Gluten-Free Foods May Not Be Healthy

A brand new examine means that gluten-free merchandise will not be as dietary as their gluten-containing equivalents.

New analysis – introduced on the 50th Annual Congress of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition – compares the dietary content material of gluten-free and gluten-containing meals.

Gluten is a protein present in all kinds of wheat grains, rye, and barley, in addition to in meals derived from these grains, reminiscent of pasta, bread, cereals, and baked items.

People with celiac illness should observe a strict gluten-free eating regimen, as this autoimmune dysfunction could be triggered by even the smallest consumption of gluten. It is at present estimated that 1 in 100 folks throughout the globe stay with celiac illness. In Europe, roughly 1 p.c of the inhabitants is assumed to have the dysfunction, and within the United States, celiac illness impacts greater than three million folks.

In addition to these affected by celiac illness, many individuals keep away from gluten as a result of they’re illiberal to the protein. Gluten sensitivity has related signs to celiac illness, however gluten intolerance doesn’t injury the small gut.

Finally, increasingly more persons are adhering to a gluten-free eating regimen just because gluten-free merchandise are perceived to be extra healthful. However, new analysis challenges this perception.

The new examine was led by Dr. Joaquim Calvo Lerma and Dr. Sandra Martínez-Barona, each of the Research Group on Celiac Disease and Digestive Immunopathology on the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe in Valencia, Spain.

Gluten-free merchandise are sometimes missing dietary worth, and shoppers could also be misled. The researchers evaluated the dietary content material of 654 gluten-free meals and in contrast them with 655 merchandise that contained gluten.

The examine discovered that gluten-free merchandise had the next vitality content material than gluten-containing objects. Additionally, meals with gluten contained as much as 3 times extra protein than their gluten-free counterparts.

Bread, pasta, pizza, and flour all had a very excessive protein content material. For youngsters, passing up on this dietary content material could have a damaging affect on their growth, and the shortcomings of gluten-free merchandise discovered within the examine increase the chance of childhood weight problems.

“As more and more people are following a gluten-free diet to effectively manage celiac disease, it is imperative that foods marketed as substitutes are reformulated to ensure that they truly do have similar nutritional values. This is especially important for children, as a well-balanced diet is essential to healthy growth and development.”  Dr. Joaquim Calvo Lerma

It is at present estimated that 10 p.c of youngsters whose development is delayed for no obvious cause could have celiac illness.

The examine additionally discovered that gluten-free breads contained significantly extra lipids and saturated fat. Furthermore, gluten-free pasta was discovered to have much less sugar than pasta with gluten, and gluten-free biscuits had significantly much less protein and extra lipids than their gluten-containing equal.

In gentle of those findings, Dr. Martínez-Barona suggests that buyers may be misinformed on the dietary worth of gluten-free merchandise and requires clearer labeling on these things:

“Where nutritional values of gluten-free products do vary significantly from their gluten-containing counterparts, such as having higher levels of saturated fat, labeling needs to clearly indicate this so that patients, parents, and carers can make informed decisions. Consumers should also be provided with guidance to enhance their understanding of the nutritional compositions of products, in both gluten-free and gluten-containing products, to allow them to make more informed purchases and ensure a healthier diet is followed.”