The Unintended Consequences of a Gluten-Free Diet

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ahsan H ; Argos M ; Bulka CM ; Davis MA ; Karagas MR
• Description:
  Gluten-free diets have become immensely popular in the United States. Despite <1% of Americans having diagnosed celiac disease, an estimated 25% of American consumers reported consuming gluten-free food in 2015, a 67% increase from 2013. Gluten is a protein found in a variety of grains including wheat, rye, and barley and their flours. Commercial gluten-free products primarily contain rice flour as a substitute. Emerging evidence suggests rice-based products can contain high levels of toxic metals; rice is a recognized source of arsenic and methylmercury exposure. Despite such a dramatic shift in the diet of many Americans, little is known about how gluten-free diets might affect exposure to toxic metals found in certain foods. ... To our knowledge, this is the first analysis to suggest that Americans on gluten-free diets may be exposed to higher levels of arsenic and mercury. With the increasing popularity of gluten-free diets, these findings may have important health implications because the health effects of low-level arsenic and mercury exposure from food sources are uncertain but may increase the risk for cancer and other chronic diseases. Although we can only speculate, rice may be contributing to the observed higher concentrations of metal biomarkers among those on a gluten-free diet as the primary substitute grain in gluten-free products. While our study is cross-sectional and relies on self-reported data regarding gluten-free diets, it does suggest that future studies are needed to more fully examine exposure to toxic metals from consuming gluten-free foods. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Arsenic Diet Epidemiology Hazardous Substances Inorganic Chemicals Mercury Metals Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Dietary Effects Food Health Effects Toxins
• ISSN:
  1044-3983
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; Michigan ; New Hampshire ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  28
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20063529
• Citation:
  Epidemiology 2017 May; 28(3):e24-e25
• Contact Point Address:
  Maria Argos, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
• Email:
  argos@uic.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Arsenic (CAS RN 7440-38-2) ; Mercury (CAS RN 7439-97-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  University of Illinois at Chicago
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Epidemiology
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b41f06200fcd66a55b42e9ce3714f9ab1c76becc52965a370db601fb36a44f94119801654638395e349fa609a51ea45ce56a1a8023a921b4701f19cae9de63f2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222119/cdc_222119_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 95.54 KB ]