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ScienceDaily_2014 04943.txt

#When it comes to gluten-free diets, unfounded beliefs aboundwhile necessary for some many people eat gluten-free diets because they believe they'll gain certain health benefits but these beliefs are supported not all by research a University of Florida nutrition expert says. Those with celiac disease or about 1 percent of the U s. population must follow a gluten-free diet because it's the only treatment for their condition said Karla Shelnutt a UF assistant professor in family youth and community sciences. But gluten-free diets can lack essential nutrients if a person does not eat a balanced diet and/or take a multivitamin supplement. Unlike their conventional counterparts refined gluten-free foods for the most part are enriched not or fortified with essential vitamins and minerals. If I'm a college student and I want to lose weight and I read on the Internet that a gluten-free diet is the way to go I may start avoiding products that contain essential nutrients such as those found in cereal grains fortified with folic acid Shelnutt said. The problem is you have a lot of healthy women who choose a gluten-free diet because they believe it is healthier for them and can help them lose weight and give them healthier skin. The $10. 5-billion gluten-free food and beverage industry has grown 44 percent from 2011-13 as the rate of celiac disease diagnoses increases along with awareness of gluten-free foods according to Mintel a market research company. Mintel estimates sales will top $15 billion in 2016. One of Shelnutt's doctoral students Caroline Dunn wanted to know if gluten-free labeling has any impact on how consumers perceive the foods'taste and nutrition. In a one-day experiment on the UF campus in Gainesville in February 97 people ate cookies and chips all gluten-free. Half were labeled gluten-free; the other half labeled conventional. Participants then rated each food on a nine-point scale for how much they liked the flavor and texture. They also filled out a questionnaire said Shelnutt a faculty member with UF's Institute of food and agricultural sciences. About a third of participants said they believed gluten-free foods to be healthier than those labeled conventional a figure she thought would be much lower. While avoiding gluten-containing foods can reduce carbohydrate intake thus helping some lose weight many health experts say a gluten-free diet is no healthier than a conventional diet except for those with celiac disease. Although such a small sample cannot be generalized to the public Shelnutt said the experiment gives researchers insight into how the public views gluten-free foods. For example 57 percent of participants believed gluten-free diets can be used to alleviate medical conditions and 32 percent said doctors prescribe them for weight loss. Thirty-one percent believed gluten-free diets improve overall health 35 percent believed them to improve digestive health and 32 percent felt that eating them would improve their diet. Gluten a protein is found in grains such as wheat barley rye and triticale a cross between wheat and rye. A gluten-free diet is prescribed for those with celiac disease a condition that can damage the lining of the small intestine. The experiment's results are published in the current edition of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of Florida Institute of food and agricultural sciences. The original article was written by Brad Buck. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h

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