Gluten free diets can cause weight gain: Study

CAIRO – 11 May 2017: A new study states that gluten-free foods contain a great amount of saturated fat and lower protein levels, despite being recommended for people diagnosed with celiac disease.

Gluten-free diets tend to cause weight gain according to experts from the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

These types of foods are comprised of high energy levels compared to those which contain gluten, such as bread, pasta, pizza, and flour. The imbalances found in gluten-free foods feature a high risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

Other impacts include a low composition of sugar and protein in gluten-free pasta, high level of lipids in gluten-free biscuits, and high saturated fatty acids in gluten-free bread according to studies conducted by Dr. Joaquim Clavo Lerma in Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe in Spain and co-author of the research.

Lerma urges that foods marketed as substitutes should be produced to ensure that they contain all the needed nutritional values, as a gluten-free diet can effectively manage celiac disease.

His warning comes after conducting a comparison between 655 conventional food products to 654 gluten-free alternatives. The foods studied included bread, pasta, cereals, and biscuits of various brands.

“There is very little [consumers] can do about it…unfortunately consumers can [only] eat what is available in market,” adds Lerma, according to British newspaper the Guardian.