Gluten...Friend or Foe Presented by Megan, RD

The Rise in Gluten Free Diet Market for gluten free products increased 28% from Americans will spend an estimated $7 billion this year on foods labeled gluten-free More than half the consumers buying gluten free products don't have any clear-cut reaction to gluten

What is Gluten? Protein composite found in wheat, barley, and rye

Roll of Gluten in foods “glue” that gives products chewy texture, shape, and structure – Ex. Breads, pastries

Roll of Gluten in foods cont. used as an additive to stabilize and thicken foods – Ex. Gum, ice cream, ketchup, candies, salad dressings, soy sauce

Roll of Gluten in foods cont. Used as the protein in meat substitutes – seitan

Benefits of Gluten in diet Decreases blood triglyceride levels Jenkins et al. May decrease blood pressure Thewissen BG et al. Boost immune system Horiguchi N et al.

Benefits of Foods containing Gluten Whole grains contain essential B-vitamins, iron, folate Fibers in wheat help create healthy composition of gut bacteria

Why go Gluten Free? Celiac Disease – Autoimmune disease – Bodies immune system reacts to gluten damaging the intestinal lining – Requires lifetime Gluten-Free Diet

Why go Gluten Free cont.? Wheat allergy -IgE-mediated response to wheat protein -Requires Wheat Free diet (not necessarily gluten free) Gluten sensitivity (non-celiac gluten intolerance) -Heightened immunological reaction to gluten -Subjectivity in diagnosis -Needs gluten free diet but small amounts may be tolerated

Gluten Free Diet for Weight Loss? “At this time there is no scientific evidence supporting the alleged benefit that a gluten-free diet will promote weight loss.” – J Am Diet Assoc

Summing it up... Gluten free diets are clearly indicated for people with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and some types of wheat allergy “There is no evidence to suggest that following a gluten free diet has any significant benefits in the general population”-J Academy of Nutr and Dietetics

References Jenkins DJA, Kendall CWC, Vuksan V, et al. Effect of wheat bran on serum lipids: Influence of particle size and wheat protein. J Am Coll Nutr. 1999;18(2): Thewissen BG, Pauly A, Celus I, Brijs K, Delcour JA. Inhibition of angiotensin I- converting enzyme by wheat gliadin hydrolysates. Food Chem. 2011;127(4): Horiguchi N, Horiguchi H, Suzuki Y. Effect of wheat gluten hydrolysate on immune system in healthy human subjects. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2005;69(12): Gaesser GA, Angadi SS. Gluten-Free Diet: Imprudent Dietary Advice for the General Population?. J of the Academy of Nutr and Dietetics. 2012; 112(9): Sapone et at. Spectrum of gluten-related disorders: consensus on new nomenclature and classification. BMC Medicine. 2012; 10(13) Marcason W. Is There Evidence to Support the Claim that a Gluten-Free Diet Should Be Used for Weight Loss?. J Am Diet Assoc. 2011; 111(12); 1786

References cont. Guarner F, Malagelada JR. Gut flora in health and disease. The Lancent. 2003; 361: 512–519. CBS News. (2012, September 3). Modern wheat a “perfect, chronic poison,” doctor days. perfect-chronic-poison-doctor-says/. perfect-chronic-poison-doctor-says/ Beck M. (2011, March 15). Clues to Gluten Sensitivity. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from ml. ml Lapid N. Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Celiac Disease: Hard to Tell the Difference. (2009, June 10). Retrieved from Kam, K. What to know about celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and gluten free diets. (2012, February 16). disease/features/gluten-intolerance-against-grain. disease/features/gluten-intolerance-against-grain

References cont. Rubio-Tapia A, Ludvigsson JF, et al. The Prevalence of Celiac Disease in the United States. Am J of Gastro. 2012; 107: Freuman T. What is Gluten, Anyway?. US News. (2012, July 24). Retrieved from anyway. anyway