Must Read: New Study Links Low Gluten Diet To Higher Risks Of Diabetes Type 2

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A recent study presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention / Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health 2017 Scientific Sessions, found that eating more gluten may be associated with a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Gluten is a protein that is mostly found in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is responsible for giving bread and other baked products their elasticity during the process of baking and a chewy texture in the finished baked products.

However, it is said that just a small percentage of the population experience gluten intolerance due to a condition known as gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease. Meanwhile, over the years, gluten-free diets have become rampant even among people who do not suffer these conditions.

This is the case, even though there is not enough evidence to prove that gluten reduction or elimination has any long-term health benefits. The researchers of the current study wanted to determine if the reduction in gluten consumption will have any health benefit in people who do not have any apparent medical reasons to avoid it.

"Gluten-free foods often have less dietary fiber and other micronutrients, making them less nutritious and they also tend to cost more. People without Celiac disease may reconsider limiting their gluten intake for chronic disease prevention, especially for diabetes," a research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, Geng Zong, Ph.D. said.

The researchers involved in the long-term observational study were able to find that most of the study participants had reduced their gluten intake to below 12 grams/day. They also found that within this range, the participants who consumed the most gluten had a dramatically lower risk of Type 2 diabetes during a thirty-year follow-up, according to UPI.

The study authors found that the study participants, who consumed less gluten, also ate less cereal fiber, which is a known protective factor for the development of Type 2 diabetes. The researcher found that study participants who fell within the highest level (20 percent) of gluten consumption recorded a 13 percent lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

This was after further accounting for the potential effect of cereal fiber. However, this was in comparison with study participant who had the lowest daily gluten consumption - approximately less than 4 grams, every day, according to Science Daily.

The researchers were able to confirm 15,947 cases of Type 2 diabetes over the course of the study, which included 4.24 million persons, with the years of follow-up being from 1984-1990 and 2010-2013. Among the shortcomings of the study, is that the study participants self-reported their gluten consumption and the study were observational, thus, warranting confirmation by further investigations. It is also noted that most of the study participants took part in the research before gluten-free diets became popular, which invariably means that there is no data from gluten abstainers.

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