For Or Against Gluten?

In recent years, gluten intolerance has enjoyed a great deal of media and public attention, and gluten-free foods occupy an increasing share of supermarket shelves. Gluten abstinence has become especially popular after Miley Cyrus posted on Twitter, saying in bloom that gluten is unfit for consumption. Is the gluten-free diet a new fashion trend or is it an objectively imposed health need?

To answer this question, we must begin with the basic facts. The well-known gluten is nothing more than a  protein in cereals, nothing more special than hundreds of others. What is the reason for his media status then? It turns out that there are different forms of gluten sensitivity and intolerance . Here it is important to clarify that gluten allergy and celiac disease, although immunological conditions, are not identical concepts. These are two different medical conditions that arise from an abnormal immune response to the gluten molecule. In particular, celiac disease is a type of autoimmune disease, while allergy is not.

Most forms of gluten intolerance are manifested by bloating, cramps, joint pain and diarrhea when consuming gluten. There is no cure for gluten intolerance, it is enough to simply avoid protein, and for celiac disease this is especially important because each subsequent intake of gluten progressively damages the digestive tract and is more severe than the previous one .

Gastroenterologists have found that the incidence of gluten intolerance and especially celiac disease is increasing. Many experts believe that today celiac disease is 4 times more common than 50 years ago. It is too early to say what exactly is causing this - a real increase in the incidence of the disease or just an increase in the prevalence of gluten. The fact is that it is widely used in the food industry as it gives elasticity to the dough. As more and more manufacturers explicitly label their gluten-free products to meet the needs of people with gluten tolerance, more and more people who can safely eat gluten are giving it up. Why is this so and what is more important - is it right?

Many teenage girls go on a gluten-free diet with the idea of ​​losing weight. It often happens that by giving up gluten-containing foods, they also lose important nutrients and minerals such as zinc, fiber and folic acid. Moreover, the endeavor often turns out to be counterproductive , because many gluten-free foods contain higher amounts of fats and carbohydrates (gluten is a protein), and therefore - more calories.

Therefore, we must point out that gluten is not a poison, as many may think. For those who do not suffer from gluten intolerance, it is no different from any other dietary protein. It is unreasonable and even dangerous to make drastic changes in the diet just to imitate one or another celebrity, she was also a fashion icon.

However, undiagnosed celiac disease can be even more dangerous . If we suspect gluten intolerance or celiac disease, we should not rush to exclude gluten from our diet, but above all to seek medical advice and only then (possibly) stop gluten, only if the doctor advises us to do so .