It's all the craze. A new lifestyle. Gluten-free candy bars, gluten-free sandwiches, even gluten-free beer. Five years ago, you probably didn't even know what gluten was. Now your closest friends swear by it, claiming it threatens their energy, weight, mental health, and behavior--and dilutes their precious bodily fluids. There are even gluten-free dating sites. Every restaurant now seems to have a gluten-free menu.
What do we make of it? If gluten is such a threat to our health, why are we just now hearing about it? All of a sudden, everyone is "allergic" to gluten. Something that has been in all of our food is now an imminent threat to the well-being of a growing proportion of our friends. A sizable 30% of the adult population claims to avoid gluten now- and that number is rapidly growing.
What is there to doubt? Everyone seems to swear by a gluten free diet. People that have quit eating gluten claim to be almost reborn. They've lost weight, gained energy, and even look younger and don't need Viagra.
What are the facts? What is really behind the recently-revealed assassin known as gluten?
For starters, here is a picture of the killer (bound to our friend, the MHC II heterodimer):
Scary right?
Not exactly. Most gluten comes from types of wheat, and plays a crucial role in the chemistry of its baking qualities. Elements of gluten's bonding structure enable us to use and cook dough. Case in point, it is not some scary foreign chemical that George Bush (W.) wants us to eat so that he can rule America.
I think it's safe to say that this little guy has gotten a bad rap lately (gluten, not W. Well, him, too). Science has a much different take on gluten than the popular narrative. It turns out that an estimated six percent of Americans are gluten sensitive(with 1-2 percent of those being Celiac). That's right- six percent. Not the 30% that we have all been seeing.
That being said, this article has not been done justice without mentioning Celiac disease. An estimated 1-2% of Americans suffer from this serious condition. Celiac disease is not an allergy, but rather an immune-mediated enteropathy (think along the lines of Crohn's disease) that typically develops later in life. If you think you have this disease, it is recommended that you get tested by a doctor. Some of the symptoms of Celiac disease can be life-threatening, and this is something you definitely do not want to get wrong.
Well, Miley Cyrus said a gluten-free diet is healthy, therefore it must be, right? Well…probably not any more than twerking is. Going gluten-free can deprive your body of all sorts of important molecules. Here's the short list: fiber, iron, folate, niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, calcium, vitamin b12, phosphorus, and zinc. Yep. You need pretty much all of those.
If this fad isn't quite so healthy, then why is it so popular? Well, the fact remains that many people who go gluten-free do lose weight and gain energy. We falsely assume that this is from cutting gluten out of our diets. Essentially, most food made with gluten is high in fat and starches. Eating gluten-free often results in eating fewer carbs and sugars. When our bodies quit relying on carbs and sugars for energy, they are often forced to rely on proteins and fats (think unintentional low-carb diet).
There are, of course, other reasons why a gluten-free diet is taking over, not the least of which is money. The market for the gluten-free food industry is estimated to have hit the $10,000,000,000 range by 2013. That's right, 10 billion dollars. With money like this, what is to differentiate the gluten-free industry from, say, the tobacco lobby? Both are backed by lots of money. Neither is good for you. And both rely on complete ignorance of health science. If these industries had their way, we would all be gluten-sensitive, cigarette-smoking lemmings.
Gluten has the cult-like devotion of scientology, minus Tom Cruise and L. Ron Hubbard...oh wait. Tom Cruise is probably gluten-free, too. At least Tom Cruise has super powers including telekenesis, mind control, flight, and elf-like senses. Perhaps we should start adding that to our list of gluten-free benefits.
With the exception of the small percentage of Americans who have a serious autoimmune problem, the cult of gluten is an unhealthy fad that has ignored science, raked in money for a sprawling industry, and given the false pretense of a healthier lifestyle to millions.
Want to feel better? Thinking about losing weight? Finding your youth again? The solution isn't to stop eating gluten. Find a healthy, well-balanced diet, and stick to it. It will do wonders.
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