Body Mass Index in Celiac Disease: Beneficial Effect of a Gluten-free Diet

BACKGROUNDThere is concern about celiac disease patients being overweight and gaining more weight while on a gluten-free diet (GFD). AIMTo investigate body mass index (BMI) and effect of GFD on BMI of celiac disease patients in the United States where obesity is a systematic problem. METHODSBMI at diagnosis and after 2.8 years (mean) on a GFD were compared with national data. RESULTSAmong our patients (n=369, 67.2% female), 17.3% were underweight, 60.7% normal, 15.2% overweight, and 6.8% obese. All patients were followed by a dietitian. Compared with national data, females had lower BMI (21.9 vs. 24.2, P