If you have been monitoring the Gluten Free news, you probably heard about the study conducted by Jessica Biesiekierski, Department of Gastroenterology, Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Victoria, Australia. This study questions the validity of gluten free diets.
According to Real Clear Science …
Instead of receiving a proper diagnosis, however, many people are self-diagnosing as gluten-sensitive and eating gluten-free by choice. Noticing this trend, Jessica Biesiekierski, a gastroenterologist at Monash University and a leading researcher into the effects of gluten, sought adults who believed they had NCGS to participate in a survey and a clinical trial. She recruited participants in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia by distributing fliers through websites and local clinic rooms and taking out advertisements in a local newspaper. 248 people responded, 147 completed an in-depth survey designed to assess the nature of their sensitivity, and forty were recruited into the clinical trial. …..
For the clinical trial, in which 37 subjects self-diagnosed with NCGS participated, Biesiekierski tested an alternative explanation for gluten sensitivity. Most gluten-containing products also have fermentable, poorly absorbed, short-chain carbohydrates, collectively known as FODMAPs, which are known to cause gastrointestinal problems. Biesiekierski wanted to know if FODMAPs were actually the villains behind subjects’ gastrointestinal problems. The trial — which was double-blinded and placebo-controlled — found that in patients whose diets were low in FODMAPS, gluten did not produce a specific negative effect.*
As you can see from the quotes above, this study seriously endorsed the believe that gluten free diets were a farce, a fad or just not helping those avoiding gluten.
This view was further endorsed by Forbes Magazine, who published a serious of articles:
Gluten Free Diets, Miracle or Hype
Are You Really Gluten Intolerant, Maybe Not
Gluten Intolerance May Not Exist
Many in the gluten free community responded swiftly by reputing the study and articles. One such person is Alessio Fasano
Alessio Fasano, MD, chief of MassGeneral Hospital for Children’s Division of Pediatric
Gastroenterology and Nutrition and director of the hospital’s Center for Celiac Research and Treatment, is one of the world’s foremost experts on celiac disease and gluten-related disorders. His landmark 2003 study established that celiac disease is much more common in the United States than had been previously thought. Studying gluten sensitivity, Dr. Fasano’s research team uncovered molecular and physiological differences between celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, which is thought to affect even more people than celiac disease.
Jules Shepard, gluten free advocate , weekly radio show host, and one of the community’s most active bloggers interviews Dr. Fasano and his take on this new study.
