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Too many ‘health-conscious’ shoppers are becoming ‘addicted’ to gluten-free products
About 1% of the worlds population suffers from celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder caused by an abnormal immune system reaction to gluten. Yet, a quarter of Americans regularly consume gluten-free products, despite their lower nutritional quality, worse taste, and higher price.
Thats according to a research paper published in September 2024 in the academic journal Food Quality and Preference. The study aims to understand how being health-conscious impacts what its authors call gluten-free addiction. If bread gives you gas and bloating, you could try these three low-gluten alternatives. Or, you know, dont eat bread. Oatcakes are delicious and not at all addictive. But who knew that we could become psychologically addicted to products we think are good for us, which aren’t good for us at all?
Eating gluten-free products has become a health phenomenon
Posing the question, Are gluten-free products healthy for non-celiac consumers? a group of Italian researchers recently published a fascinating report on the buying habits of American (and Italian) consumers.
People are buying and eating more gluten-free products (GFPs) than ever before. 19% of Americans did in 2019. 21% did in 2023. Now, there are estimates that as many as 1 in 4 Americans regularly consume gluten-free products.
This is much higher than the percentage of celiac Americans, which stands at closer to 1%, or 1 in 100. In other words, 25 times more people eat gluten-free products than is medically necessary.
This means that most consumers of GFPs have no health-related reasons to consume them, say the researchers. Eating gluten-free products has become a social and health phenomenon, they add, no longer linked only to clinical needs.
This is despite gluten-free products being generally worse
The authors highlight research showing that removing gluten from the diet does not improve the health of non-celiac individuals.
Instead, it puts them at risk of nutrient deficiencies.
Compared to conventional products, they write, gluten-free versions are nutritionally inferior: they contain fewer minerals, vitamins, proteins, and fibers, as well as more calories, fat, and sodium (salt).
Others have reportedly shown that the overall taste of gluten-free products is worse than their gluten counterparts, even if the gap has narrowed in recent years. Some would argue that taste is a qualitative variable rather than a quantitative one. Others might say it’s indisputable that some things taste better than others.
The question the researchers found themselves asking was: Why do non-celiac consumers purchase and consume gluten-free products despite their lower nutritional quality, worse taste, and higher price?
They call it a new form of addiction
The researchers draw attention to new health trends that reverse our understanding of food addiction. Foods that are high in calories, fat, and sugar contain addictive substances leading to chronic overconsumption, usually called food addiction, they write.
However, new trends are leading consumers towards products that are understood to be healthy, such as prepared vegan foods or gluten-free products. The behavior becomes a habit, they continue, when these products are purchased regularly, in a natural and obvious way.
More and more, people with the necessary purchasing power are gravitating toward functional foods and nutraceuticals. One of the main drivers behind the increasing demand for GFPs is, according to the researchers, the widespread belief that their consumption is beneficial for the health of non-celiac people.
This is despite such notions having been refuted, i.e., proven false. People who buy and eat gluten-free products without a clinical reason for doing so develop an addiction, argue the researchers, which is connected to a misinformed understanding of what effects such products have on their bodies.
They argue that policymakers should work together to educate people about the disadvantages of a gluten-free diet for those who don’t need to cut out gluten for medical reasons.
