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    Jefferson Adams
    Jefferson Adams

    Higher Body Mass Index and Lower Risk of Obesity in Celiac Disease Patients on a Gluten-free Diet

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Celiac.com 05/25/2012 - A team of researchers recently set out to examine body mass and obesity risk in a large population of people with celiac disease who are following a gluten-free diet.

    Photo:CC-FBellonThe research team included T. A. Kabbani, A. Goldberg, C. P. Kelly, K. Pallav, S. Tariq, A. Peer, J. Hansen, M. Dennis & D. A. Leffler. They are affiliated with the Department of Medicine and Division of Gastroenterology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
    Diagnosis for celiac disease is on the rise, and many people who are diagnosed experience weight changes once they adopt a gluten-free diet. There's a pretty good amount of study data on weight change on a gluten-free diet, but a very limited amount of data regarding changes in body mass.

    The researchers wanted to look at a large population of people with celiac disease, who followed a gluten-free diet to better understand changes in body mass index (BMI) following celiac diagnosis.

    To do this, they looked at a total of 1018 patients with biopsy confirmed celiac disease. The patients had all previously visited the Beth Israel gastroenterology clinic in Boston.

    The team recorded data for initial and follow-up BMIs, and used an expert dietitian to assess patient compliance with a gluten-free diet. They found a total of 679 patients with at least two recorded BMIs and GFD adherence data, and used data from those patients in their study. The average amount of time from first BMI measurement to follow-up measurement was 39.5 months.

    When they compared the results against data for the general population, they found that celiac disease patients on a gluten-free diet were significantly less likely to be overweight or obese (32% vs. 59%, P < 0.0001).

    They also found that average body mass increased significantly after patients adopted a gluten-free diet (24.0 to 24.6; P < 0.001). Overall, 21.8% of patients with normal or high BMI at study entry increased their BMI by more than two points.

    The results of this study show that celiac disease patients on a gluten-free diet have lower BMI than the regional population at diagnosis, but that BMI increases with a gluten-free diet, especially in those who follow the diet closely.

    Still, even though overall risk of obesity is lower than the regular population, once celiac patients adopt a gluten-free diet, 15.8% of patients move from a normal or low BMI class into an overweight BMI class, and 22% of patients overweight at diagnosis gain weight.

    As a result, the study team feels that weight maintenance counseling should be an integral part of celiac dietary education.

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    Guest Jennifer

    Posted

    This article is an unnecessary obesity scare tactic. BMI is bunk, so this article has no merit. It doesn't mention that half of adults are overweight at diagnosis (because it would nullify this study).

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    Guest marketing@celiac.com

    Posted

    This article is an unnecessary obesity scare tactic. BMI is bunk, so this article has no merit. It doesn't mention that half of adults are overweight at diagnosis (because it would nullify this study).

    We actually covered that research as well: https://www.celiac.com/articles/22908/1/Nearly-Half-of-Patients-with-Celiac-Disease-are-Overweight-or-Obese-at-Diagnosis--/Page1.html

     

    I wouldn't say this research is any sort of obesity scare tactic though. It just shows that we still don't entirely understand how celiac disease affects the body, particularly body weight.

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    Guest sandy

    Posted

    I don't understand the body mass index. All I know is that my waist and stomach keep getting bigger and I can't seem to lose any weight.

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    Guest shaell

    Posted

    How come it doesn't mention that gluten-free food is way higher in sugar and fats to make food more palatable?

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    Guest Lara

    Posted

    This may speak, in part, to the higher fat and calorie content present in many of the gluten-free breads/baked goods.

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    Guest Lynn_M

    Posted

    I was diagnosed with non-celiac gluten sensitivity 6 months ago at age 64. No gluten since then, very few other grains, and barely any desserts, yet my weight stays unchanged at slightly overweight. Given the change in my eating habits, I'm astounded that I haven't lost weight. My experience parallels that of the research subjects.

