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Despite strong evidence to the contrary, the belief that a gluten-free diet will help you lose weight and improve your health - even if you don’t have celiac disease - continues to gain momentum, according to a new survey.
According to a poll of more than 200 registered dietitians conducted by marketing and PR agency Pollock Communications, wheat belly/gluten free’ is predicted to be the “most popular approach to weight loss” in 2013, just ahead of commercial diet programs such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.
"Dietitians were split down the middle, with wheat belly/gluten free (42%) beating out commercial diet programs (41%) by only one percent as the most popular approach to weight loss", said the agency.
Dietitians recognize this as a fad and a trend for 2013 among consumers
The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics says that "only those that have a gluten intolerance or have celiac disease should eliminate gluten from their diets".
However, New York City-based RD Jenna A. Bell, PhD, told FoodNavigator-USA that the approach was not one that dietitians recommended as a weight loss tool, adding: “Consumers believe that gluten-free will help them lose weight, but the research does not support this claim.
“Dietitians recognize this as a fad and a trend for 2013 among consumers, but it's not a recommended strategy for weight reduction.
“That said, gluten-free foods have provided an important option for individuals suffering from a clinically diagnosed gluten intolerance or celiac disease.”
Asked for comment on the survey findings, Ryan O'Malley, media relations manager at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told us: “We don’t have an official position on gluten-free diets used as weight loss tools, but we do not recommend them for weight-loss.
“Rather we advise that only those that have a gluten intolerance or have celiac disease should eliminate gluten from their diets.”
People on gluten-free diets often gain weight
Speaking at October’s Whole Grains on Every Plate conference in San Antonio, Pamela Cureton, clinical research dietitian at the Center for Celiac Research, noted that celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Miley Cyrus continue to promote gluten-free diets for weight management - although there is “no scientific basis” behind the approach.
Indeed, she added, “people on gluten-free diets often gain weight as many gluten-free foods are quite calorie dense.
“Gluten-free diets are often higher in fat and lower in vitamin B12, zinc, iron and folate.”
As for top athletes, several of whom are now advocating gluten-free living, she said: “There is no evidence that a gluten-free diet will increase sports performance.”
There is no [validated] biomarker for gluten sensitivity
It is also important to stress that gluten sensitivity or intolerance, which is believed to affect up to 5-6% of Americans, is not the same as celiac disease, which is an auto-immune disorder which causes damage to the gut wall if not diagnosed, she said.
“People will gluten sensitivity will often have faster and more violent symptoms or reactions to gluten than celiacs, but they do not have the intestinal damage associated with celiac disease.”
Meanwhile, contrary to popular belief, “there is no [validated] biomarker for gluten sensitivity”, she claimed.
“We’re trying to find one, but there is a lot of misinformation out in the public about this.”
The conviction that gluten-free is healthier is the top motivation for purchase
According to data from SPINS, sales of gluten-free products were up 19% in the year to September 2012 in natural and conventional channels combined (excluding Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market).
Mintel data meanwhile, shows that the number of new product launches featuring gluten-free claims rose from 600 in 2007 to more than 1,600 in 2011, while a report published this week from Symphony Consulting (a division of SymphonyIRI), reveals that sales of products making some kind of 'Dietary Restriction' claim such as gluten free or dairy free accounted for 33% of sales of products making an on-pack claim of some kind.
But what is driving the growth?
Asked why they buy gluten-free products in an August 2012 Packaged Facts consumer survey, 35% said gluten-free products are "generally healthier", 27% said "to manage my weight", 21% said that gluten free products are "generally low-carb" and 15% said a member of the household has a gluten or wheat intolerance.
Just 7% said they were buying them because a household member has celiac disease.
Indeed, according to Packaged Facts, "The conviction that gluten-free products are generally healthier is the top motivation for purchase of these products.”
Why is the prevalence of celiac disease rising?
Natural simple ingredients are in; low-fat and low-carb are out...
According to Cureton, just under 1% of the US population is estimated to have celiac disease, less than 10% of which are diagnosed, she said.
“What we do know is that true prevalence of celiac disease is increasing, and this is not just because more people are getting diagnosed. Why this is, we still don’t know.”
