Popular dietary restrictions have little evidence, real harms
by MedPage Today Staff November 08, 2017
Celiac disease is all-too real, but there’s little evidence to support non celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS). A new post on Science-Based Medicine argues that the dietary fad is far from harmless.
For starters, people who are limiting gluten also tend to get fewer whole grains. If there are real symptoms they ascribe to NCGS, they may fail to seek real care. There’s even evidence that low-gluten diets are linked to higher risk of type-II diabetes.
The medical community should be fighting back, but they’re up against powerful marketing. Nutritional gurus are selling simple remedies, whereas science tends to be more nuanced, and take time.
“Over time a clear picture will tend to emerge, but in the meantime the health gurus can establish a market for their nonsense. Once their simplistic and marketable narrative gets into the public consciousness it is hard to correct,” the article concludes.