Disinformation at the table: gluten and celiac disease

Is it true that eliminating gluten makes you lose weight? What are the "good"and "bad" foods for your health? Is it true that reducing total calories is enough to lose weight and stay healthy?

These are just some of the questions that arise from the circulation of false beliefs in the food field. In these articles, we talk about it with Dr. Jessica Falcone, nutritionist biologist at San Raffaele Turro Hospital.

Here you can find the first part of the article.

What is gluten?

Among the false myths of nutrition there is one in particular that concerns the consumption of foods that contain gluten. The expansion of gluten-free products in the large-scale distribution market has pushed towards the consumption of these foods (which are very often richer in simple sugars, less fiber and more saturated fatty acids) even by people who don't need to eliminate gluten from their diet.

Gluten is an important reserve protein contained in the endosperm of cereals (reserve source for grains) such as wheat, rye, barley, spelt, wheat, Khorasan wheat and other cereal species. However, it is not found in corn, rice, quinoa and buckwheat.

Gluten is made up of two proteins, gliadin and glutenin, which in contact with water and with the action of mechanical force (mixing and kneading of the dough) form a compound and guarantee the characteristic elasticity and viscosity of bread-making doughs.

However, it can also be found in unsuspected foods such as some sausages, meatballs and hamburgers or in some baked goods, where it is used as a thickener and must always be indicated on the nutritional label.

 
Gluten: true and false myths

Gluten is not inflammatory, it doesn't make you fat and there is no scientific evidence that demonstrates and supports that it makes sense to eliminate foods containing it from the diet if you aren't faced with conditions of gluten intolerance (celiac disease), non-celiac gluten sensitivity, wheat allergy.

Gluten is not directly responsible for weight gain and its exclusion does not make you lose weight. Weight gain is actually related to other substances in gluten-containing foods that may be too refined and low in fiber.

Of course you can lose weight by eliminating the intake of these foods but only because these are often foods rich in calories and fat. On the other side, whole grains such as spelt, barley, wheat and others that contain gluten are essential and the basis of the Mediterranean diet and their exclusion actually leads to a reduction in the possibility of changing food choices and consequently a reduction in the supply of various nutrients that are important for our body.

References

• Minerva Gastroenterol Dietol. 2019 Jun;65(2):153-162. doi: 10.23736/S1121-421X.18.02519-9. Epub 2018 Dec 14. Gluten-free diet in non-celiac patients: beliefs, truths, advantages and disadvantages. 

• https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/ditch-the-gluten-improve-your-health