Does Gluten Decrease (or Increase) Metabolic Syndrome Risk?

Overall, weight gain and obesity are consequences of chronic energy imbalance, in which energy intake exceeds energy expenditure and leads to excessive energy (fat) storage. If gluten is a causative factor for weight gain, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown, and studies on non-coeliac individuals are scarce. Over recent years, gluten free diet (GFD) has become popular as books and social media have suggested that gluten consumption causes overweight and metabolic syndrome (MS) parameters. However, data supporting such statement are often feeble and questionable.

Firstly, due to its gluten content, wheat has likely been one of the most maligned foods over the past years. Nonetheless, whole wheat products are held as a good source of indigestible dietary fiber and other bioactive components. Avoiding wheat consumption could thus be associated with decreasing fiber and other beneficial constituents in the diet, and increasing glycemic index. Currently, three conditions require treatment with GFD: wheat allergy, non-coeliac gluten-sensitivity, and coeliac disease (CD).^,

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