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Recommendation: Make a reasonable effort to avoid gluten for a month, without replacing it with “gluten-free” processed foods (crackers, cookies, and breads). “Reasonable” means an occasional beer with friends is ok, but skip the bread, pastas, and pizza Two weeks could make a difference. ((Advances in Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free Diet)) The possible benefits and lack of health risks make it well worth briefly missing out on those foods.

In the interest of brevity, I won’t elaborate on the differences between wheat allergy, ‘non-celiac gluten sensitivity’ (NCGS) and Celiac Disease, though there are pathological differences. ((Divergence of gut permeability and mucosal immune gene expression in two gluten-associated conditions: celiac disease and gluten sensitivity)) ((Differential Mucosal IL-17 Expression in Two Gliadin-Induced Disorders…)) I also won’t discuss the FODMAP diet until a later post, though it’s relevant here and probably effective in some situations.

An Appeal To Reason

OK, it’s a matter of risk vs possible reward. There’s a chance you won’t feel different. However, nowhere could I find data which shows gluten itself is necessary–or even suggested–as part of a healthy/complete/”insert-benevolent-adjective-here” diet. Yes, the USDA suggests making “half your grains whole grains“, but that can be done without gluten. We get our gluten mostly from wheat, rye, and barley and as you’ll see in my nutrition balance tool you can easily make up for what you’re missing by avoiding those grains (mostly manganese, selenium, B vitamins and fiber). By the way, you’re almost certainly going to have better control over blood glucose/insulin. ((Revised International Table of Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) Values—2008)) (Check out this post to see why that’s a good thing). It’s simply the logical decision when you consider the only possible harm is missing out on a few sandwiches, pizza, and spaghetti for 30 days; that’s the worst that can happen! From the perspective of decision theory, ‘not avoiding gluten for one month’ is the dominated alternative.

“But I’m Not Gluten Sensitive…”

Really? You sound sure–what’s “gluten sensitive” mean? Before writing this, I for sure would’ve given the standard answer, “It’s when eating gluten ‘disagrees’ with you. Like, you get gas and stuff.” Well, consider this abbreviated list of symptoms: weight loss, floaters (steatorrhea), bloating/abdominal pain, IBS, blistery skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis), psoriasis, oral ulceration, twitches (myoclonus/dystaxia/ataxia), issues with sensation (via neuropathies). ((Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity)) ((Gluten Sensitivity: From gut to brain)) Also, “At-risk Populations” include relatives of celiac patients, those with unexplained deficiencies (iron, folic acid, or B12), premature osteoporosis, and other autoimmune disorders like type 1 diabetes and thyroid dysfunction. ((World Gastroenterology Organisation Global Guidelines on Celiac Disease)) ((Celiac Disease, Wheat Allergy, and Gluten Sensitivity)) Due to the vast number of associated conditions, diagnoses are often delayed for years. ((The Canadian Celiac Health Survey)) ((Characteristics of adult celiac disease in the USA: Results of a national survey)) This delay can be especially dangerous to those who don’t realize gluten is harming their nervous system (ataxia/neuropathies), and that a gluten-free diet might be too little too late. ((Gluten sensitivity: from gut to brain))

Advances in food processing have made gluten more available, so it makes sense to see a rise in reported issues. Here’s an estimate of how CD rates vary worldwide:

Prevalence of CD based on clinical diagnosis or screening data ((Current approaches to diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease: An evolving spectrum))

The Paleo crowd will tell you our species only started eating it recently, so of course we’ll have issues. I don’t know enough about anthropology to agree that we aren’t…”bread”…to eat gluten. But it’s a reasonable conclusion if that table is even close to accurate. That’s not even gluten sensitivity (NCGS), that’s full-blown Celiac Disease (CD). It’s a reasonable assumption that gluten sensitivity is far more common than CD, especially considering people without gastrointestinal symptoms aren’t getting checked for it. ((Gluten sensitivity: from gut to brain))

Maybe I’m making too many assumptions, or misinterpreting conclusions that aren’t as indicative as they seem. If so, my gluten-free experiment may be in vain. All I’ll have to show for it is a better understanding of my body, better glucose/insulin control, and the peace of mind knowing my behavior is based on current research in nutrition.