How healthy is a gluten-free diet?

A diet that excludes the gliadin and glutenin protein fractions in wheat, rye and barley is the only treatment available for individuals with coeliac disease. There is, however, a growing enthusiasm for a gluten-free diet (GFD) or wheat avoidance in those without formally-diagnosed coeliac disease for its perceived benefit on health, weight loss, treating disease and/or minimising future risk of disease. An Australian study found that gluten-free (GF) products are not significantly different in their nutritional quality compared with their gluten-containing counterparts. No nutritional advantage was demonstrated for GF foods. In other words, the notion that GF labelling might infer a health benefit is not warranted.