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By Hatty Willmoth
Food & Nutrition Reporter
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In the early 2000s, it used to be a cliché TV trope for a character to announce they were going on a gluten-free diet—a sign they had been brainwashed by faddish diet culture.
But now, approximately 20 percent of Americans say they've tried a gluten-free diet, according to the University of Nebraska—and it remains unclear whether gluten is a net positive for our diets, or worth chucking in the trash.
Newsweek got the opinions of five nutritionists to try to shed some light on gluten: a protein present in grains, including wheat, barley and rye, and all wheat-based foods, including bread, pasta, cookies, cakes, and pastries.
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Dietitian and nutritionist Kimberly Gomer seemed the most anti-gluten, telling Newsweek: "It is not an essential nutrient, so as a dietitian, I would not consider it healthy," and, "The body can only benefit from removing it."
On the other end of the spectrum, nutritionist Clemmie Oliver, from the Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, said: "Grains are an important part of our diets and extensive research shows that wholegrain intake is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, some cancers and mortality from all causes."
All the experts agreed that, for the approximately 1 percent of people globally with celiac disease, gluten should always be avoided.
"People who have celiac disease need to avoid gluten-containing foods entirely because they have an autoimmune disease where gluten is the driver of the immune response," said gastroenterologist Dr. Debra Silberg, chief scientific officer at Beyond Celiac.
"The immune response affects the entire body and people with celiac disease can have [gut] issues such as malnutrition, diarrhea, abdominal bloating due to inflammation in the intestine.
"Celiac disease can also lead to fatigue, depression, anxiety, brain fog and other neurologic issues."
In the U.S., another 6 percent of the population is gluten intolerant, according to data from the Cleveland Clinic. These people may also benefit from giving up gluten, the experts said.
"Those with non-celiac gluten sensitivity may experience symptoms like bloating, fatigue, and joint pain when consuming gluten, though they do not have celiac disease," said Hamilton.
"For these individuals, removing gluten from their diet can lead to significant symptom relief."
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Joffe said that some people may not even realize they have an intolerance or sensitivity to gluten, so could benefit from testing out a gluten-free diet.
"Anyone who has any negative, unidentified symptom such as bloating or brain fog may benefit from removing gluten from the diet entirely for a month's duration before introducing gluten-containing foods slowly to assess for intolerance," she said.
For those without celiac disease, or an intolerance or sensitivity to gluten, some of the experts still had reservations about eating gluten-containing foods in high amounts.
Hamilton said that gluten could "lead to digestive issues and contribute to conditions like leaky gut"—where the gut wall becomes more permeable, allowing substances to pass through to the blood—in some people, so recommended eating gluten "in moderation" and paying attention to any adverse symptoms.
"For the majority, gluten can be a healthy part of their diet, offering essential nutrients and fiber...[but] excessive consumption can still potentially lead to unpleasant symptoms such as bloating," she said.
For Joffe, whether to eat or avoid gluten was not the most important question for these people.
"The gluten in question is what matters most," she said. "A wholegrain product, made from 100 percent wholewheat, would be a less processed, and so less inflammatory, form of gluten than an ultra-processed, sugar-laden pastry.
"The pastry may trigger discomfort in those who can tolerate gluten normally, not necessarily because of the gluten, but because of the processing of that gluten and additional additives. It is always better to choose whole foods or minimally processed foods when possible."
Joffe also cautioned against viewing gluten-free foods as instantly healthier alternatives to gluten-containing versions.
"There is a common misconception that gluten-free means healthy," she said. "This is incorrect, and in fact sometimes the gluten-containing product is less processed and healthier for those that can tolerate gluten."
Silberg agreed, adding: "Unfortunately, to make gluten-free foods taste better, some have a lot of added sugars, stabilizers and other chemicals.
"It is important to read the labels and try to buy gluten-free foods that have minimal additives."
But for Gomer, one of the advantages of a gluten-free diet is that it's an opportunity to ditch processed carbohydrates.
She said this was especially true for the 11.6 percent of Americans with type 2 diabetes, and 38 percent of U.S. adults with prediabetes—according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—whose bodies struggle to cope with sugars and carbohydrates in their diets.
"Diabetics, prediabetics and those with insulin resistance, along with anyone trying to lose weight, can benefit from removing gluten from their diet," said Gomer. Insulin resistance is a precursor to prediabetes; insulin is the hormone that deals with sugar.
"Many people have insulin resistance, and by giving up gluten, they are giving up a large amount of carbohydrates that include gluten, such as cookies, cake, bread, crackers, along with many processed foods," she said.
"This lays the foundation to eat a diet full of protein, healthy fats, vegetables, and carbohydrates as tolerated that do not include gluten."
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But other groups could benefit from giving up gluten-containing foods too, according to the nutrition experts.
Oliver specializes in people with gut disorders, including irritable bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
She said there was some evidence that people with IBS might see an improvement in symptoms on a gluten-free diet, but this might not apply to everyone with the condition.
"Research has suggested that it might not be the removal of gluten improving symptoms, but instead by following a [gluten-free diet], a patient will be reducing their intake of fermentable carbohydrates called fructans," said Oliver.
This may have a similar effect to a low-FODMAP diet, she explained, which is often recommended as an IBS treatment.
For people with IBD, on the other hand, Oliver said there was "no need to avoid gluten" unless they were also diagnosed with IBS because of continuing gut symptoms.
Meanwhile, Hamilton mentioned that gluten-free diets may help people with autoimmune conditions—her specialism.
"Emerging research suggests a link between gluten and autoimmune conditions, such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis," she said. "In these cases, gluten may exacerbate inflammation and immune responses.
"I have seen many of my clients transform their health by removing gluten from their diet when this is a contributing factor to their condition, and other studies have shown that many individuals with autoimmune disorders report improved symptoms and reduced inflammation after adopting a gluten-free diet.
"While not everyone with autoimmune conditions needs to eliminate gluten, those who are sensitive to it may experience considerable benefits."
Overall, this group's verdict seemed to be that some people might benefit from cutting out gluten, others might not, and those who weren't sure could always try a gluten-free diet to see if it made a difference to the way they felt.
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