While the 1 percent of the population with celiac disease should absolutely follow a gluten-free diet, millions of Americans are still going gluten-free because of perceived health benefits.
This is likely due to the massive and quickly growing gluten-free food industry pushing their products as “the healthier version.”
In a Harvard study that followed more than 110,000 adults from 1986 to 2010, the relationship between gluten intake and heart disease was evaluated. Each participant was given a comprehensive 131-item food questionnaire every four years during this study.
The researchers concluded that a gluten-free diet does not help your heart, and may even hurt it!
The leader of the study, Dr. Andrew Chan, said,
For the vast majority of people who can tolerate it, restricting gluten to improve your overall health is likely not to be a beneficial strategy. (1,2)
The Study Details
In this study, they found that the difference in heart disease risk was about the same for the folks who ate the most gluten and those who ate the least amount of gluten – suggesting that the amount of gluten you ate does not play a role in heart disease risk.
When the researchers dug deeper and adjusted the study for the amount of refined grains that were eaten in the high-gluten group, the heart disease risk soared. Refined grains lack heart-healthy fiber, which abounds in healthy whole wheat.
When they adjusted their findings for intake of refined grains, the group that ate the least amount of gluten had a 15% higher risk of heart disease. (1,2)
It’s Not Wheat… It’s Processed Foods!
Wheat has been found guilty without a fair trial. Refined grains, as do all refined and processed foods, have a high glycemic index, can be inflammatory and pose serious health risks. Whole wheat, however, has been linked to lower dietary inflammation, reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease in study after study. (3-9)
In fact, in similar observational studies of almost 200,000 people, researchers have found that the people who ate the most whole grains had lower risk of getting type 2 diabetes compared to those who ate the most refined grains. (3,4)
In another study, replacing refined grains with whole grains lowered type 2 diabetes risk. (8,9)
Gluten-Free Diets Could Compromise Your Immune System
Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of a gluten-free diet is the growing body of evidence potentially linking a gluten-free diet to a compromised immune system.
I’ll highlight 3 studies here:
- In one study, mercury levels were four times higher in those that ate a gluten-free diet compared to wheat-eaters. (10)
- In another study, beneficial gut microbes decreased and harmful microbes increased in gluten-free-eaters compared to wheat-eaters. (11)
- In another study, the activity of NK cells (also known as killer cells) was significantly higher in wheat-eaters compared to gluten-free eaters. (12) This is significant as NK cells constitute our bodies’ frontline defense system.
While researchers at Harvard and UCLA do not see any health benefits of being gluten-free if you are not celiac, they do concede that some folks do not feel well when they consume gluten-rich grains.
The reasons behind this – especially why you may not feel well when you eat wheat and other grains – are well-documented in my newest book, Eat Wheat.
With 605 scientific references, I’ll show you how the past 60 years of processed foods have greatly compromised our digestive systems, resulting in the gluten-sensitivity concerns we see today.
In Eat Wheat, I troubleshoot every aspect of the digestive process, ultimately offering strategies to naturally fortify your digestive strength.
I call BS on this. I have been off grains, for years, because of autoimmune disease (Hashimotos) and I feel better than I have in years. And, I didn’t eat white bread products, I ground organic wheat berries into flour and made all of our bread. As far as I’m concerned, I will never eat grains again.
I agree. Big businesses must be behind these studyies. There is no mentioning about the effects of GMO grains and preservatives on the health either. I am allergic to food preservatives and cannot digest any grains due to the severe inflammation I have all over my body. Who knows what GMOs are doing too. Having pesticides as part of the food DNA cannot be healthy dimce it kills whatever else eats these foods.
Yes I tend to agree. These big epidemiological studies are not very good at showing cause and effect. if I don’t eat any processed foods and I eat gluten free then what? I have been gluten free for nearly 30 years. I have lupus, eczema and endometriosis i.e. the mother of all autoimmune disease plus two other probably/possibly autoimmune mediated diseases. I used to imagine the perfect croissant I would one day in the future eat. Now I think that might be on my deathbed. I’m not sure there is anything anyone could say to convince me to eat gluten again.
