Gluten rarely to blame for ‘gluten sensitivity’: Lancet study

Patients who self-diagnose gluten intolerance and self-impose restricted diets are almost certainly targeting the wrong culprit, an Australian-led review suggests.

Published in The Lancet, the review found that gluten was rarely the trigger for the telltale bloating and gut discomfort, which mainly afflicted women.

Instead, the culprit was more likely to be FODMAPs — particularly fructans found in onions, garlic and wheat — or a powerful nocebo effect, with the brain’s expectations amplifying gut sensations.

“The symptoms are not imagined,” lead author Associate Professor Jessica Biesiekierski, from the University of Melbourne, told AusDoc.

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