1. Gluten-free isn’t more nutritious (and may be less so)A quarter of the people in our survey thought gluten-free foods have more vitamins and minerals than other foods. But a recent Consumer Reports review of 81 products free of gluten across 12 categories revealed that they’re a mixed bag in terms of nutrition. “If you go completely gluten-free without the guidance of a nutritionist, you can develop deficiencies pretty quickly,” warns Laura Moore, R.D., a dietitian at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Many gluten-free foods aren’t enriched or fortified with nutrients such as folic acid and iron; the products that contain wheat flours are.2. You’ll probably increase your exposure to arsenicAbout half of the gluten-free products Consumer Reports purchased contained rice flour or rice in another form. In 2012 we reported on our tests of more than 60 rices and packaged foods with rice (such as pasta, crackers, and infant cereal). We found measurable levels of arsenic in almost every product tested. Many of them contained worrisome levels of inorganic arsenic, a carcinogen.3. You might gain weightMore than a third of Americans think that going gluten-free will help them slim down, according to our survey. But there’s no evidence that doing so is a good weight-loss strategy; in fact, the opposite is often true. In a review of studies on nutrition and celiac disease published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, researchers said that a gluten-free diet “seems to increase the risk of overweight or obesity.” The authors attributed that to the tendency for gluten-free foods to have more calories, sugars, and fat than their regular counterparts.4. You’ll pay moreOur research found that in every category except ready-to-eat cereal, the gluten-free versions were more expensive than their regular counterparts, about double the cost, and in some cases considerably more.5. You might miss a serious health conditionIf you’re convinced that you have a problem with gluten, see a specialist to get a blood test to check for certain antibodies associated with celiac disease. You need to be eating gluten when the test is done to get a proper diagnosis, notes Peter Green, M.D., director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University’s medical school. If it’s positive, then you should have an endoscopic biopsy of your small intestine to check for damage.6. You might still be eating gluten, anywayA recent study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at 158 food products labeled gluten-free over three years. It found that about 5 percent—including some that were certified gluten-free—didn’t meet the FDA’s limit of less than 20 parts per million of gluten.Just as fat was vilified in the 1990s and carbs have been scorned more recently, gluten—a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye—has become the latest dietary villain, blamed for everything from forgetfulness to joint pain to weight gain. "Gluten free" is a claim you see on everything from potato chips to bread to hummus—and even on cosmetics and laundry detergent. Some people must avoid the protein because they have celiac disease—an autoimmune condition in which gluten causes potentially life-threatening intestinal damage—or gluten sensitivity. But less than 7 percent of Americans have those conditions.
LINK 4951