People with celiac disease are sensitive to gluten, a component of wheat and other grains. No medication or surgical procedure can cure celiac disease. The only way to treat it is to adopt a completely gluten-free diet: avoiding all food and drink containing wheat, barley, rye, and other grains. But what if you don’t have celiac? Is a gluten-free diet good for your health?
As diagnosis and awareness of celiac disease have increased, a wide variety of gluten-free foods have hit store shelves. While these products are essential for people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, their benefit for others is less definitive.
Celiac disease causes intestinal damage that's visible on a biopsy. Gluten sensitivity, meanwhile, may cause some of celiac disease's gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms -- diarrhea, gas, bloating, vomiting, and constipation -- but not intestinal damage. There's no evidence that gluten sensitivity will one day turn into celiac disease, so avoiding gluten is more about reducing present symptoms than preventing future damage.
Gluten alone is not harmful to anyone without celiac disease, but it is present in many unhealthy foods. Refined carbohydrates can make you feel sluggish, but it's probably the spike in blood glucose levels and the lack of fiber -- not the gluten -- that's to blame.
If you have GI symptoms, see your doctor before adopting a gluten-free diet. You may need to be tested for celiac disease, and going gluten free beforehand can make intestinal damage less obvious on a biopsy.
For people without celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, a strict gluten-free diet probably isn't worth any potential health benefits: It can be deficient in some nutrients, such as B vitamins (particularly folic acid).
