5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Gluten

By Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD There's been a bit of gluten-free backlash lately, but this trend doesn't seem to be slowing down. A recent poll found that nearly 30 percent of U.S. adults say they're trying to go gluten-free, and Googling the term generates more than 95 million results. If you're on the gluten-free bandwagon, either because you must avoid gluten due to celiac disease, or because you think you may be sensitive, here are five new bits of info you should know. Gluten may not be the only culprit in celiac disease. A recent study from researchers at Columbia University concluded that wheat proteins beside gluten may also trigger problematic symptoms in people with celiac disease. While gluten is the primary type of protein in wheat, a substantial number of study subjects with celiac disease had an immune reaction to five groups of non-gluten proteins. In other words, there is likely more to understanding celiac disease than scientists currently know, so stay tuned. Gluten-free labels are now standardized. Until recently, the term "gluten-free" hadn't been regulated or even defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But based on an FDA ruling last August, manufacturers can only use the term on products containing less than 20 parts per million of gluten, the established cutoff also used in Canada and Europe. In other words, while gluten-free now has a standardized meaning, it doesn't mean 100 percent gluten-free. This is partly because the most sensitive test a...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news