Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: syhprum on 02/12/2018 17:11:43

Title: How dangerous is Gluten in my food?
Post by: syhprum on 02/12/2018 17:11:43: I notice in my local grocery store many products (at a higher price are labelled Gluten free) Have I been taking a risk eating food with Glutens in it .
Title: Re: How dangerous is Gluten in my food?
Post by: Bored chemist on 02/12/2018 17:24:28: Unless you actually have coeliac disease (and you would know about it if you did) or other hypersensitivity / reaction the gluten free stuff is no better (or worse) for you.

Having said that, the number of folk looking to avoid gluten as a fad diet has greatly increased the supply of gluten free goods and has indirectly helped those who are genuinely intolerant.
Title: Re: How dangerous is Gluten in my food?
Post by: evan_au on 02/12/2018 20:24:17: Gluten is just another protein that occurs in wheat, amongst many other proteins. Your digestive system is very good at breaking down almost any protein that you swallow (including gluten), ready for absorption into the bloodstream.

However, there are some individuals for whom gluten triggers an auto-immune reaction, causing severe inflammation of the digestive system. But if you have been successfully eating bread, cake, pizza, or pasta for your whole life before "gluten free" became a thing, then gluten is not affecting you.

Gluten has mechanical properties that assist the stretching that is is part of making pasta and allowing bread to "rise" (form bubbles of CO₂) and gives bread its texture.

There have been some recent allegations that some products labelled "gluten-free" are only "gluten reduced", and still have levels of gluten that would affect someone with coeliac disease, if it formed a large part of their diet. They are taking advantage of the price premium, without taking responsibility for the medical impacts. If you do have coeliac disease, it would be worthwhile looking at some reviews done by independent labs, to see which brands really have sufficiently low levels of gluten.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten
Title: Re: How dangerous is Gluten in my food?
Post by: Colin2B on 02/12/2018 22:33:24: Like many fads people follow them without knowing why, just assuming that anything that is ‘free from ..’ must be good for you. There are downsides, avoiding foods that contain gluten can lead to deficiencies in essential nutrients, eg iron, calcium, fibre, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin. Whole grains, such as whole wheat bread, contain important nutrients. Many products that contain gluten, such as rice and breakfast cereals, are also fortified with vitamins.

Many gluten-free products are low in fibre. Avoiding whole grains can lead to a lack of fibre - you can make this up by eating lentils, beans, and so on, but the diet will need careful planning.

A study published in The BMJ in 2017 concluded that a person who follows a gluten-free diet without having celiac disease has a higher risk of cardiovascular disease in the long term. This is because they will miss out on the heart healthy benefits of whole grains.
Title: Re: How dangerous is Gluten in my food?
Post by: evan_au on 03/12/2018 09:17:45: Quote from: Colin2B
products that contain gluten, such as rice...
I thought that starchy foods like rice and potato were considered "gluten-free"?

Like wheat, these foods store the starch in a protein envelope, but they use a different protein which is much less likely to provoke an autoimmune response than the gluten in wheat.

One of the drivers for growing gluten intolerance worldwide is replacement of rice by wheat as a staple food in many Asian diets.
Title: Re: How dangerous is Gluten in my food?
Post by: Colin2B on 03/12/2018 09:40:02: Quote from: evan_au on 03/12/2018 09:17:45
I thought that starchy foods like rice and potato were considered "gluten-free"?

Yes, my mistake. I did know that, but I must have been thinking of Celiac sufferers who have to have certified gluten free because of danger of cross contamination during processing.
Title: Re: How dangerous is Gluten in my food?
Post by: Bored chemist on 03/12/2018 19:05:35: If I spend my money on gym membership (and actually go there) rather than on gluten free stuff it will give a much better return in terms of health.
Title: Re: How dangerous is Gluten in my food?
Post by: mbaker335 on 12/12/2018 08:07:41: Unless you have coeliac disease gluten is completely safe. On the whole 'gluten free' is just another fad diet. You can buy gluten to add when making bread to improve the texture. It is a natural part of grain. As with all fads it is just another way of gouging more money out of consumers. The main side effect is gluten free breads often can taste pretty disgusting.
Title: Re: How dangerous is Gluten in my food?
Post by: Ricerdo007 on 24/12/2018 07:04:24: I think the taste is still acceptable.
Title: Re: How dangerous is Gluten in my food?
Post by: Pregily on 12/03/2019 15:16:43: Don't know exactly why, but when go to supermarket always trying to take "gluten-free" products, seems to be I'm the victim of marketing.. :)