Gluten Sensitivity May Not Be About The Gluten

When it comes to understanding of how gluten affects different people’s bodies, there’s a lot that’s not well-understood.

By this we mean: there’s a lot that’s not well-understood by science, and there’s even more that’s not well-understood by people in general.

We did some demystification, covering such things as celiac disease and the differences between an allergy, intolerance, and sensitivity, here:

Gluten: What’s The Truth?

And now…

A new culprit arises

Well, actually a moderately well-known culprit, just, not usually associated with this.

Researchers (Dr. Jessica Biesiekierski et al.) found that non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) appears to be driven by gut–brain interactions rather than gluten itself.

You may be thinking: “yes, but the gut is reacting to the gluten, right?”

A very reasonable assumption! And the answer is: no

As Dr. Biesiekierski put it:

❝Contrary to popular belief, most people with NCGS aren’t reacting to gluten. Our findings show that symptoms are more often triggered by fermentable carbohydrates, commonly known as FODMAPs, by other wheat components or by people’s expectations and prior experiences with food.❞

As for how she and her team figured this out, they did the largest combined analysis of its kind that’s ever been done on this topic, and found:

❝Across recent studies, people with IBS who believe they’re gluten-sensitive react similarly to gluten, wheat, and placebo.

This suggests that how people anticipate and interpret gut sensations can strongly influence their symptoms.

Taken together, this redefines NCGS as part of the gut–brain interaction spectrum, closer to conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, rather than a distinct gluten disorder.❞

You can find the paper itself, here: Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity ← where you can also read the insights of Dr. Daisy Jonkers and other researchers!

If you do want to avoid FODMAPs while still getting enough other important plant nutrients, see: Fruit, Fiber, & Leafy Greens… On A Low-FODMAP Diet!

So, with this in mind, one might wonder: is there any harm in going gluten-free as well just to be on the safe side?

And yes, there may be issues! See: Why Going Gluten-Free Could Be A Bad Idea

And as for grains in general (for most people) enjoying whole grains remains a very good idea:

3 servings (each being 90g, or about ½ cup) of whole grains per day is associated with a 22% reduction in risk of heart disease, 5% reduction in all-cause mortality, and a lot of benefits across a lot of other disease risks:

❝This meta-analysis provides further evidence that whole grain intake is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and total cancer, and mortality from all causes, respiratory diseases, infectious diseases, diabetes, and all non-cardiovascular, non-cancer causes.

These findings support dietary guidelines that recommend increased intake of whole grain to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and premature mortality.❞

~ Dr. Dagfinn Aune et al.

Read in full: Whole grain consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all cause and cause specific mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies

We’d like to give a lot more sources for the same findings, as well as papers for all the individual claims, but frankly, there are so many that there isn’t room. Suffice it to say, this is neither controversial nor uncertain; these benefits are well-established.

Want to learn more?

Here’s a guest article written by none other than Dr. Jessica Biesiekierski, the lead researcher on the first study we linked today:

Your gluten sensitivity might be something else entirely, new study shows

Take care!