Why go gluten-free?

This week the ABC program, Catalyst, aired Gluten: a gut feeling, looking at why so many people who have not been diagnosed with coeliac disease are opting for a gluten-free diet. Many people say that giving up gluten in their diet has helped with gastrointestinal issues, but Professor Peter Gibson from Monash University says it could be something other than gluten that has been causing the problem. Fructans are also present in wheat and are part of a group of carbohydrates called FODMAPs. Giving up foods rich in FODMAPs would be a lot less restrictive than going gluten-free.

More information on this was published in an article recently in The Conversation: Why do people decide to go gluten- or wheat-free? by Sinead Golley from the CSIRO. She points out that "according to current Australian Dietary Guidelines, grain- and dairy-based foods are important components of a balanced diet".

Mentioned in this article was a study Golley co-authored, published earlier this year in the journal Public Health Nutrition, Motivations for avoiding wheat consumption in Australia: results from a population study.  Over 1000 randomly-selected adult Australians were surveyed and a significant number were avoiding the consumption of wheat, mainly without any medical diagnosis.

Public Health Nutr. 2015 Feb;18(3):490-9. doi: 10.1017/S1368980014000652..