     

    I wonder what the metabolic explanation is for persistent weight gain despite being gluten-free.

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    Guest gfistheonlyway

    Posted

    I was relieved to read this article. I was diagnosed 2 years ago with celiac disease, and after adapting to a gluten-free lifestyle, my weight jumped a lot. I have tried every diet and cannot seem to lose weight, the belly fat has really increased and I work out daily. I was glad to hear there are others who are struggling with this as well. Thank you for printing the study!

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    Guest ScooterMama

    Posted

    Learning, Learning, Learning. Thanks for the

    info. And yes, I'm one who was found to be

    overweight from celiac disease after 20 years, but I have

    definitely benefited from the gluten-free diet.

    Thanks again!

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    Guest BK Simmons

    Posted

    I would have liked a little info on how the gluten-free diet, which adds more "bread, rice, & other starches" into a celiac's diet causes a weight gain especially when their previous diet has limited these foods. Also how the medication(s) used in the management of the disease affects the weight gain.

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    Guest Don Brown

    Posted

    This article is an unnecessary obesity scare tactic. BMI is bunk, so this article has no merit. It doesn't mention that half of adults are overweight at diagnosis (because it would nullify this study).

    Hi all, well perhaps my personal experience may help. I self-diagnosed gluten sensitivity about 2 years back. My weight at that time was 234. My weight today is 234... changes. Yep, after removing all wheat products my body size started to change; it was almost to 3x. After 6 months, my size overall dropped to a large. I lost no weight but I felt much better. I'm 61 now and am at a size that feels better. I will start to lose some pounds soon, diet changes, but body mass dropped like a rock when I started eliminating wheat. Maybe others have had similar results. Have a good one.

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    Guest Renee

    Posted

    For those who haven't lost any weight, maybe you aren't eating enough food? It's important to fill your diet with healthy proteins and those grains that you are able to eat. For me, I eat a jumbo egg and veggie omelet with one corn tortilla, sprinkling of cheese, and salsa in the morning. Lunch is usually chicken with a green salad with some sort of nut and olives and a healthy dressing. Dinner is about the same: a healthy protein, lots of veggies, and a carb that I can handle. I've also done the 4-6 small meals a day when I have time. Gluten-free doesn't necessarily mean diet food. You still have to eat wisely and think portion-control. Which is why the eating small meals every 3 hours really is best.

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    Guest Gill
    Hi all, well perhaps my personal experience may help. I self-diagnosed gluten sensitivity about 2 years back. My weight at that time was 234. My weight today is 234... changes. Yep, after removing all wheat products my body size started to change; it was almost to 3x. After 6 months, my size overall dropped to a large. I lost no weight but I felt much better. I'm 61 now and am at a size that feels better. I will start to lose some pounds soon, diet changes, but body mass dropped like a rock when I started eliminating wheat. Maybe others have had similar results. Have a good one.

    So far, I've only been gluten-free (self-diagnosed celiac disease) for two months, and I have had similar results. Over the first month I decreased one dress size in volume though my weight stayed the same. As gluten-free bread, etc. is in general higher calorie, if the same amount is consumed after going gluten-free then weight is bound to rise. I'm 64 and feel so much better since going gluten-free. I would like to lose about 5 kilos eventually but will wait until I have been 6 months gluten-free to evaluate the changes. I find that I eat less bread, biscuits, etc. than before as the gluten-free ones are more filling and unless home-made, not very nice.

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  • About Me

    Jefferson Adams

    Jefferson Adams is Celiac.com's senior writer and Digital Content Director. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at Arizona State University. His articles, essays, poems, stories and book reviews have appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and websites, including North American Project, Antioch Review, Caliban, Mississippi Review, Slate, and more. He is the author of more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His university coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, physiology, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously devised health and medical content for Colgate, Dove, Pfizer, Sharecare, Walgreens, and more. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of numerous books, including "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

    >VIEW ALL ARTICLES BY JEFFERSON ADAMS

     


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