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Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale. It is the glue that helps several foods to keep their shape, including bread, pasta and baked goods, but it can also be found in unexpected foods such as sauces and spreads.

A gluten free diet is most often required in people with coeliac disease; a disease which involves an inappropriate immune response to gluten¹. Failure to implement a completely gluten free diet in this case can lead to significant damage to the bowel, poor nutrient absorption (and consequential malnutrition), osteoporosis, as well as bowel cancer². Even a crumb of a gluten-containing food item can cause unbearable symptoms and damage to the gut. Therefore, for people with coeliac disease, a gluten free diet is a medical nutrition intervention, and a potentially lifesaving one.

Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is used to describe those individuals who cannot tolerate gluten, but for whom the coeliac disease test returned a negative result². NCGS is not accompanied by the intestinal damage seen in coeliac disease, which can lead to bowel cancer and other complications. A completely gluten free diet is not often indicated in people with gluten sensitivity; just a decrease in overall intake to find a point where symptoms are not impacting quality of life. In fact, new research suggests that a FODMAP intolerance may be the culprit, rather than gluten³.

So back to the original question; is a gluten free diet healthier than a gluten containing one and simply put, the answer is no. Gluten free processed breads and cereals have gluten removed, which is a protein². Therefore, they are often lower in protein and have more fillers etc. to replicate the texture of breads and cereals. Simply put, the gluten free diet is indeed healthier for people with coeliac disease because it will prevent intestinal damage from occurring, but for the general population, there is no reason to eliminate gluten.

References

1. Coeliac Disease - Coeliac Australia [Internet]. Coeliac.org.au. 2020 [cited 17 October 2020]. Available from: https://www.coeliac.org.au/coeliac-disease/
2.  Al-Toma A, Volta U, Auricchio R, Castillejo G, Sanders D, Cellier C et al. European Society for the Study of Coeliac Disease (ESsCD) guideline for coeliac disease and other gluten-related disorders. United European Gastroenterology Journal. 2019;7(5):583-613.
3. Dieterich W, Zopf Y. Gluten and FODMAPS—Sense of a Restriction/When Is Restriction Necessary?. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1957.