The Gluten-Free Diet Craze

Each day, it seems like a new celebrity is attesting to the health benefits of gluten-free diets. But what does it mean to be gluten-free, and how exactly does it impact our health?

A gluten-free diet is one that excludes the protein gluten, which is most commonly found in grains like wheat, barley and rye. Most start this diet to manage Celiac Disease (an autoimmune condition), but recently, some have been going gluten-free to accelerate weight loss efforts.

According to a 2012 survey, 30 percent of adults in the U.S. want to cut down on gluten for perceived health benefits, but only 6 or 7 percent of adults have a gluten allergy or intolerance. For those without this allergy or intolerance, gluten-free dieting may not be the smartest way to boost overall health, or to lose weight.

There are several dangers associated with extreme dieting, but especially with extreme gluten-free dieting. Skipping out on gluten products reduces the body’s folate levels (a vitamin essential for cell growth and reproduction), thereby increasing the risk of heart attack by nearly 200 percent. Furthermore, ingesting a lot of gluten-free foods can increase the body’s acidity, leading to toxicity and weight gain. So, when people look to gluten-free diets to aid weight loss attempts, this fad diet may actually be impeding those efforts, not helping.  

Trying out different diet and weight-loss techniques can be useful in finding the method that works best for you, but it can be dangerous if you start without being armed with the right information. Principal Medical Group not only knows each patient on a personal level, which helps physicians better recommend weight-loss techniques, but also offers nutrition and lifestyle consultations to help patients create healthier dieting habits. PMG also encourages patients to try food sensitivity testing with Alcat, a test that identifies cellular reactions to more than 350 foods, to isolate gluten sensitivity and screen for Celiac Disease.  If neither is present, eliminating gluten is not likely to be of any benefit. 

Contact us to discuss your personal sense of wellness and identify the daily exercise and eating habits that are best for you.