I often speak with patients who are fearful of adding new foods to their diet. Perhaps they have certain non-celiac digestive issues, or maybe they suffer from IBS (most common). Many of these patients have extremely restrictive diets because of bowel irregularities, bloating, headaches and more
Practitioners often jump on the “gluten free” bandwagon and suggest that gluten avoidance is an absolute necessity for improving gut health. Here’s the thing – for some people, gluten is not the problem!
If you look at a low Fodmap diet, the diet that is usually recommended in IBS it is not a gluten free diet. You may wonder to yourself, “how is it possible that gluten isn’t the problem? I’ve heard so much about it…”
A Study Showing That Gluten Isn’t Always The Problem
But let’s look at a recent study that was done on people who had self-selected (as many do) as “gluten-intolerant.” As a naturopath in Singapore, I often read these studies. The test participants were given three bars to eat for one week each. One bar had gluten added to it.
One bar had fructans (fructans are found in wheat and other gluten products. But they are a carbohydrate that feeds the bacteria in your gut) added to it. And one bar had neither in it.
So what happened? When people ate the bar with the fructans in it, bloating and gas increased, along with other symptoms – more than double the rate of the gluten-containing bars!!
What we now know is that there is much more to the foods than gluten.
If Gluten is Not The Problem, What Is?
Although there are people who may have absolute issues with gluten, we are seeing that in many people who don’t tolerate wheat or gluten containing grains, the problem is not the gluten.
The interesting thing here is that the problem is the carbohydrate that ferments due to bacteria in the gut. Research suggests that these foods can eventually be added without symptoms when treated systematically and with a program of reintroduction that is suggested in the studies.
So, gluten is not always the culprit. That being said, one may notice great improvements initially when you eliminate gluten. This is because, often you are also avoiding a lot of processed foods that most gluten containing products have in common. Gluten is not required for health-nor the foods such as pasta, breads etc.
But, if you can’t figure out what is causing your perpetual gut issues and if you keep removing foods endlessly in a quest to feel better, seek help.
There have now been so many more updates to IBS treatments now than what we had 5 yrs ago. If you have been told to follow restrictive diets as only savior, you need to get in touch. It is amazing to see people who lived an extremely restricted life to be able to be less afraid of food and enjoy life more.
Do get in touch, this can get better! If you need help, please call your local doctor for functional medicine in Singapore.
Be reminded this post is not for people diagnosed with celiac disease. Celiac and non-celiac gluten sensitivity have to be carefully diagnosed by a skilled practitioner and will be discussed in a separate post.
References:
Fructan, Rather Than Gluten, Induces Symptoms in Patients With Self- Reported Non- Celiac Gluten Sensitivity.
Gastroenterology 2018 Feb;154(3):529-539.e2.
Gluten and FODMAPS- Sense fo Restriction/When Is Restriction Necessary?
Nutrients 2019 Aug 20;11(8):1957.
