Gluten-Free Food Not Healthier At All, Study Says

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Gluten-free diets have become popular among health-conscious individuals due to the belief that it can promote good health. However, based on a recent study, gluten-free food may not be healthier at all.

According to BGR, the George Institute for Global Health in Australia has discovered that gluten-free food products offer a reduced amount of protein but have similar sugar and sodium content with gluten-rich ones. 

Lead author Dr. Jason Wu states that after testing 3,200 products across 10 food categories, the team has discovered that there is no difference between gluten-free food products and food choices with gluten, except for the price and their gluten content. He adds that the nutritional value of both food choices is basically the same.

Dr. Wu believes that the labels on gluten-free food products appears to be just a marketing tactic to make consumers believe that what they are eating is healthier.

Washington Examiner adds that because of the weight loss hype featuring gluten-free diets, the number of individuals who consume gluten-free products has dramatically risen over the years.

The gluten-free diet craze has definitely influenced health-conscious individuals. Mintel, a global and award-winning provider of Market Research, has disclosed that the gluten-free food market has raked in an estimated $10.5 billion income in 2013 and is expected to rise by 48 percent in 2016.  

The researchers said that health advantages of gluten-free food products, however, can be felt by people suffering from celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder which causes small intestine damage when a patient ingests gluten, the Washington Examiner explains. 

According to the MIC website, many advocates of the gluten-free food hype argue that there are also gluten-intolerant individuals who now have the choice to go gluten-free.

However, David S. Seres, director of medical nutrition and associate professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center's Institute of Human Nutrition, believes otherwise. In an interview with the website, he said there is no scientific evidence on the advocates' claims, and compared the hype to supplement consumption.

Peter Gibson of Monash University in Melbourne thinks the possible "gluten intolerance" these advocates claim may be caused by the FODMAPS, a group of dietary sugars found in gluten.

But, due to the possibility that many people may be experiencing gastrointestinal disorders that have no symptoms, Seres affirms it could be just a placebo effect.