Thursday, April 13, 2017

Avoiding naturally-occurring gluten might lead to more type 2 diabetes

Gluten-free diets usually lead to grain free diets.  However, eating more whole grain food is associated with less inflammation [1] and fewer infections as well as less cancer, cardiovascular disease, mortality from any cause, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. [2]  In addition, foods advertised as “gluten free” are usually very high in refined carbohydrates such as flours made from potato, rice, and tapioca.

In a recent analysis of 199,794 participants studied for over 20 years in the Nurses Health Study (NHS II) and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS), those with the highest consumption of gluten had the lowest levels of type 2 diabetes. [3]

My recommendation:
Unless you have a compelling reason (such as celiac disease) to avoid gluten, I recommend including minimally-processed whole grains (whole wheat, rye berries, whole hull-less barley, etc.) in your diet on a daily basis.  The health benefits are inescapable; don’t get caught up in the gluten-free fad!  However, I suggest avoiding products with ingredient lists that include added gluten, which always refers to refined gluten; naturally-occurring gluten will not be on the ingredient list.  To read more about gluten see pages 40-41 of Good Food, Great Medicine (3rd edition).  We talk about the health benefits of eating whole grains on pages 23-25 and why we all should avoid highly-refined grains on page 46.   

Miles Hassell MD