I object to Dr John separating out celiacs from “everybody else who is doing it for heath reasons”. That means that someone with life threatening autoimmune disease is lumped in with the people who are basically orthorexic and just think that gluten might be bad for them.
Also looking for the link to the original article. He references it, but provides no links. I’m suspicious….
It’s in the reference section at the bottom of the article……………………
You totally need to read The Plant Paradox. Almost all grains contain lectins which promote inflammation and all the diseases you describe. Healing the gut is essential, and you must focus on the microbiome.
Any grain that is turned into flour can be considered a refined grain. Refined grains are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and cause an insulin spike. Even whole, organic wheat will have the same effect when ground/refined. Check the glycemic index of wheat bread…it’s higher than white bread. Insulin is pro-inflammatory. Conversely, small portions of WHOLE cooked or sprouted grains do not cause a similar insulin spike.
The wheat of today is not the wheat I grew up on. With Monsanto influence in everything we eat we are all consuming highly toxic wheat Unless you are 100% sure of where your Wheat is coming from and that it is truly 100% organic, it has been doused with pesticides. While it may be true that it does not have an influence on heart disease wheat and grains elevate blood sugar level. We Americans eat too much processed food too much sugar too many net carbs. We need to go back to eating real food good fats and making meals not ordering meals. Even though we’ve had low-fat craze a exercise craze we Americans are fatter than ever. Our children are fatter than ever. I wholeheartedly believe the solution is to get back to real food illuminate sugar and curtail Grains. I know from my own experience doing this has made me feel better and lose weight far more easily. So not arguing with you you’re entitled to your opinion but I totally disagree
“Our children are fatter than ever.”
They are fat because of metabolic disturbances that make them want to stuff themselves uncontrollably with the wrong “foods.” You cannot go around telling a growing, always-hungry child to not eat a dozen tasty foods or food-type products and to only eat the much vaunted low-carb/high fat/ adequate (animal) protein diet. Things don’t work that way.
Medical researchers are just dicking around on the surface of things. They need to ask why so many children – and now, adults, too – have such deranged metabolism. Why every generation is sicker than the previous one. Here’s a hint: those little arms get poked about 3 dozen times by the time they are ready for first grade. I find it highly unlikely that any mainstream “scientist” will look into systemic toxicity as a big factor in later health problems.
Organically grown or not, we have been consuming grains and other heavy carbs for at least 500 generations. We have adapted to them (except for aboriginals). Do not blame grain.
There are many folks who are gluten intolerant–not celiac–and for whom eating wheat still compromises their system. There are many ways to fill grain/fiber void without eating whole wheat. I eat a delicious organic ancient grain gluten free bread and also enjoy chia seed and ground flax seed. I have Hashimoto’s and have also noticed a great difference in my brain fog and ability to concentrate since going off wheat, barley and rye.
I would be interested to see a study comparing whole-grain eaters to grain-abstainers for heart disease risk, indeed for various health conditions.
Yes! What about all of us who eat no processed foods and no gluten either.
Harvard? LOL LOL LOL LOL
Hey Doc. I have a barely used bridge in Brooklyn I’ll sell you for a song.
I was having trouble digesting wheat and switched to making my own organic sourdough sprouted wheat bread. End of digestive wheat problems. The flour is expensive to buy but in my view totally worth it. In my teens I was an anorexic and was left with terrible digestion. I now make my own bitters formula I take before every meal which takes care of the problem.
The form of the wheat, and the process in which it is made seems to be key. The long fermentation period in sourdough bread makes it far more digestible not to mention delicious. I am a firm believer in real food, organically grown. With so much toxicity in our world, and so much coming down from the skies in the form of industry and fossil fuel emissions I don’t think we can afford to do anything less.
It is expensive but there are ways around it if one is willing to cook from scratch and grow what you can.
I find posts like this really enturbulating. I have been off gluten and grains since January as I have been diagnosed with Graves’ disease (autoimmune disease, hyperthyroidism). The general concensus seems to be to avoid gluten when one has an autoimmune thyroid disorder.
