Gluten-Free Diet In Healthy Children Could Be Dangerous, Says Expert

Giving children a gluten-free diet could be dangerous to their health, especially if there are no medical reasons to do so. An expert on celiac disease addressed the growing health trend, wherein diet-conscious people believe that gluten is bad and must, therefore, be eliminated from food.

Dr. Norelle R. Reilly outlined and addressed the misconceptions on gluten-free diets (GFD) in a commentary in The Journal of Pediatrics. "Parents sometimes place their children on a GFD in the belief that it relieves symptoms, can prevent CD [celiac disease], or is a healthy alternative without previous testing for CD or consultation with a dietitian," she wrote in her piece.

Gluten-Free Diet Not Always A Healthy Choice

One in four survey participants done in 2014 believes that a gluten-free diet is a healthy diet and 11 percent of the respondents follow this in their household, per NPD. The survey also highlighted that parents who decide to go gluten-free along with their children do so for no reason at all.

The gist of Reilly's piece points out the fact that people who are not suffering from wheat allergy, gluten sensitivity or celiac disease have no reason to cut gluten from their food. Doing so could actually result in nutritional deficiencies among kids. Dr. Jennifer Wouloughby of the Cleveland Clinic's Children agrees with Reilly. "If there aren't enough appropriate substitutions in there, we run the risk of poor growth, malnutrition and missing out on a lot of their necessary vitamins and minerals," she said, per CBS News.

Expert warns that a gluten-free diet may be harmful for those without celiac disease: https://t.co/G5a4L2ziLx pic.twitter.com/Ln9CRuLXZU

— POPSUGAR Fitness (@POPSUGARFitness) May 13, 2016

Gluten-Free Diet's Effect On Children

Time reports that a gluten-free diet is without fiber, but then fiber helps children develop better gastrointestinal health and keep their bowel movements regular. GFD is also an expensive and high maintenance diet that could have social implications on kids. Birthday parties and several childhood activities, such as camps and field strips, usually involve foods that are not gluten-free.

Ultimately, the choice is up to parents, but Reilly also stresses that going gluten-free early on and against doctor's advice will actually make it harder for physicians to diagnose if the child has celiac disease or not. If parents have concerns about their child being allergic to gluten, the expert advised consulting a doctor first before banning certain foods from their diet.

Do you follow the gluten-free diet in your family? What do you think about the expert's take? Let us know in the comments!