Look.
We’re not in the business of calling anyone liars.
And when it comes to the claim, “Sorry… I can’t eat gluten,” people aren’t lying necessarily.
Rather, one in six who cut gluten out of their diets, are – according to science – rather misguided.
Australian researchers have found that just 16 per cent of people who believe they are sensitive to gluten, actually experience negative effects when they eat it.
In a blind study published last week, researchers gathered individuals who self-reported a gluten sensitivity, and when given wheat or a placebo, the overwhelming majority could not tell the difference.
Of course, this does not at all apply to the one in 70 Australians who live with Coeliac disease, a serious autoimmune disorder which primarily effects the small intestines, and can cause substantial damage to the bowel.
Some sufferers experience symptoms so severe, they can end up in hospital.
But many people are under the impression (thanks to extensive, and mostly bogus, health advice) that gluten makes them feel unwell.
And this might not be entirely in their head. People who believe they have a gluten intolerance might actually be responding to other proteins in particular foods, like barley, rye or oats.
POST CONTINUES BELOW: Not everyone is as gluten free as they say they are…
Bread also has a tendency to make us feel full more quickly, so some researchers suggest that we’re responding to over-indulgence rather than a sensitivity.
The other possibility is that they suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which causes many of the same symptoms as Coeliac disease.
Top Comments
I thought I was gluten intolerant, and so cut gluten from my diet (OMG sometimes you might as well eat the box), but did not feel any better. I then went to the doctor and was diagnosed with IBS, with some gluten intolerance, which means if I eat too much gluten in a given week I can be incredibly ill, but then I can have good weeks where nothing affects me. I just take each day as it comes, and rely on my Mintec!
Mintec is very effective, I need it if I eat chocolate.
It's the best thing since sliced....
I haven't got the bread to afford gluten free food.