I have done your Colorado Cleanse, John, I eat in season, I eat wild, I eat beetroot raw, dandelion salads and so on. I certainly agree with you that it is important to eat clean, GMOfree, pesticide free, in season, homegrown if possible.
However I too feel you are pushing the gluten issue too hard. What we have, based on reading the above, is some studies that point out that eating/avoiding gluten isn’t as clear cut as one would hope. One study links it to autoimmune disorders….. baffling, as I have eaten pretty healthily all my life, I ate gluten too, and I came down with Graves’. In my view the guilty party in my life was ongoing stress (dealt with a parent with dementia for years). It seems a tad too simplistic to find studies that point out that avoiding gluten can have its drawbacks, and then say it is wiser to eat wholegrain gluten.
I notice that the questionnaire covered 131 points and was delivered every four years. I imagine the whole study is riddled with confounds. Why? Because most of us don’t remember what we have eaten two days ago, let alone three or four years ago. My diet changes. I could not report with any real validity on what my diet was like, say three years ago, compared with two years ago. Did I eat the same amount of gluten?
John, you have really unsettled me. I want to do what is right for my health. How on earth would eating just a little gluten benefit me? We would need to know how much, how often. This seems like pushing your own agenda (though I know it is well meant).
For myself, I am off gluten. Have been for seven months. I have lost all my excess weight. My skin looks 30 years younger. I could start to ‘peddle a non-gluten diet’. However the reality is more complex. I get more exercise, I eat about 80% vegetables. I watch my stress levels. Which one of these factors is responsible for my improvement? Oh yes, and my antibody count is down by 20% in seven months.
I think the jury is out. Also there are interest groups, as you know well, so real research is hard to come by, and just as hard to interpret and trust.
I absolutely agree with you about Dr John pushing the gluten thing too far. I have SLE (the mother of all autoimmune disease, affecting every body system, I can antibodies to just about any kind of cell in my body 🙂 I have been GF for nearly 30 years. There is nothing he could say that could convince me to eat gluten again except to say “you have 6 months to live, here is a beautiful croissant, here is a slice of my home mede rye bread” 🙂
Food for thought: The Macrobiotic Diet had a specifically tailored diet for Graves Disease
that my former husband followed, (thanks to my loving cooking of this diet for him)
and to my surprise ~ it worked!! His swollen neck went down 100%, his eyes had no signs of the previous bulging, his shaking ceased after 2 weeks on the diet, and he began to gain weight in a couple of months. This last part worried family, as he didn’t gain weight right out of the gate, but eventually he regained his health 100%!
When he would deviate from our healthy diet and have coffee, donuts, fried chicken etc. while out, his symptoms would slightly return. Then he would stay on the diet and they would go away 100%.
I mention this to you, because, the diet was quite simple to master: Mostly Vegan, whole grains, mainly organic brown rice and you could also only use non-gluten grains, vegies,( no night shade vegies), sea vegetables, salads and fish 1x per week.
Homemade cookies, pies, compotes, puddings and Kanten which is natural jello but heavenly! etc. in moderation 1-3 x per week. There is more to the diet, and I’m sure you could find it via a web search. There are also lifestyle enhancements that
help you heal ~ but ~ the main part of the diet that is the CORE of it is: not very much salt at all ,or animal food which has a tightening effect on the Graves system, no stimulants like coffee, chocolate, alcohol drugs etc. and preferably 100% Biodynamic ~ Organic which is much better than regular Organic. . . as Graves Disease folks are very, very thin and tight already, so ~ to make balance with the Yin & Yang of their present condition, this slightly Yin balanced diet brings them into harmony!
A gentle Yin approach via this specially tailored Diet relaxes their body and heals the autoimmune disease easily.
If interested, you could contact Warren Kramer, an excellent Macrobiotic Counselor and do a skype with him, (very reasonable). He is very knowledgeable and a dear heart!
He is also Alicia Silverstone’s,( the actress and author) Macrobiotic Counselor.
