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No Evidence That Gluten-Free Diet Promotes Weight Loss (with Reply by Dr. Ron ... - Celiac.com

Scott Adams

By Scott Adams
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Scott Adams Grand Master
Scott Adams
Posted

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No Evidence That Gluten-Free Diet Promotes Weight Loss (with Reply by Dr. Ron ...

Celiac.com

By Amy O'Connell Amy O'Connell is a medical doctor and researcher who was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2003. She began writing professionally in 2010. Dr. O'Connell is working toward becoming a pediatric allergist/immunologist. ...

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Ellie84 Apprentice
Ellie84
Posted

Very interesting article, thank you :)

It's indeed weird to think that some people treat a gluten-free diet as the latest fad diet. Some celebs go gluten-free because they think it will help them retain their weight. Odd...

For myself I'd have to say that before I got diagnosed, I constantly over-ate. I was hungry all the time, no matter how much I was snacking and munching. I didn't gain weight at that time. After diagnosis I gained maybe 6 or 7 pounds, but that's it. Now my weight is slowly dropping again because I now have enough energy to exercise. My weight is still healthy for my height, but I'm near the "slightly overweight" zone. Best lose a few pounds to stay safe.

Di2011 Enthusiast
Di2011
Posted

I wonder if the problem is because there is a gluten-intolerance "disease" yet to be "named" that has an alternative effect on individuals. ie overweight not "wasting". seems to fit my symptoms and recovery.

Celiac is a young disease in terms of how well and how long it has been known. Perhaps there is a genetic or alternative "reaction" to gluten (or wheat) that in a decade or two from now will be in same "known" state as celiac is today. I put myself in that category.

Ellie84 Apprentice
Ellie84
Posted

Celiac is a young disease in terms of how well and how long it has been known. Perhaps there is a genetic or alternative "reaction" to gluten (or wheat) that in a decade or two from now will be in same "known" state as celiac is today. I put myself in that category.

I've thought the same: my antibody test was negative and my biopsy wasn't reliable enough to rule out celiac disease. However, I have strong reactions to gluten and my health quickly improved when I went gluten-free. My GI told me that we might never know and that I should just stick to the gluten-free diet.

Interesting fact about the history of the discovery of celiac disease: (from wikipedia)

While a role for carbohydrates had been suspected, the link with wheat was not made until the 1940s by the Dutch paediatrician Dr. Willem Karel Dicke.[98] It is likely that clinical improvement of his patients during the Dutch famine of 1944 (during which flour was scarce) may have contributed to his discovery.[99] Dicke noticed that the shortage of bread led to a significant drop in the death rate among children affected by celiac disease from greater than 35% to essentially zero. He also reported that once wheat was again available after the conflict, the mortality rate soared to previous levels.[100] The link with the gluten component of wheat was made in 1952 by a team from Birmingham, England.[101] Villous atrophy was described by British physician John W. Paulley in 1954 on samples taken at surgery.[102] This paved the way for biopsy samples taken by endoscopy.[6]

Di2011 Enthusiast
Di2011
Posted

Oh I know how bad that war was but maybe.. just maybe .. it may have sped any research about gluten intolerance. It wasn't a wanted war but I think that it created an absence of grains which was a seriously important development in the understanding the "wasting disease" aka celiac but unfortunately an understudied/unexpected experient.

I don't think this gluten/grain issue would be such a big deal to study if it wasn't for economics and history. ugghh.

Di2011 Enthusiast
Di2011
Posted

I should explain my response. I'm not a "wasting disease" typical case. overweight, avoided breakfast, didn't like sandwiches, pasta etc etc .. overweight and lethargy.. so must be lazy and need to get a life.

I wonder if there was serious and sufficient research that there would be a not-celiac but alternative "disease" for us that are bloated, overweight, lethargic etc?

Just putting it out there. No arguments please!