Natural and simple are in; low-fat and low-carb are out
Other top diet and lifestyle trends identified by the dietitians in the Pollock Communications survey include:
- Natural and simple with few ingredients are in; low-fat and low-carb are out…
- Social media, smart phone apps and dietitians will be the go-to sources for nutrition information in 2013…
- Consumers will focus on eating high quality calories - foods with more nutrition per bite…
-
Eating more fruits and vegetables
8 comments (Comments are now closed)
People still looking for a quick, convenient "cure"
I couldn’t figure out what was making me feel so horrible until I started eliminating foods from my diet. I was never diagnosed with celiac disease because I believe in listening to my body. I was sick all the time and decided enough was enough. I was taking pills to make me feel better from the food I was eating, that’s craziness!!! So I got smart and said no more. My energy is back, my mood is up, I am sleeping again and most importantly, smiling and laughing again. You can't eat gluten-free cookies, bagels, and breads and expect to lose wt and get healthy. But people will and doctors/Big Corps will blame the gluten-free fad and people will be back at McDonald's in no time. PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO PUT IN THE WORK. PERIOD. ( It took me a year to get myself healthy and back on track.)So those that are fat and unhealthy because they eat at McDonald's 3xs a week and make hamburger helper the rest of the nights will never, ever be healthy because they haven't figured out them, alone, got themselves that way and they, alone, have to change. People fear inconvenience and of course businesses know this and will and have fed this fear with all the packaged bs. Do not buy the pre-packaged food. No matter if gluten-free. Eat fresh, organic/local veggies and fruits with some good clean meat, if you so choose and some beans and rice. Everything else is a treat. A TREAT, as in you don't get to eat the cookies, cakes, breads, creams and chips every day or even once a week. Discipline, people! Starts at home and starts with you. Take responsibility.
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Posted by Britni
31 January 2013 | 17h54
No grains at all, not just gluten-free does work
I am sensitive to wheat and gluten. I did a gluten-free diet with all the GF versions of cookies, breads, pizza crust, bagels, etc. That is too much empty calorie carbs for weight loss. I am now not eating any grains at all, mostly primal, and feel better than I ever have.
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Posted by Deana
27 December 2012 | 18h34
Re: Elisa
Note that you stuck to one-ingredient foods. That means you cut out pretty much all processed foods, including sugary foods. That could (and probably does) account for a large part of the weight loss.
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Posted by Janne
26 December 2012 | 23h00
IT DOES WORK
The title for this article caught my eye, "...most popular approach to weight loss, (but it doesn't work)" Well, it worked for me. I have always struggled to lose weight even when I was eating a low calorie diet and exercising a lot. This time the weight fell off so easily and I didn't have to do a lot of exercising. I went for 15 to 20 minute walks several times a week and I eliminated grains and sugar from my diet and instead ate single ingredient foods such as meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds. I lost 67 lbs. in 7 months and went from size 16 to size 4. I lost all my cravings and finally felt like food was no longer controlling me. But the weight loss was the least of my benefits. My fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, arthritis, migraines, allergies, eczema, acid reflux, and irritable bowel syndrome are all gone and these are just some of the health improvements I've experienced. I'm 50 years old and feel better now than I did the rest of my adult life.
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Posted by Elisa
21 December 2012 | 22h33
Forget Gluten-Free...
and return to the traditional low carb, high fat diet of our ancestors.
Humans don't have the proper digestive system to properly digest grains. Only ruminants possess the multiple stomachs necessary to convert grains into fatty acids.
Humans don't need carbohydrates to survive. Look at the traditional Inuit diet of meat and fat. At the very most, we should be eating no more than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day, concentrating on those carbs that have the greatest nutrient density.
We should be getting the bulk of our nutrition from healthy fats, like coconut oil, butter, lard, ghee and olive oil.
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Posted by Noel
21 December 2012 | 19h41
Protien diet
This diet is amazing! I lost 6 pounds in 11 days and have under no circumstances felt much better. This is a fantastic diet in case you have the discipline to stick with it.
http://www.reviewsalert.com/truth-about-six-pack-abs/
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Posted by Protien diet
21 December 2012 | 10h38
It's unnecessary to remove gluten from one's diet unless an allergy exists.
If an individual is not allergic to gluten, it is unnecessary to remove gluten from one’s diet. Weight loss reported while eating a gluten-free diet is a result of removing calories from gluten-containing carbohydrates from one’s diet.
While this decreased caloric intake may appear favorable, there are many nutrients present in wheat and grains containing gluten that are integral and beneficial to maintaining a healthy body, such as thiamin, niacin, folate, iron, soluble and insoluble fiber and calcium.
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Posted by SPE Certified
20 December 2012 | 23h37
Misleading calling Gluten-free a fad...
I understand what the authors are saying in that the many overweight Americans are hearing of professional athletes, actors/actresses and individuals in the large-scale public eye claiming health and weight loss benefits from following a GF diet. Understandably, it makes perfect sense if you cut out all the white starchy (glutenized) carbs, most everyone will indeed lose weight. However, to call it a 'fad' is tricky because how many of us truly need all the quick acting starchy processed carbs, fillers, and GMO foods that are the mainstay of gluten-rich foods. We ALL can benefit both in the areas of improved health and weight management by eliminating gluten-rich foods. Use fibrous vegetables as your carb sources and most will see positive changes. Susan C. Maloney, IFPA Pro lightweight natural bodybuilder, FNP-BC
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Posted by Susan Maloney
20 December 2012 | 22h47
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