gastrointestinal Health in Individuals Affected by Overweight and Obesity: a Randomized Controlled Trial.” Nutrition Journal, BioMed Central, 30 July 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30060746.
  14. Croall, Iain David, et al. “Gluten Does Not Induce Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Healthy Volunteers: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo Trial.” Gastroenterology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Sept. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31129127.
  15. Katcher, Heather I, et al. “The Effects of a Whole Grain-Enriched Hypocaloric Diet on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Men and Women with Metabolic Syndrome.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan. 2008, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18175740.
  16. Aune, Dagfinn, et al. “Whole Grain Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, and All Cause and Cause Specific Mortality: Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.” BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), BMJ Publishing Group Ltd., 14 June 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27301975.
  17. Zhang, B, et al. “Association of Whole Grain Intake with All-Cause, Cardiovascular, and Cancer Mortality: a Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis from Prospective Cohort Studies.” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29091078.
  18. Lund-Blix, Nicolai A., et al. “Gluten Intake and Risk of Islet Autoimmunity and Progression to Type 1 Diabetes in Children at Increased Risk of the Disease: The Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY).” Diabetes Care, American Diabetes Association, 20 Feb. 2019, care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2019/02/14/dc18-2315.
  19. Diez-Sampedro, Ana, et al. “A Gluten-Free Diet, Not an Appropriate Choice without a Medical Diagnosis.” Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, Hindawi, 1 July 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31354988?dopt=Abstract&fbclid=IwAR2RzilyFwdjQJiHUQqfke-XAAlXjWNWeRs5coEMeN8OVtFZOQ8x9CzV66E.
  20. Lebwohl, Benjamin, et al. “Long Term Gluten Consumption in Adults without Celiac Disease and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: Prospective Cohort Study.” The BMJ, British Medical Journal Publishing Group, 2 May 2017, www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j1892.
  21. Holt, S H, et al. “A Satiety Index of Common Foods.” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Sept. 1995, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7498104.
  22. Loria-Kohen, Viviana, et al. “Evaluation of the Usefulness of a Low-Calorie Diet with or without Bread in the Treatment of Overweight/Obesity.” Clinical Nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22209501.
  23. Aloni, Maya, et al. “Too Picky for My Taste? The Effect of the Gluten-Free Dietary Restriction on Impressions of Romantic Partners.” Appetite, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30227183.

  24. Mickelsen, O, et al. “Effects of a High Fiber Bread Diet on Weight Loss in College-Age Males.” OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 1 Aug. 1979, academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/32/8/1703/4692345?redirectedFrom=fulltext.

  25. Barbaro, Maria Raffaella, et al. “Recent Advances in Understanding Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity.” F1000Research, F1000 Research Limited, 11 Oct. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6182669/.

  26. Igbinedion, Samuel O, et al. “Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity: All Wheat Attack Is Not Celiac.” World Journal of Gastroenterology, Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 28 Oct. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5677194/.

     

  27. Cardo, Aner, et al. “Nutritional Imbalances in Adult Celiac Patients Following a Gluten-Free Diet.” Nutrients, MDPI, 21 Aug. 2021, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8398893/.

  28. Henriques. “Gluten-Free Diet Reduces Diet Quality and Increases Inflammatory Potential in Non-Celiac Healthy Women.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition, U.S. National Library of Medicine, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34516338/.

Want to Learn More About Getting Your Dream Body?

Sign up for AwesomeFitnessScience Weekly. You’ll get juicy insider secrets, updates, and stories.

Related: Dariy – A Healthy Choice Idiots Don’t Realize