Individuals with celiac disease are advised to veer away from foods with gluten because it causes gut problems for them. However, some individuals shift to gluten-free diet just because it is a popular choice or they think it is a healthier option.
Due to the growing popularity of gluten-free products, sales are expected to balloon to as much as $24 billion by 2020.
The sense of being "healthy" is driving the industry, which concerns experts who believe that gluten-free diet when given to healthy kids may cause more harm than good.
Dr. Norelle Reilly, assistant professor of Pediatrics and director of Columbia University Medical Center's Pediatric Celiac Disease, wrote a commentary in the Journal of Pediatrics detailing the facts that must be considered before gluten is removed from a kid's diet.
The Caveats Of Gluten-Free Diet
Celiac disease affects 1 percent of the adult population, which warrants the shift to a gluten-free diet. In kids, gluten has not been established to cause any intestinal problem. In fact, shifting to a gluten-free diet may even deprive kids of good nutrition.
Reilly explained that gluten-free processed foods are fortified unevenly that they may be lacking in nutrients that children need, such as vitamin B complex, vitamin D, fiber, folate, calcium, magnesium and iron.
Kids may become vitamin deficient, and the lack of fiber in their diet could even cause gastrointestinal problems. Giving them gluten-free cookie may not be a good choice over naturally gluten-free vegetables.
For kids to stay healthy, it is still best to follow a balanced diet with vegetables, fresh fruit, lean protein and carbohydrates.
Reilly is also concerned that a gluten-free diet may mask symptoms of more serious diseases. Relying on information that they get from the Internet alone, without consulting their health care provider may be problematic in the future.
"They were trying to treat some sort of condition or symptom, such as an abdominal pain, diarrhea, headaches, or problems with attention," Reilly said. "Kids will often improve no matter what you do. So it's often hard to tell if they're improved because of a dietary change."
Gluten-free diet does not only affect health because it may also become socially limiting for kids and expensive for parents.
Kids on gluten-free diets feel different from their peers, as if they have some disease that sets them apart from the rest of their group. Some also fear that the diet may have an effect on their future choices.
Shifting to a gluten-free diet is also an expensive choice that long-term sustenance may be financially constraining to some families.
Reilly advised to exhaust all considerations before going gluten-free. Decisions should be guided by a health care provider to make sure the diet is appropriate.
The bottom line: don't fix something that isn't broken.
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