The gluten-free diet has been especially popular over the past few years . There are tons of products on the shelves labeled ” gluten-free ” and they are quite expensive.
Many are convinced that avoiding gluten- containing foods helps to lose weight, maintain health and youth, and improves the functioning of the digestive system. Moreover, some people not only follow such a diet themselves, but also teach children to refuse products containing gluten . Is it really that useful and necessary?
Doctors believe that it is not necessary for everyone to exclude gluten-containing foods from the diet. But there is a group of people who need a diet for medical reasons. These are patients suffering from celiac disease .
Disease or Marketing?
Celiac disease ( gluten enteropathy ) is a specific, genetically determined disease. It occurs as a result of damage to the villi of the small intestine by gluten , leading to indigestion. Gluten or gluten is a group of proteins found in almost all cereals except oats. Most of all gluten is found in bread, pasta.
The disease usually manifests itself in childhood, when various cereal dishes (cereals, bread, drying, cookies) are introduced into the baby’s complementary foods. However, it can be hidden for a long time, and it is in this case that the risk of developing autoimmune diseases, cancerous tumors, and anemia increases.
According to statistics, one in 300 people suffers from celiac disease : not so little, given the number of people in megacities. Treatment for celiac disease is based on a life – long gluten-free diet that relieves the condition within two weeks of onset.
Some doctors – neurologists, cardiologists are inclined to believe that healthy people should also give up gluten in order to reduce the risk of developing serious diseases (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s). It is important to understand that if there is no medical indication for a gluten-free diet, you are deliberately depriving yourself of the vital B vitamins, vitamin D, magnesium and iron. Deficiency of these substances leads to the development of severe disorders in the body.