Motivations for Avoiding Wheat Consumption

Aug 1, 2014 | Kanaaz Pereira, Connect Moderator | @kanaazpereira

The public has a great interest in avoiding gluten. Joseph Murray, M.D., discusses a recently published article in Public Health and Nutrition about the reasoning behind why people are avoiding gluten.

The study took place in Australia, where a lot of people are avoiding gluten. A survey was sent out to adults in Australia and over 1,000 responded. More women than men responded. The survey asked people if they were avoiding gluten and if so, why, and had they experienced symptoms from eating gluten. The researchers found that a significant proportion of adults in Australia are avoiding gluten because it seemed to make them feel better and most of them didn't have celiac disease.

Recent research, also from Australia, suggests that many people are feeling better because they avoid, not gluten, but perhaps other components of wheat such as fructans or FODMAPs. It may be that going on a gluten-free diets leads to less FODMAPs. Researchers also know that avoiding gluten leads to less consumption of fast food, junk food, and maybe even less food in general.

Read the full article online here.

For more information about celiac disease, visit mayoclinic.org/celiacdisease.

Dr. Murray is a gastroenterologist and celiac disease expert at Mayo Clinic.

Interested in more newsfeed posts like this? Go to the Gastroenterology & GI Surgery blog.

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