Is gluten free always the healthy option?

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Hertfordshire has found that gluten free foods generally do not offer healthier alternatives to regular food and can be considerably more expensive.

The research, published in the February 2018 issue of Journal of Human Nutrition of Dietetics, compared more than 1,700 food products and found that with exception of crackers, gluten free foods contained more salt, sugar and fat than their gluten containing equivalents and had lower protein and fibre content.

Evidence suggests that consumers consider a gluten free diet to contribute towards a healthy lifestyle and this has led to an increase in sales in gluten free foods in the UK and worldwide. Despite this, increased interest in the GF diet there have been limited studies in nutritional composition of gluten free foods compared with their gluten equivalents. 

Key findings:

• Gluten Free groups had a higher percentage of high fat products, with the exception of crackers.
• The average total fat content for Gluten Free brown bread and white bread were more than double those of regular products.
• The cost of Gluten Free products are significantly higher across all food categories.
• GF products were found to have significantly lower protein content than regular equivalents across nine of 10 food categories.
• The study also found that gluten free foods were 159% more expensive than their regular food equivalents which is particularly relevant given the Department of Health consultation on restricting the availability of GF foods on prescription.  A GF diet is the only treatment option for individuals with coeliac disease, and the researchers warned that the higher cost of GF foods may stop people sticking to treatment thus compromising short and long-term health.

 

 

We found that gluten free foods were significantly more expensive than regular items, which is very concerning given the movement towards stopping gluten free prescriptions for people with Coeliac disease. It’s also clear from our research that gluten free foods don’t offer any nutritional advantages over regular foods so are not a healthier alternative for people who do not require a gluten free diet

Dr Rosalind Fallaize, Research Fellow in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Hertfordshire