Gluten-free diet may be a waste of money ?

[gofish]

http://todayhealth.t...search-suggests

 

 

 

Gluten-free diet may be a waste of money for some, new research suggests

Gluten-free products can be considerably more expensive than their gluten counterparts -- and they're not lower in calories.

By Rita RubinGluten-free products are everywhere, but many people who buy them are probably wasting their money, according to Italian research released Monday.

 

The worldwide market for gluten-free products is nearly $2.5 billion, spurred in part by the Internet, alternative medicine and questionable scientists with ties to manufacturers, coauthor Dr. Roberto Corazza of the University of Pavia told msnbc.com in an email.

 

Gluten is a component of the protein mixture in wheat, rye and barley flour. For people with the autoimmune condition celiac disease, foods that contain gluten trigger the immune system to attack the lining of the small intestine. The only treatment is a lifelong, gluten-free diet. Untreated, celiac disease raises the risk of life-threatening conditions such as digestive tract cancers. About 1 in 133 Americans has celiac disease, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation.

 

Far more people think they have what has come to be called "nonceliac gluten sensitivity," Corazza says. Sufferers, in whom celiac disease has been ruled out, complain of a variety of symptoms after consuming gluten, including bloating, abdominal discomfort, flatulence and headache. The problem, Corazza and Dr. Antonio Di Sabatino write in an opinion piece in the Annals of Internal Medicine, is that no one is quite sure what gluten sensitivity is."Considerable debate about nonceliac gluten sensitivity has recently surfaced on the Internet, with a sharp increase in forums, patients or patient groups, manufacturers, and physicians advocating a gluten-free diet," the two write. "Claims seem to increase daily, with no adequate scientific support to back them up."

 

Gluten-free diets have become "trendy, fashionable," says Dr. Alessio Fasano, director of the University of Maryland's Center for Celiac Research in Baltimore, who coauthored an article about gluten-related disorders Feb. 14 in BioMed Central. "I would say the occasional consumers are the ones who have no reason to be on a gluten-free diet."

 

Gluten-free products can be several times more expensive than their gluten-containing counterparts. Part of the gluten-free fad comes from the misperception that the foods are healthier or more diet-friendly. The main health concern is that people cut out all gluten as a way to self-diagnose a sensitivity or celiac disease. But, Corazza notes, it's impossible to diagnose celiac disease in someone who's gone gluten-free before being evaluated.

 

When he sees patients who complain of symptoms after eating bread or pasta, Fasano says, he'll order a blood test to check for biomarkers of celiac disease and a skin test for the far less common wheat allergy. If necessary, he'll then perform an endoscopy to look for damage in their digestive tract characteristic of celiac disease.

 

He was skeptical when he first started hearing about nonceliac gluten sensitivity a few years ago, Fasano says, but he since has come to realize that some sufferers are "severely impaired." But because doctors aren't exactly sure what the condition is, it's difficult to diagnose.

 

The best-known diagnostic method, Fasano and Corazza say, is a double-blind oral "challenge." Patients are given drinks with and without gluten and then asked how they feel. Neither the patient nor the doctor knows which is which at the time of the testing. Such tests are expensive and time-consuming, though, Corazza says.

 

"The bottom line for gluten sensitivity," Fasano says, "is there are very little facts and a lot of fantasy."

 

TODAY contributor and nutritionist Joy Bauer clears up common confusion regarding gluten-free diets, defining Celiac disease and warning against self-diagnosing. She suggests keeping gluten in your diet unless you have a health aversion.

[Mother]

I would say if 1 in every 133 people have celiac disease then a huge percentage of the population are probably grateful for the gluten free products. I, for one, agree with the article in that those products are no better than other preprocessed foods as far as being healthful in general.

 

I have tested positive to the DNA for celiac disease, tested positve for a wheat intolerance, AND a sensitivity to gliadin (a protein component of wheat and other grains). I would say those tests qualify me as one of those people. A colon biopsy will confirm those tests of course but it is true that if you are not eating gluten the biopsy will usually be negative even if you DO have the disease. Why? Simply because you have removed the offending product and the colon has started to heal. To me, that is like being told you have to ingest a poison to see if you are being poisoned by it!!! As far as I'm concerned (and many scietific studies confirm that)the only true test of gluten allergy/intolerance/celiac is removing ALL gluten containing products from your diet and see if you feel better.

