Everyone can appreciate a dramatic weight loss transformation but it’s the secret to their dieting success that we all really want to know. Was it the fat-forward Keto approach? Or the protein-rich Mediterranean diet? Often celebrities credit cutting gluten from their diets, but new research shows that can be dangerous if you don’t have celiac disease.
According to a study published in British Medical Journal, restricting gluten could actually cause cardiovascular issues. The study, which was co-authored by the Celiac Disease Foundation, closely followed more than 6,500 men and women over the course of 26 years.
The results showed that “if you adhere long term to a gluten-free diet, then you miss other essential nutrients and that might have a negative effect,” study author Andrew Chan from Harvard Medical School told Gizmodo. Basically, that means you’re missing out on the benefits of whole grains, which are linked to improving and maintaining cardiovascular health.
In recent years, the gluten-free diet has become more of a fad than a medical necessity, Celiac.org confirms. This is due to the misconception that gluten-free foods are healthier than those that contain gluten. But, as the study concludes, if you don’t experience gluten intolerance or non-celiac wheat sensitivity then you shouldn’t avoid gluten — because consuming more gluten is associated with a lower risk of heart disease.
[“source-delish”]
