Gluten-Free Foods – Hardly Anyone Needs Them

Do you want to save money? Then leave gluten-free products on the shelves. For most of you, the waiver has no positive effects.

Is it just a short-term hype or a long-term health measure? We’re talking about avoiding gluten. Foods with the “gluten-free” label are piling up on supermarket shelves. The ad suggests, “Gluten-free is great. Eat gluten-free!” Anyone with an allergy to gluten gratefully accepts the offer. But scientifically, not eating gluten has no effect on healthy people. The hoped-for effect: you feel better without gluten. This could also be due to another allergy or the nocebo effect.

So is gluten now fundamentally “evil”?

So far there is no solid evidence for this. However, it is clear that gluten-free products often contain even more carbohydrates and fats. Scientists are also concerned about the growing number of people who are following a gluten-free diet without any detectable reaction to gluten. They fear nutrient deficiencies in these people.

Many of the people who eat gluten free have self-diagnosed their wheat sensitivity. If studies examine people with self-diagnosed wheat sensitivity, i.e. with provocation by gluten or wheat after a gluten- or wheat-free diet for a while, then typical symptoms such as body aches, flatulence or headaches can often only be evoked in a fraction of the test persons. Many subjects also responded to placebo. Scientists therefore suspect a so-called nocebo effect. This means that you expect something to harm you and even cause symptoms. Even if it may not be the active substance at all. Another explanation is that gluten, which was initially suspected to be the reason for the symptoms, is not at all or at least not always to blame. Other wheat components are also under discussion. Additionally, there are overlaps with irritable bowel syndrome. The group of wheat-sensitive people is described as heterogeneous, so it is possible that not everyone reacts to the same ingredient.