Gluten-Free Is Healthier for Everyone

If you have coeliac disease (around 1.4 percent of the population) or diagnosed non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, going gluten-free is medically necessary and works. If you don't have either, the evidence that removing gluten improves your health is essentially zero. A 2017 BMJ study of more than 100,000 people followed for 26 years found no association between gluten intake and cardiovascular risk in people without coeliac disease, and a small inverse association: low-gluten diets were linked to slightly higher diabetes risk, probably because gluten-free swaps replace whole grains with refined starches. Most commercial gluten-free products have less fibre, less iron, less folate, and more added sugar than their wheat counterparts. The 'feeling better' is real and is mostly explained by paying more attention to food, eating less processed bread overall, and placebo. If you suspect coeliac, get tested before going gluten-free (the test only works if you've been eating gluten for the previous six weeks). If you don't have coeliac, eat the bread. For more on what gluten actually does, see <a href="https://gluten.refdat.com/guides/coeliac-disease-basics/">our coeliac disease basics guide</a>.