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A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes gluten, a protein composite found in wheat and related grains, including barley and rye. Gluten causes health problems in sufferers of celiac disease (CD) and some cases of wheat allergy. For those diagnosed with celiac disease, a strict gluten-free diet constitutes the only effective treatment to date. There is ongoing research and debate on non-celiac gluten sensitivity. While gluten-free diets are a popular fad diet, there is no published experimental evidence that they provide any benefit to the general population, and they carry serious risks of malnutrition.

Rationale behind adoption of the diet

Coeliac disease

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease that attacks the small intestine due to the presence of gluten, for which a gluten-free diet is the only medically-accepted treatment. The disease affects an estimated 1% of adults worldwide and appears to be on the increase, but because of the rare occurrence of symptoms, it is believed only 5-10 percent of cases are diagnosed. The amount of tolerable gluten varies among people with celiac disease. Although there is no evidence to suggest a single definitive threshold, a daily gluten intake of less than 10 mg is unlikely to cause significant histological abnormalities.

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is described as a condition of multiple symptoms that improves when switching to a gluten-free diet, after celiac disease and wheat allergy are excluded. Patients develop gastrointestinal symptoms, which resemble those of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and/or a variety of systemic symptoms, such as headache, mood disorders, fatigue, bone or joint pain, and skin manifestations. Neurological signs are the most common among extra-intestinal manifestations of NCGS.

The ingestion of gliadin (a component of gluten) is responsible for symptoms in celiac disease and, at least in some cases, in NCGS. Much recent research on NCGS has aimed at determining which agents trigger a response in NCGS patients: to which extent gluten, FODMAPs, ATIs or other substances are involved. Some double-blind, placebo-controlled challenge (DBPC) have been performed to evaluate if the improvement of the NCGS symptoms after a gluten-free diet can be induced by a placebo effect, manifesting discordant results. Nevertheless, these trials have been performed only in NCGS patients with irritable bowel-like symptoms (IBS). One DBPC trial performed by Biesiekierski et al. firstly confirmed the existence of NCGS and found that gluten caused significantly worse pain, tiredness, bloating and stool consistency than a placebo diet in IBS patients, with no difference in celiac or gliadin antibodies between the gluten and control groups. Similar results were obtained by Carroccio et al. in another DBPC study. However, in a second DBPC trial of Biesiekierski et al. in a few patients with IBS, the authors found no difference between gluten or placebo groups and the concept of NCGS as a syndrome was questioned. They concluded that gluten was responsible of neurological, but not gastrointestinal symptoms, and that the intestinal symptoms were attributable to FODMAPs in the majority of participants. Nevertheless, probably the reintroduction of both gluten and whey protein had a nocebo effect similar in all patients, and this could have masked the true effect of gluten/wheat reintroduction.

In NCGS, both wheat and gluten may contribute to different symptoms that can occur in the same individuals. Consequently, there is a discussion on whether the term should be non-celiac's gluten sensitivity or non-celiac wheat sensitivity.

Also, a subgroup of NCGS patients can't improve by eating commercially available gluten-free products, wich are usually rich of preservatives and additives, because chemical additives (such as sulphites, glutamates, nitrates and benzoates) might have a role in evoking functional gastrointestinal symptoms of NCGS. Thus, this patients need a diet based on natural gluten-free foods.

NCGS, which is possibly immune-mediated, now appears to be more common than celiac disease, with a prevalence estimated to be 6-10 times higher.

As a fad diet

Gluten-free fad diets are popular and endorsed by celebrities such as Miley Cyrus. The book Wheat Belly which refers to wheat as a "chronic poison" became a New York Times bestseller within a month of publication in 2011. People buy gluten-free food "because they think it will help them lose weight, because they seem to feel better or because they mistakenly believe they are sensitive to gluten." However the gluten-free diet is not recommended as a means to eat healthier or to lose weight. It should not be undertaken to diagnose one's own symptoms, because tests for celiac disease are reliable only if the patient has been consuming gluten.