Her books are great, as are Jan & John Belleme’s, and Aveline Kushi’s, available through
all libraries.
All the best to you, on your merry path of healing!
Love & Happiness,
~ Emily
And so it continues! Tomorrow, next year or whenever other studies will point to other foods and the population who are health conscious will be indoctrinated with more information which may or may not be correct, it’s been this way for years with fat, cholesterol, fruit veg sugar etc and on the strength of this people make money big money.It’s a subtle way of controlling the populous. The most important aspect of our health is to recognise that at any time we have the ability to change our thought! You decide if gluten is good or bad for you, do it on the strength of how your body responds. When ingesting the correct information your body will respond almost immediately. This in itself is empowering creating more energy and putting you in control of your own health. Trying to follow all the perceived benefits and problems associated with eating different things retains you in the whirlpool of confusion which others require in order to subtlety control with these “fictiious” studies and perceived results. Everyone is unique, there is no all one fits all how can there be?
The biggest revelation of our time is to recognise our health lies with each individual. Learning to empower ourself and reverse the subtle effects of giving your power, your health over to the hands of perceived health experts who have been groomed and indoctrinated in one or another’s ethos. Changing our thought can be something as simple as going from the perception something is wrong with you and needing fixed to ” I am perfect, whole and my body is responding exactly as it should” Try it and feel the difference for a day or 3, feel how your body responds, it may surprise! As for gluten who knows?
The solution is simple- eat what you can digest. If gluten makes you sick- don’t eat it.
I myself was gluten free for 2 years during which I developed a number of very unpleasant health problems not necessarily linked to the lack of gluten of course, but still, my gluten free lifestyle didn’t prevent me from these health problems.
Then I thought maybe gluten free was not enough so I went grain free. I didn’t crave grains at all. I ate a lot of vegetables, fats, meats, potatoes occasionally. After 4 months on this diet I could barely sleep, I had constant brain fog, my SIBO went completely out of control. The transition was so gradual that I didn’t even attribute it to the diet.
A few weeks later I ate bread. I slipped, for the first time in years and for the first time in years my brain fog lifted, I slept great that night. The next day I couldn’t believe the clarity of my mind. So I repeated the experiment the next day thinking that maybe I was lacking in overall carbs in my diet and gluten was still gonna hurt me in the end. But I felt wonderful.
I make my own rye and wheat sourdough now. I don’t have to eat a lot to feel good. But I find that among other things it helps with my digestion. If I eat big salad on its own, it will stay in my belly for hours eventually starting to ferment. If I accompany that salad with a piece of bread, it will digest in a matter of minutes.
I know this account is probably very annoying to the majority. I know, your troubles with gluten are real and your gluten-free journey works for you. But it didn’t work for me. We are all different.
I can’t eat tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, buckwheat, quinoa, nuts, spices, spinach, beet greens, carrot and beet juices, garlic, the list goes on. These things immediately hurt me. We are talking minutes. I am sensitive to nightshades and oxalates. Nuts, tomato paste, carrot/beet juice and other high oxalate foods would give me rheumatic like pain in my hands and feet. They also mess up my urinary tract and gut. They are known to damage Mitochondria in sensitive people.
I am not telling anyone to stop eating these things just because they damage my body. Once again, we are all different.
Hi Dr. Douillard! Wonderful information, but I was wondering why you put footnotes in the article if you didn’t provide the footnote information? Would be very helpful to have; thank you!
Hi Jeffrey,
The references are there, please just click the word “+References” at the end of the article and the section will expand.
Thanks for reading!
These studies do not account for the differences in how the wheat is harvested. In the states they soak the wheat in Round Up before harvesting
-it’s a disgusting practice and forcing us to eat what is not intended for human consumption. Also carrageenan is dangerous and makes people very sick, it’s a red algae used as a food additive (even “organic”) but also used by pharmaceutical companies to induce inflammation to test their drugs effectiveness -these drug and chemical companies are in cahoots with our food supply! It’s sickening! The university studies too are often subsidized by either government supporting these industries or the companies themselves- It’s horrible.