GlutenGladi8or Apprentice
GlutenGladi8or
Posted

I would like to see the weekly diet log of those who ate gluten free, didn't lose weight, and their respective exercise activity. Unfortunately, I think it's relatively safe to assume that their food diaries would have a number of gluten free items that MOST definitely will not lead to weight loss: gluten-free Cookies, gluten-free Cakes, gluten-free Brownies, gluten-free Cheesecakes, etc. In fact, these are generally empty calories, full of carbohydrates and sugar.

I would recommend that if the participant in the study were eating the aforementioned "processed items" (regardless of exercise or not) that they replace them with foods that have been gluten free for thousands of years.

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pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

I had someone tell me his mom buys gluten-free processed stuff because she thinks it's healthier.

I could tell he didn't buy it...he was quite interested in what I had to say, especially hearing that I'm on the gluten-free diet for a medical reason. He also thought it was funny that I buy very few gluten-free processed products.

ElseB Contributor
ElseB
Posted

I think the thing is that people who have no problems with gluten (i.e. not celiac, no wheat allergy, not non-celiac gluten intolerant) who normally eat poorly (i.e. a lot of processed foods, fast food) see gluten free as the answer to loose weight because they view it as less carbs, cooking from scratch, etc. But I bet they could just as easily lose the weight by eating whole grain (with wheat bread), cutting out fast food, exercising, etc. My mom eats super healthy, but she still eats gluten! A gluten free chocolate brownie is still a chocolate brownie!

GlutenGladi8or Apprentice
GlutenGladi8or
Posted

He also thought it was funny that I buy very few gluten-free processed products.

Funny or WISE?

Good decision making my friend.

pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

Funny or WISE?

Good decision making my friend.

Funny because his mom buys them to be healhy and I DON'T buy them to be healthy :).

Ellie84 Apprentice
Ellie84
Posted

There are some bodybuilders who use a gluten-free diet as a contest preparation. They claim that going gluten-free drains excess liquids from their body and makes the muscles more visible. This is not comparable to our situations however, because these people have often dieted for years and are as lean as can be.

Still, if you make the right choices a gluten-free diet can be very healthy, even more healthy than your average "see-food" diet. I'm speaking from personal experience when I say that you're less likely to eat junk food and snacks. Especially when on the go gluten-free foods are hard to find. Your cooking style also radically changes: no more cooking from bags and boxes but fresh flavours like herbs, garlic and pepppers instead.

As Gladiator said, a lot of health food is naturally gluten-free. I've switched to a diet that's slightly higher in protein and fat and easier on the carbs. Instead of having a sandwich for a meal I switched to unprocessed nuts, eggs or a salad with fish or chicken. For breakfast I use slow-carb foods like pancakes from teff flour or buckwheat, or gluten-free oats with seeds and dried fruit. This also helps against hunger-cravings that I used to have. Compared to what I used to eat before the diagnosis, my diet has improved a lot.

This didn't happen at once though, the first year was quite a puzzle. You see, gluten-free products like cookies and starchy crackers are widely available, but I haven't had a decent bite of brown bread until last week. They finally started to sell oat-bread here in NL, it's made from oats that were grown in a controlled field. Absolutely great!

bumblebee-carnival Newbie
bumblebee-carnival
Posted

I would like to see the weekly diet log of those who ate gluten free, didn't lose weight, and their respective exercise activity. Unfortunately, I think it's relatively safe to assume that their food diaries would have a number of gluten free items that MOST definitely will not lead to weight loss: gluten-free Cookies, gluten-free Cakes, gluten-free Brownies, gluten-free Cheesecakes, etc. In fact, these are generally empty calories, full of carbohydrates and sugar.

I would recommend that if the participant in the study were eating the aforementioned "processed items" (regardless of exercise or not) that they replace them with foods that have been gluten free for thousands of years.

GlutenGladi8or Apprentice
GlutenGladi8or
Posted

I could not agree more. When I told my mom I had to go gluten free, she started calling me up every single time she saw any thing labeled gluten free. Nine times out of ten it was some kind of bread or cake substitute. She meant well and I just thanked her.

The "Aunt Bee Effect" to a "T" LOL

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