Evidence of the diet's efficacy as an autism treatment is poor. Studies, including one by the University of Rochester, found that the popular autism diet does not demonstrate behavioral improvement and fails to show any genuine benefit to children diagnosed with autism who do not also have a known digestive condition which benefits from a gluten-free diet.

While it is true that some people have a sensitivity to gluten, many actually put themselves at risk for more health complications by going on a gluten-free diet. Many people who go on this fad diet will do so in order to lose weight, but they can actually end up gaining weight. This is because a gluten-free diet is heavily based on processed foods that lack in nutritional value. Many gluten-free products will contain substitute starches, such as rice and tapioca, and are lacking in essential vitamins, fibre, and protein. In this way, there is a large misconception of the benefits of going gluten-free.

Like most fad diets, the gluten-free diet imposes many problems within the general public. For one, the more people that spread positive claims about the diet, the more people that will try it regardless of having no medical need to. Many people will also seek information about this diet on the internet, particularly on personal health blogs, which are not written by medical professionals. Thus, there is an added risk of people taking medical advice from non-professionals, which could potentially impact their health. Many people do not properly research this topic and end up spreading harmful misinformation. In addition, it is often believed that going gluten-free in itself is sufficient to constitute a healthy diet.  However, when people do not adjust their nutrient intake to accommodate a gluten-free diet, they may compromise their health more than they realize. Another detrimental aspect of this diet is the cost; it is estimated that gluten-free foods cost 162% more than regular foods, adding a financial burden to those who think they can only solve their health issues by cutting gluten out of their diet. There is a consensus in the medical community that people should consult a physician before going on a gluten-free diet, so that a medical professional can accurately test for Coeliac disease or any other gluten-induced health issues. Unfortunately, this decision is often not approached with such precautions, and people continue to pursue this diet despite the fact that it has not been proven to be beneficial to those without Coeliac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or gluten sensitivity.

Wheat allergy

In some cases, a wheat allergy is a valid medical reason for eating a gluten-free diet.

Eating gluten-free

The gluten-free diet includes naturally gluten-free food, such as meat, fish, nuts, legumes, fruit, vegetables, potatoes, pseudocereals (in particular amaranth, buckwheat, chia seed, quinoa), only certain cereal grains (corn, rice, sorghum), minor cereals (including fonio, Job's tears, millet, teff, called "minor" cereals as they are "less common and are only grown in a few small regions of the world"), some other plant products (arrowroot, mesquite flour) and products made from these gluten-free foods, such as breads and gluten-free beer. Gluten-free bread may be less fluffy, so additives are used to compensate, such as corn starch, eggs, xanthum gum, guar gum, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose.

Processing of some glutenous ingredients removes the gluten, such as maltodextrin, and some distilled beverages.

Some vineyards use flour paste to caulk the oak barrels, but tests have not detected the presence of gluten in the wine. Gluten may be used as a clarifying agent in wine, some of which might remain in the product.

The diet excludes foods containing gluten, such as wheat, rye, barley, triticale, kamut, malt, and foods that may include them, or shared transportation or processing facilities with them.

Some cereal grains, although gluten-free in themselves, may contain gluten by cross-contamination during processing steps or transport; this includes oats. Some processed foods may contain gluten, so they would need specific labeling, such as gluten-free ice-cream, ketchup, chicken bouillon, corn cereal, ice cream toppings, malt flavoring, and chocolate. And some non-foodstuffs may contain gluten as an excipient or binding agent, such as medications and vitamin supplements, especially those in tablet form. People with gluten intolerance may require special compounding of their medication.

Risks

Unless great care is taken, a gluten-free diet can lack the vitamins, minerals, and fiber which are found in wheat, barley, rye, kamut, and other gluten-containing whole grains and may be too high in fat and calories. Processed gluten-free foods are often higher in salt, sugar, glycemic index, transfats and other processed fats. Although the lack of vitamins, minerals and fiber can be mitigated through the consumption of brown rice and quinoa, many practitioners of the diet do not consume the recommended number of grain servings per day. Many gluten-free products are not fortified or enriched by such nutrients as folate, iron, and fiber as traditional breads and cereals have been during the last century.

