Too many people restrict gluten from their diets when they don’t need to

I started my career as a metabolic dietitian.

My patients were infants and children who were born missing specific enzymes needed to metabolize parts of common foods.

Patients with amino acid disorders have to severely limit protein. Those with carbohydrate disorders must eliminate lactose or fructose, while those with fatty acid disorders have to restrict certain types of fats. If they didn’t follow their prescribed diet, the problems incurred ranged from physical and cognitive dysfunction to death.

That said, I was always trying to make their food intake as broad and enjoyable as it could be within the restrictions mandated by their diagnosis. I, like the majority of dietitians, try to avoid excess food restriction.

This brings me to my continuing amazement that so many people avoid certain types of foods because other people are doing it, whether an influencer recommends it or the belief that avoidance of this food will make them “healthier.”

I am talking about gluten.

For someone with celiac disease, gluten intolerance or sensitivity, or some other real problem with gluten, then one should not eat gluten-containing foods. If you do not fall into these categories, eliminating gluten will probably not improve your health.

A recent study in JAMA Network reported on data from 13,474 participants from two studies. Dietary data was collected over 24 years and then cognitive testing was done. Gluten intake was measured from recorded diet records and divided into five levels of intake.

There were no cognitive differences in the folks eating the most gluten when compared to those eating the least — and this was after 24 years. The authors state, “our findings suggest that restricting dietary gluten to maintain cognitive function in the absence of celiac disease or gluten sensitivity is not warranted.”

An elimination diet is the best way to detect foods that might be offending your GI tract and keep you from over restriction. www.Webmd.com has a description of how to do one.

Sheah Rarback MS, RDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist in private practice in Miami.