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About that gluten free study that came out

 

I’ve seen this all over social media lately –  there was a study (link) that ‘proves’ there is no benefit to going gluten free unless you have Celiac disease.  The statistics class that I struggled through in college taught me how to look skeptically at the results of any study, and take into account how the study was conducted, how big it was, what the findings actually say, and be careful to not draw inaccurate conclusions as ‘facts’ or ‘proof’.

I readily admit that most of the health findings that I share here on Health Home and Happiness are also anecdotal evidence. I don’t have the time or resources to do double blind placebo controlled trials of a large segment of the population. That’s why you see lots of disclaimers around that *this stuff worked for me, this is why I think it worked, it may or may not work for your family*.

Anyway, about that recent gluten study:

1. The study was of less than 40 people

Studies that only study a few people have findings that are less statistically significant.  Studies of hundreds or thousands of people are more reliable than studies of less.

2. They’re specifically looking at IBD, many people go off gluten for many other reasons.

Irritable bowel disease is one of the many reasons people go off gluten.  People go off for everything from autism to seasonal allergies to eczema, and many more.

3. They used whey protein as their control, many people are also sensitive to whey (cow milk) protein, that’s why the GFCF diet is so popular.

Personally, I would consider using milk protein as a ‘control’ for studying those going off gluten similar to making meth the control for those going off heroin. Yes, they’re different proteins (or drugs), but they’re both something that bothers many people.

4. The low FODMAPs version of the study *did* show effectiveness, suggesting that dietary change is actually helpful.

Chris Kresser, one of my favorite nutrition experts, talks about FODMAPs and how they affect the body.  This is a helpful finding for those of us who have seen elimination diets work in our favor.  Notice this was strategically omitted from all the mainstream news articles on this study.

5. Based on our family’s experience, it is *more than gluten* that’s the issue. 

When I started looking into alternative treatments for autism for my daughter, I was a pretty normal American and really didn’t expect a diet change could change brain function.  I was going to try it, and do it strictly, so that I would ‘know it didn’t work’ and ‘prove them wrong’.  Yeah, well, guess who was proven wrong? This girl right here.  The gluten free casein free diet did help her, and then to get further healing and see much more lasting improvement, the GAPS diet worked to actually heal the underlying cause (see how this works here). Your mileage may vary, but I’m not claiming it is, or is not, ‘all in your head’.

6.  On the topic of placebos.. (this IS all in your head)

The placebo affect (getting better because you think you will, not because of any particular drug or food) really isn’t a bad thing. Either way you’re getting better.  If avoiding wheat, or thinking that you’re avoiding gluten (for those who are jumping on the trend bandwagon and don’t realize all the hidden gluten that’s in things) is helping your symptoms, it’s testament to the power of the mind.  There are no side effects to brain power!

7.  Who funded the study?

One of my readers brought up the question of who funded the study. I couldn’t find it with a brief search, but that’s also something to keep in mind. Did you know that when publishing studies, even to get pharmaceutical drugs approved, companies can sponsor a study, and keep running the study to get the numbers they want? For example, if they want to show that a drug is more effective than a placebo and has a low rate of harmful side effects, they can run the study multiple times, and just cherry pick the results that show what the company desires.  This doesn’t always happen, and just because a company studied something doesn’t automatically make it bad.  But it’s something to be aware of.

8.  The trendiness aspect

I agree that gluten free is getting trendy. When I see people select special gluten free baked goods, breads, and chips only to turn around and eat birthday cake at a party because it looks ‘so good, and just a little will be ok’ I roll my eyes. Or some avoid something (like strawberries!) that is naturally gluten free just because isn’t specifically labeled ‘gluten free’, I tend to think they should be doing a little more research before altering their lifestyle so unnecessarily.

I do also think that a lot of the trends are based on some sort of underlying fact.  Remember how everyone was on Adkins a decade ago? That helped get eating fats normalized and bust the carb-based diet that so many of us do poorly on.  What truth could the ‘gluten free’ craze be based on?

Is there another study than this? What do you think?

Leave a link or comment in the comments if you have more info, I’m happy to look at other studies as well.

 

 

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Comments

  1. THANK YOU! I do have celiac (probably, I haven’t been tested, but my dad has it) so the study wasn’t actually directed at me, but I just couldn’t believe it was definitely true! This is like my friend who says if I can tolerate raw honey then I should be able to tolerate white sugar because it’s the same, and he’s bewildered by the fact I can tolerate raw milk and not pasteurized. He says it’s all in my head, I just roll my eyes.

