Following gluten-free diet without having celiac disease can be harmful to health, experts say

Gwyneth Paltrow, Victoria Beckham and Rachel Weisz are among the celebs who reportedly stick to a gluten-free diet. But though proponents of the trendy regime say it can boost energy and make it easier to lose weight, some health experts claim it causes a variety of health problems.

A gluten-free diet is advisable for those with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder in which the body triggers gluten to attack the lining of the small intestine. Celiac disease usually is diagnosed with blood tests and a biopsy of the intestines.

But people who follow the diet when they don’t need to may not be doing themselves a favor. Weight gain, headaches and fatigue can be the consequences of eating gluten-free when there’s no medical reason to do so.

Going gluten-free involves cutting out wheat, rye and barley, all of which contain the protein called gluten, and replacing these with carbs like rice, cornmeal and buckwheat flour. In the long run, the switch may actually cause weight gain.

“People assume that by cutting out gluten they are going to lose weight,” dietitian Tanya Thomas told the Daily Mail. “It’s a myth.”

Also, many products that are gluten-free pack in the sugar, fat and salt, according to the Daily Mail.

When wheat flour is fortified with vitamins and iron, it boosts the nutrient content of the diet. When it’s a whole grain, it also adds fiber. But eliminating wheat flour, which means forgoing pasta, bread, and cereals, can cause flagging energy levels and those low-blood-sugar induced headaches that occur when not enough carbs are eaten.

“So many people are needlessly avoiding gluten and spending a small fortune on doing so,” Thomas said. “Not only is it a waste of time and money when there’s no real problem, it can make your attempts to lose weight and get healthier backfire.”

nydailynews.com