 

For a perfect test though you will have to be absolutely positive you are not getting 'hidden' gluten in a food. Gluten is in almost every processed food in some way, even those foods you wouldn't normally consider as having it. Anything short of total removal from the diet will cause the test to be uncertain and if you also have other allergies you may not notice a difference soon. That is one reason they usually perform the biopsy. The other reason is simply because most patients don't WANT to comply to the complete elimination of any food from their diets let alone a large portion of it. We are of a society that has difficulty denying ourselves anything and businesses use that to their advantage, especially the pharma industry.

 

Thanks for the article, Gofish. It reminds me that I am not the only one in the world with this problem.

 

[out_of_the_ordinary]

"trendy, fashionable"= 2 words that do not describe me or my gluten-free lifestyle (it's a lifestyle, not just a diet), I was diagnosed with celiac disease about 7 years ago.

[LaBellaVita]

I've done some research on gluten/gliadin because I've read there is a connection between that and hypothyroidism (which I have).

 

From what I've been discovering, the wheat we all eat has only been around like 50 or 60 yrs or so... its a new breed of wheat, its not the wheat our grandparents grew up on. And due to the genetic differences the gluten is different, the gliadin is different, its a whole 'nother plant and our bodies struggle with it. Big time.

 

Also, from what I've read, there are people who are celiac who can eat properly made sourdough, the soaking of the flour through the fermenting process actually neutralizes most of the gluten/gliadin and the phytic acid, which basically binds minerals, so even if you eat enough x mineral, it so readily binds to the phytic acid that its extreted through your bowels as the phytic acid moves on out and you had no nutritional benefit from those minerals...

 

Ancient grains are the biblical grains, they've been found in mummy tombs, in the ancient lands of Canaan and Sumer, etc and basically are einkorn, emmer and many use spelt and kamut w/o any problems.

 

Einkorn and emmer are quite pricey.

 

I don't really know if I have gluten issues, put it this way, I have no 'obvious' signs that something is wrong w/ me when I eat like some do, but I want to be healthier, I am concerned w/ modern gluten/gliadin so I mostly abstain. I think gluten-free products can help people, but like anything, companies are going where the $ is. The product may not contain gluten, but what rancid oil does it contain? What else?

 

I would not rely on a company for gluten-free products. I'd find a way to make it myself or do w/o. An occasional splurge maybe I could see, but not as a way life. But that's just me.

[CrabGrassAcres]

My daughter has to be on a gluten, corn and soy free diet or she is very ill. I have to bake/cook everything from scratch for her. The meat she eats has to come from animals fed soy and gluten free as does the dairy and eggs. I raise our dairy, meat and eggs myself so I am sure they are safe for her. I also discovered that while she can eat chicken eggs if the hens are fed right, she cannot eat duck eggs at all. I don't know why that is, but I make sure she only gets chicken eggs and I use the duck eggs to bake for myself. I don't buy the expensive 'gluten free' products.

 

One thing that is very telling is that, once she was fully on the diet, her weight dropped to normal and has stayed there for the past 7 yrs. Previously she had been gaining rapidly and was about 35 pounds overweight on a tiny, 4ft11in frame. It was causing joint problems and shortness of breath for her. She has also stopped snoring since she has been on the diet.

 

I do not have celiac or gluten intolerance but have other issues so I cook completely separate meals most of the time.

[nini2033a]

My son and I are both Gluten/Casein/Soy free. Actually, we have been so for 3 years. The first year, we used all those GF subs on the market. Now we rarely use them (except for the Daiya cheese) but we rarely make it from scratch either. We just don't eat alot of breads anymore at all. We use flax/almond/cocnut milk as subs for dairy. We just avoid all soy. But we also have not been lucky enough for our weight to stabilize, or rather, it is stabilized, but unfortunately at a too heavy weight. We have not lost any.

 

On the other hand, it is not a waste of time. My son was having complete and total meltdowns everyday. He has only had a handful of them in the past 3 years, and each time after being glutened. I have gotten to experience life outside the bathroom. Life is much better for both of us. While we have talked about trying to trial some goats milk, we probably never will. We are fine without it.