Is gluten-free really any healthier than 'normal' food? Find out why one doctor says NO

Research finds gluten-free products to not be any healthier than those with gluten.

More and more people are adapting to a gluten-free lifestyle while pursuing healthy diets and a better well-being, but new research finds there is little to almost no difference, in healthy diet benefits, between gluten-free and regular food. Looking at their nutritional value, the new "healthier" products, tagged as gluten-free, are not necessarily healthier compared to its non-gluten-free counterpart. Experts suggest that consumers need to understand the products they buy and should not jump onto bandwagon trends regarding food.

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - "There has been a tidal wave of gluten-free products coming onto the market in recent years and many people have been caught in the wash as they search for a healthier diet," said Dr. Jason Wu, lead author of The George Institute for Global Health study.

They had examined around 3,200 products within 10 food categories and found that there's no significant difference between gluten-free products and the regular ones, although the former group is found to be more expensive and more popular. Dr. Wu explained that gluten-free food is necessary for those with coeliac disease, due to their small intestine's sensitivity to gluten leading to difficulty in digesting food.

They compared the nutritional value of pasta, bread and other staple foods, including some junk foods like biscuits, candies and potato chips.

"In the core foods we found significantly lower levels of protein in gluten-free foods, but the remaining content such as sugar and sodium was actually very similar. The same was the case in the discretionary foods, with almost no difference in their nutritional make-up," he explained.

Dr. Wu warned the public about the "health halo effect," which is rampant as society searches for better lifestyles, saying that those gluten-free products are just as healthy and unhealthy with their regular counterparts.

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