Advances towards higher nutrition-content gluten-free bakery products, improved for example in terms of fiber content and glycemic index, have been made by using not exclusively corn starch or other starches to substitute for flour. In this aim, for example the dietary fiber inulin (which acts as a prebiotic) or quinoa or amaranth wholemeal have been as substitute for part of the flour. Such substitution has been found to also yield improved crust and texture of bread.

Regulation and labels

Regulation of the label gluten-free varies by country. Most countries derive key provisions of their gluten-free labeling regulations from the Codex Alimentarius international standards for food labeling has a standard relating to the labeling of products as gluten-free. It only applies to foods that would normally contain gluten. Gluten-free is defined as 20 ppm (= 20 mg/kg) or less. It categorizes gluten-free food as:

• Food that is gluten-free by composition
• Food that has become gluten-free through special processing.
• Reduced gluten content, food which includes food products with between 20 and 100 ppm of gluten. Reduced gluten content is left up to individual nations to more specifically define.

The Codex Standard suggests the enzyme-linked Immunoassay (ELISA) R5 Mendez method for indicating the presence of gluten, but allows for other relevant methods, such as DNA. The Codex Standard specifies that the gluten-free claim must appear in the immediate proximity of the name of the product, to ensure visibility.

There is no general agreement on the analytical method used to measure gluten in ingredients and food products. The ELISA method was designed to detect w-gliadins, but it suffered from the setback that it lacked sensitivity for barley prolamins. The use of highly sensitive assays is mandatory to certify gluten-free food products. The European Union, World Health Organization, and Codex Alimentarius require reliable measurement of the wheat prolamins, gliadins rather than all-wheat proteins.

Australia

The Australian government recommends that:

• food labeled gluten-free include no detectable gluten (<5ppm ), oats or their products, cereals containing gluten that have been malted or their products
• food labeled low gluten claims such that the level of 20 mg gluten per 100 g of the food

Brazil

All food products must be clearly labelled whether they contain gluten or they are gluten-free.

Canada

Health Canada considers that foods containing levels of gluten not exceeding 20 ppm as a result of contamination, meet the health and safety intent of section B.24.018 of the Food and Drug Regulations when a gluten-free claim is made. Any intentionally added gluten, even at low levels must be declared on the packaging and a gluten-free claim would be considered false and misleading. Labels for all food products sold in Canada must clearly identify the presence of gluten if it is present at a level greater than 10 ppm.

European Union

The EU European Commission delineates the categories as:

• gluten-free: 20 ppm or less of gluten
• very low gluten foodstuffs: 20-100ppm gluten.

In the United Kingdom, only cereals must be labelled; labelling of other products is voluntary.

United States

Until 2013 anyone could use the gluten-free claim with no repercussion. In 2008, Wellshire Farms chicken nuggets labeled gluten-free were purchased and samples were sent to a food allergy laboratory where they were found to contain gluten. After this was reported in the Chicago Tribune, the products continued to be sold. The manufacturer has since replaced the batter used in its chicken nuggets. The U.S. first addressed gluten-free labeling in the 2004 Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA). The FDA issued their Final Rule on August 5, 2013. When a food producer voluntarily chooses to use a gluten-free claim for a product, the food bearing the claim in its labeling may not contain:

• an ingredient that is a gluten-containing grain
• an ingredient that is derived from a gluten-containing grain that has not been processed to remove gluten
• an ingredient that is derived from a gluten-containing grain, that has been processed to remove gluten but results in the presence of 20 ppm or more gluten in the food. Any food product claiming to be gluten-free and also bearing the term "wheat" in its ingredient list or in a separate "Contains wheat" statement, must also include the language "*the wheat has been processed to allow this food to meet the FDA requirements for gluten-free foods," in close proximity to the ingredient statement.
• Any food product that inherently does not contain gluten may use a gluten-free label where any unavoidable presence of gluten in the food bearing the claim in its labeling is below 20 ppm gluten.

See also

• Gluten-free, casein-free diet
• Specific Carbohydrate Diet
• Paleolithic diet

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• 2010s fads and trends