Many people today avoid gluten because they believe it causes problems like bloating, tiredness, or brain fog.
While only about 1% of people have celiac disease—a serious condition where gluten damages the small intestine—up to 13% say they feel unwell after eating gluten, even though they don’t have celiac disease.
This condition is often called non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS).
But what if gluten isn’t the real problem?
New research from the University of Melbourne and KU Leuven found that people who think they have gluten sensitivity do feel more symptoms—but those symptoms don’t seem to be caused by gluten itself.
The research team ran a carefully controlled study. They gave yogurt containing either gluten or a harmless substance (a placebo) to 16 people who believed they were sensitive to gluten and 20 healthy people.
The participants didn’t know which one they were getting.
The results were surprising: people with NCGS reported more symptoms—like bloating and tiredness—but they reported them no matter what was in the yogurt. In other words, they felt bad even when there was no gluten.
This points to what’s called a nocebo effect—when people expect something to make them feel sick, and those expectations actually cause the symptoms. It’s the opposite of a placebo effect, where positive expectations make people feel better.
In fact, over half the people in the study wrongly blamed gluten when they were actually given the placebo.
The researchers also found that people who thought they had gluten sensitivity tended to feel more nervous, stressed, or low in mood in general—even before eating anything.
This doesn’t mean their symptoms aren’t real. But it does show that emotions and expectations might strongly influence how their body reacts to food.
Interestingly, the only slight difference linked directly to gluten was a small effect on tension—it reduced tension less than the placebo. This suggests gluten might have subtle effects on anyone, but not enough to explain all the symptoms people report.
So what’s really happening?
If gluten isn’t the main trigger, what is?
Some possible reasons people feel better on a gluten-free diet include:
- Avoiding FODMAPs—certain carbohydrates in wheat that can cause gut symptoms
- Eating fewer processed foods
- Feeling more in control of their health
- Less anxiety about eating foods they believe are harmful
A better way to help
Rather than jumping straight into a gluten-free diet—which can be expensive and hard to maintain—experts now suggest a more complete approach. This could include:
- Careful testing for different food sensitivities
- Looking at emotional and psychological health
- Trying cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to reduce anxiety and fear about food
- Slowly reintroducing feared foods in a safe and supportive way
This new way of thinking helps us move beyond the idea that “gluten is always bad.” It focuses on the whole person—body, mind, and lifestyle.
Understanding the link between food, our brain, and our gut may be the key to helping people feel better—without cutting out more than they need to.
If you care about health, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and vitamin D supplements strongly reduce cancer death.
For more health information, please see recent studies about plant nutrient that could help reduce high blood pressure, and these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
Source: University of Melbourne.
