Gluten-Free Diets: The Hidden Dangers You Don’t Know About This New Food Fad

A gluten-free diet has gained popularity in recent years ever since it sparked the curiosity of numerous health enthusiasts as well as celebrities and famous athletes. The diet excludes the protein gluten, which can be found in grains like barley, rye, wheat and triticale (a mix between rye and wheat).

The popularity of gluten-free diets has surpassed other forms of diet such as Atkins, South Beach and Paleolithic diets. People have also opted to remove gluten from their food consumption instead of turning into veganism and low-carb and low-calorie diets, The Age reported from Los Angeles Times.

According to Mayo Clinic, a gluten-free diet can treat celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder where the ingestion of gluten leads to damages in the patient's hypersensitive small intestine. Those with celiac disease absorb nutrients poorly and experience difficult digestion if they eat foods with gluten. Their bones, liver, skin, teeth and nervous system can be affected as well.

Missing Nutrients

For people with celiac disease, eating a gluten-free diet helps them manage their disease's symptoms to avoid further complications. This is why many people -- even those without celiac disease -- think that removing gluten from their diets will be good for them. If gluten-free diets benefit celiac disease patients, it's safe to assume that it would work on them too, right? Not really.

Peter H.R. Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University; and Rory Jones, adjunct professor of Narrative Medicine at Barnard College, said eliminating gluten from diets can be "detrimental" for those without celiac disease, The Age further reported. A gluten-free diet doesn't heave fiber in it, making people lacking vitamins and nutrients found in fiber. Gluten-free products also contain extra sugar and fat for added taste, and that causes weight gain.

Some people claim that gluten-free diets increase their energy output. But one study that examined competitive cyclists found that cutting their gluten consumption didn't boost people's energy output, The Age added. Gluten-free foods are also more expensive.

Children Also Following Gluten-Free Diets

In 2012, 30 percent of American adults aged 50 and above and 26 percent of adults aged 18 to 49 said they follow gluten-free diets, ModernMedicine reported. Some parents even allow their children to have gluten-free diets even though they don't have celiac disease.

A recent study found that out of 15,800 children in schools, 78 percent follow gluten-free diets, according to Live Science. Sixty percent of the children avoid gluten because they have celiac disease and 40 percent refrain from gluten due to other health problems like autism, urinary tract infections and Crohn's disease. Researchers said that these health conditions don't necessarily require avoiding gluten.