    Reply

    • Raw milk contains lactase, the enzyme that is needed in order to digest the lactose that is present in milk. Many adults do not produce sufficient lactase in their body to digest it and, hence, cannot tolerate the pasteurised milk that is sold in supermarkets etc. Pasteurisation destroys the lactase!

      Reply

  4. The length of time also bothered me! Gluten’s effects take at least 2 weeks (often more) to cycle out of somone’s system, and this study didn’t allow nearly enough time between dietary changes!

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  5. Just for the record, whey protein is not casein. They’re different. Whey protein is basically the protein content in milk that *isn’t* casein.

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    • Interesting! I didn’t know that. I’d still suspect that many people can’t handle cow milk protein, especially in a highly processed form, but I”d need to look into it a little more.

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      • You can actually find whey protein powder from higher or lesser quality sources. If you look at health food stores (or even some nutrient/supplement stores, such as Vitamin Shoppe) you can find whey protein powder that is from grass fed pastured cows and that is sweetened with stevia. There is also a lot of ‘junky’ whey out there. I don’t have an issue with whey protein, but there are other choices out there for those who might, such as high quality rice protein or pea protein.

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  6. hmm an actual study conducted by scientists, the same scientist (Peter Gibson Professor and MD – http://www.monash.edu.au/research/people/profiles/profile.html?sid=9271&pid=4138 ) that first published a connection with Gastroenterological problems and gluten in 2011 who now conducted more research (because he wasn’t satisfied with his first results) and found contradictory evidence refuting his own first claims, or this person – “I readily admit that most of the health findings that I share here on Health Home and Happiness are also anecdotal evidence”. Nothing about this article is scientific and nothing refutes any of the findings of the research actually done. This is merely a commentary by someone who didn’t like the results of the study, probably because it is bad for business. Have you read the site disclosure?

    What really bothers me is that there are some real problems with our food source e.g. pesticide/herbicide, antibiotics in livestock, preservative, sanitary shipping and handling, dies, msg, genetic modification etc. FYI gmo wheat is NOT available for commercial consumption (look it up), but corn, a gluten substitute is. In fact as of 2013, roughly 85% of corn, 91% of soybeans, and 88% of cotton produced in the United States are genetically modified. Again 0% for wheat. Also, while you eat your crappy corn tortilla (sorry wheat is so much tastier) to avoid horrible gluten, why don’t you read this study linking GMO corn to cancer. http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/gm-corn-linked-to-cancer-tumors

    You see it is sadly ironic that people fall in line behind non professionals and go gluten free using substitutes that are actually more of a problematic food source like corn and soy.

    True knowledge is in knowing you know nothing at all. Do the research, don’t guide your lives based on someone else’s opinions and deny actual research because you don’t like the results.

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  8. I suspect the truth behind why it works is getting closer to a whole foods diet. I avoid store-bought baked goods and many other items because the corn products (especially HFCS) in them bother me. Processed foods are such a mix of ingredients.

    Of the people I know on GF diets (very small sample size), the ones doing best are the ones cooking from scratch, eating naturally GF foods, avoiding processed foods.

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    • I agree. That’s what I love about going grain and sugar free, it pretty much forces you to not consume anything processed!

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  9. Thanks for addressing this! I am one of those with many health issues, but negative for Celiac. I test positive for gluten intolerance. The bottom line is, I FEEL BETTER when I eat gluten free, and more specifically grain free. I didn’t change my life style to be trendy. I KNOW certain symptoms disappeared, regardless of what that or any other study says.

    Reply

  10. Love your comparison of whey and gluten to Meth and heroin! Any processed protein powders are usually also a source of Free Glutamic Acid which is MSG. (Happens in the processing) For people really sensitive to MSG protein powders are on the No list. Interestingly in MSG studies the industry uses aspartame as a control…also a neurotoxin that causes similar symptoms to MSG exposure. That was how they got around the MSG reactions and could claim there were none. Ps figures it was an industry sponsored study…..

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  11. I got my rage on after this started getting air time as well! (you can see my post here http://www.lightenupblog.co/is-gluten-intolerance-a-fad/ ) I think that anything that gets people thinking about what they eat can only be a good thing. Marginalising those who are trying to do something to make themselves feel better is not. Each human biome is so unique, and I know for myself that FODMAPs did diddly for me and gluten was the baddie, although I have never tested positive for any allergy. And this is a similar story among so many people I have spoken to. A sample size of 40 people and a week to give each new diet a go does not a bible make.

    Reply

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