{"id":234629,"date":"2025-10-30T20:13:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T20:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/234629\/"},"modified":"2025-10-30T20:13:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T20:13:10","slug":"most-people-who-say-they-have-gluten-intolerance-arent-reacting-to-gluten-at-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/234629\/","title":{"rendered":"Most People Who Say They Have Gluten Intolerance Aren\u2019t Reacting to Gluten at All"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" <\/a>Bread may not be a big culprit. Image via Unsplash.<\/p>\n

Millions of people around the world believe they have some form of gluten intolerance. Many cut gluten from their diet, sometimes going to great lengths to ensure this.<\/p>\n

Associate Professor Jessica Biesiekierski from the University of Melbourne thinks many of them don\u2019t need to do that.<\/p>\n

Biesiekierski is an author of a major new review published in The Lancet<\/a>. They found that that non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), a condition that affects up to 13% of adults globally<\/a>, is often not triggered by gluten at all. Instead, fermentable carbohydrates, other wheat components, or the brain\u2019s interpretation of gut signals are more likely to cause the symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cContrary to popular belief, most people with NCGS aren\u2019t reacting to gluten,\u201d said Dr. Biesiekierski in a university press release. \u201cOur findings show that symptoms are more often triggered by fermentable carbohydrates, commonly known as FODMAPs, by other wheat components or by people\u2019s expectations and prior experiences with food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gluten Misunderstood<\/p>\n

It\u2019s always difficult to draw a conclusion when it comes to our diet because there are so many factors that could play a role. In the new study, researchers <\/p>\n

The research team analyzed more than 58 studies investigating what really drives symptoms in people who say they are sensitive to gluten. Their findings were striking.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/a>Image credits: Rawkim.<\/p>\n

People with sensitive guts often experience gas and bloating after consuming fermentable carbohydrates found in onions, garlic, legumes, and certain fruits. The same applies to fructans, a specific type of FODMAP found in wheat, which researchers identified as a more likely trigger of symptoms than gluten itself.<\/p>\n

The new review offers a striking contrast to the cultural narrative around gluten, which has been vilified in lifestyle magazines and by celebrities who claim gluten-free living is the secret to better health. But in tightly controlled clinical trials, something unusual happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cAcross recent studies, people with IBS who believe they\u2019re gluten-sensitive react similarly to gluten, wheat, and placebo,\u201d Biesiekierski explained. \u201cThis suggests that how people anticipate and interpret gut sensations can strongly influence their symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Gut Feeling<\/p>\n

That influence is part of a growing body of science exploring the gut\u2013brain axis\u2014the two-way communication system between the digestive tract and the central nervous system. One of the most revealing patterns in the studies reviewed was the power of the nocebo effect<\/a> (like a placebo effect but negative). Participants who expected to feel unwell after eating gluten still developed symptoms, even without consuming it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are real physiological responses,\u201d the study\u2019s authors wrote in The Conversation<\/a>. \u201cWhat the evidence is telling us is that focusing attention on the gut, coupled with anxiety about symptoms or repeated negative experiences with food, has real effects.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, the gut interprets signals through a lens of past experiences and emotional state. The result: normal digestion can feel like discomfort, urgency, or even pain.<\/p>\n

This places NCGS on the same spectrum as irritable bowel syndrome, a disorder increasingly understood as a dysfunction in how the gut and brain communicate.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaken together, this redefines NCGS as part of the gut\u2013brain interaction spectrum, closer to conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, rather than a distinct gluten disorder,\u201d Biesiekierski said.<\/p>\n

Is Gluten Ever to Blame?<\/p>\n

\"Gluten-free <\/a>Gluten-free aisle. Credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n

Yes. This study absolutely doesn\u2019t negative that people with real gluten intolerance exist. But it\u2019s far more rare than people assume.<\/p>\n

Meta-analyses included in the review suggest that only about 16\u201330% of self-identified gluten-sensitive individuals actually experience gluten-specific symptoms under controlled testing. That\u2019s a fraction of the estimated 10\u201315% of adults worldwide who believe they\u2019re gluten sensitive.<\/p>\n

Coeliac disease remains a very real autoimmune condition affecting around 1% of the population. For those individuals, gluten triggers immune damage to the gut lining, and avoiding gluten for life is essential.<\/p>\n

This is all the more important because gluten-free alternatives tend to be more expensive and sometimes, less healthy than their counterparts.<\/p>\n

\u201cGluten-free foods are, on average, 139% more expensive<\/a> than standard ones,\u201d noted the study authors. \u201cThey are also often lower in fibre and key nutrients.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMillions of people around the world avoid gluten believing it harms their gut, often after experiencing real symptoms that range from mild discomfort to severe distress,\u201d Biesiekierski said. \u201cImproving our scientific and clinical understanding of a condition affecting up to 15 per cent of the global population is incredibly important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than defaulting to gluten-free living, the researchers propose combining dietary changes with psychological support, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, to reduce food-related fear and reintroduce foods safely.<\/p>\n

The researchers emphasize the need for improved diagnostic methods, clearer clinical guidelines, and more accurate public messaging. They urge clinicians to take patients\u2019 symptoms seriously, even when gluten isn\u2019t the underlying cause.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecognising this psychological contribution doesn\u2019t mean symptoms are imagined,\u201d the authors write. \u201cWhen the brain predicts a meal may cause harm, gut sensory pathways amplify every cramp or sensation of discomfort, creating genuine distress.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bread may not be a big culprit. Image via Unsplash. Millions of people around the world believe they…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":234630,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[9723,7418,102,88454,6636,547,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-234629","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-gluten","9":"tag-gluten-free","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-ibs","12":"tag-nutrition","13":"tag-research","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}