[Health] Surprise, Gluten Intolerance Is Likely Fake

BDswangHTX · May 15, 2014

Article

Back in 2011, Peter Gibson, a gastroenterologist, conducted a study that found that gluten caused “gastrointestinal distress” in people without celiac disease. Gibson’s research was trumpeted far and wide by the kind of people who you never go out to dinner with. The thing is, Gibson only ever did the one study, and he found his results kind of suspicious. So he did a far more detailed one, and guess what? Turns out he was wrong the first time!

Gibson’s skepticism was reasonable: Gluten is a fairly harmless little protein, after all. The study is entitled “No effects of gluten in patients with self-reported non-celiac gluten sensitivity after dietary reduction of fermentable, poorly absorbed, short-chain carbohydrates.” Which really should say it all, but here’s the results, fresh from the abstract:

In all participants, gastrointestinal symptoms consistently and significantly improved during reduced FODMAP intake, but significantly worsened to a similar degree when their diets included gluten or whey protein. Gluten-specific effects were observed in only 8% of participants. There were no diet-specific changes in any biomarker. During the 3-day rechallenge, participants’ symptoms increased by similar levels among groups. Gluten-specific gastrointestinal effects were not reproduced. An order effect was observed.

How meticulous was this study? So meticulous that Gibson collects the poop of all his subjects and tested it. So meticulous he fed them a carefully designed diet for days. This was the fussiest, most scientific nutrition study we’ve seen in a while, which admittedly isn’t saying very much, but still, the guy did his homework and thus is probably legit.

Keep in mind, we’re not talking about celiac disease, here. Celiac disease is very much a real and terrible thing. We’re talking about “Oh, I’ve stopped eating gluten, because I have a ‘sensitivity.’”

So, what about all those stories about how your friend’s coworker stopped eating gluten and magically stopped farting and also their poop became gold? Well, Gibson has an answer for that: “Fermentable, Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols”, better known as FODMAPs. They’re short-chain molecules you find in pretty much everything. And their connection to gastrointestinal distress is pretty well established, being that they wreak ungodly fecal hell on those suffering irritable bowel syndrome. In fact, a lot of “gluten-free” products are what people with IBS will be eating well after this annoying fad dies.

Guess what you also happen to cut down on, when you cut down on gluten? Yup: FODMAPs. In fact, that was the thrust of Gibson’s study.

In short, if you think you have celiac disease, go to a doctor and get tested. Otherwise, you probably don’t have it, so stop sending your food back. You’re embarrassing everyone at the table, and the waitstaff is spitting in your food.
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Article Link

http://uproxx.com/gammasquad/2014/05/gluten-intolerance-is-likely-utterly-fake/

Study

BACKGROUND & AIMS:

Patients with non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) do not have celiac disease but their symptoms improve when they are placed on gluten-free diets. We investigated the specific effects of gluten after dietary reduction of fermentable, poorly absorbed, short-chain carbohydrates (fermentable, oligo-, di-, monosaccharides, and polyols [FODMAPs]) in subjects believed to have NCGS.

METHODS:

We performed a double-blind cross-over trial of 37 subjects (aged 24-61 y, 6 men) with NCGS and irritable bowel syndrome (based on Rome III criteria), but not celiac disease. Participants were randomly assigned to groups given a 2-week diet of reduced FODMAPs, and were then placed on high-gluten (16 g gluten/d), low-gluten (2 g gluten/d and 14 g whey protein/d), or control (16 g whey protein/d) diets for 1 week, followed by a washout period of at least 2 weeks. We assessed serum and fecal markers of intestinal inflammation/injury and immune activation, and indices of fatigue. Twenty-two participants then crossed over to groups given gluten (16 g/d), whey (16 g/d), or control (no additional protein) diets for 3 days. Symptoms were evaluated by visual analogue scales.

RESULTS:

In all participants, gastrointestinal symptoms consistently and significantly improved during reduced FODMAP intake, but significantly worsened to a similar degree when their diets included gluten or whey protein. Gluten-specific effects were observed in only 8% of participants. There were no diet-specific changes in any biomarker. During the 3-day rechallenge, participants' symptoms increased by similar levels among groups. Gluten-specific gastrointestinal effects were not reproduced. An order effect was observed.

CONCLUSIONS:

In a placebo-controlled, cross-over rechallenge study, we found no evidence of specific or dose-dependent effects of gluten in patients with NCGS placed diets low in FODMAPs.
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Study Link

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23648697

srrm · May 15, 2014

For those without Celiac's.... give us all the information if you're going to make a thread

BDswangHTX · May 15, 2014

srrm said: ↑

For those without Celiac's.... give us all the information if you're going to make a thread
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don't shoot the messenger. clearly you have the same resources as me.

I don't have an agenda here. The thread title isn't hyperbole, it's the title of the article. ACTUALLY, I toned it down.

sooo, slow your roll there, pancho.

JuanValdez · May 15, 2014

BDswangHTX said: ↑

ACTUALLY, I toned it down.
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You didn't pick the most sober-minded article on the study to post in the first place. But, whatever. Thanks for posting. Interesting stuff.

studogg · May 15, 2014

JuanValdez said: ↑

You didn't pick the most sober-minded article on the study to post in the first place. But, whatever. Thanks for posting. Interesting stuff.
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but the article is predicated on an extensive study and for however sophomoric the writing may be, the evidence/results are quite clear.

BDswangHTX · May 15, 2014

JuanValdez said: ↑

You didn't pick the most sober-minded article on the study to post in the first place. But, whatever. Thanks for posting. Interesting stuff.
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I agree that it wasn't the best written article, that's why I posted a link to the study underneath it.

Sajan · May 15, 2014

<iframe width="1280" height="750" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AdJFE1sp4Fw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

JuanValdez · May 15, 2014

BDswangHTX said: ↑

I agree that it wasn't the best written article, that's why I posted a link to the study underneath it.
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Hey, I don't have a dog in the fight so I don't care. But, I can see how some people who will suffer some cognitive dissonance from the study will get only get it more acutely because of the triumphalist tone of the article you chose. Post an article that says 'your gluten sensitivity is actually a sensitivity to FODMAPs, not gluten' and people with such sensitivities will think it's very imformative and educational. Post an article that says 'Gluten sensitivity is proven fake and all you people who say you can't eat bread are full of ****' and people will take it differently.

Sajan · May 15, 2014

my bad! it's too big.

PanchoVilla3504 · May 15, 2014

BDswangHTX said: ↑

don't shoot the messenger. clearly you have the same resources as me.

I don't have an agenda here. The thread title isn't hyperbole, it's the title of the article. ACTUALLY, I toned it down.

sooo, slow your roll there, pancho.
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Whoa, I didnt even say anything

srrm · May 15, 2014

PanchoVilla3504 said: ↑

Whoa, I didnt even say anything
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He's just hurting errybody's feelings now

moestavern19 · May 15, 2014

I saw this article earlier and I am skeptical this isn't some content driven by the pro-gluten industry.

juicystream · May 15, 2014

moestavern19 said: ↑

I saw this article earlier and I am skeptical this isn't some content driven by the pro-gluten industry.
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Gluten is amazing.

Ubiquitin · May 15, 2014

moestavern19 said: ↑

I saw this article earlier and I am skeptical this isn't some content driven by the pro-gluten industry.
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Big gluten is out to get you.

moestavern19 · May 15, 2014

Big Gluten wants you dead!

I'm strictly paleo now. Just eat whatever you want as long as it's raw animal flesh.

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