Gluten-Free is definitely popping up more and more all over the world. It isn’t just something seen on menus in cities like New York and Los Angeles. Although they were definitely ahead of the curve, small cities all around the country are offering gluten-free options. This is, of course, extremely important and wonderful for those at have the auto-immune disease – celiacs. But what if riding the wave of the gluten-free diet may actually be bad for you if you don’t have celiacs.
We have been told and shown all of the positive benefits that come with following a gluten-free diet, but it is also equally important to education yourself on the negative effects, as well, before making a decision for yourself and your family.
The below information from Men’s Health, I found very interesting on what possible negative effects there are from a gluten-free diet. The largest concern is a lack of Fiber. Read on to learn why and what happens when you don’t get enough fiber in your diet.
Pexels
In fact, a prior study from the National Cancer Institute discovered that those who ate the most fiber were 22 percent less likely to die from any cause than people who ate the least—and that cereal fiber was even more beneficial than that from fruits and vegetables.
Gluten-free foods often have less dietary fiber and other micronutrients, making them less nutritious, researcher Geng Zong, Ph.D., of Harvard University said in the press release. And that could be contributing to your diabetes risk.
Gluten-free foods are necessary for the 1 percent of the population with the autoimmune condition celiac disease. But lots of people without a medical need to follow the diet are doing so: In fact, the number of people without celiac disease who adhered to a gluten-free diet more than tripled from 2010 to 2014, a study in Jama Internal Medicine found.
Many of these people follow the gluten-free diet for perceived health reasons, but this study provides more solid evidence that it might not be bringing the benefit many think—and may even be causing harm.
“People without celiac disease may reconsider limiting their gluten intake for chronic disease prevention, especially for diabetes,” Zong said in the press release.
