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Gluten DOESN’T cause bloating but FODMAPs foods do, doctors claim

  • Expert says it is not gluten but FODMAPs that cause bloating and cramps
  • FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates found in a range of products
  • Also found in milk, apples, pears, pasta, lentils and beans
  • They are rapidly fermented by bacteria in bowel as they are not absorbed
  • Causes fluid to be drawn in and gas to be produced, causing symptoms
  • ‘Only people who should give up gluten is those with coeliac disease’

By
Emma Innes


Published:

10:17 EST, 19 May 2014

|
Updated:

10:53 EST, 19 May 2014

22

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comments

It has become the latest area of nutrition to be maligned.

Gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley
and rye, has been linked with bloating, nausea, stomach cramps and fatigue and abandoned by A-listers such as Gwyneth Paltrow.

But new research suggests it may have been unfairly condemned – with ‘healthy’ foods such as fruit, pulses and even common sweeteners to blame for bloating.

Unfairly maligned: Foods containing gluten might not be responsible for symptoms such as bloating and stomach cramps

Professor Peter Gibson, from Monash University and the Alfred Hospital, in Melbourne, was one of the first who suggested that gluten sensitivity could be behind bloating, 

But now he believes these symptoms are actually caused by short-chain carbohydrates called FODMAPs – also found in many products that contain gluten, Business Insider reports.

These carbohydrates are fermented in the bowel which means fluid is drawn in and gas is produced.

This results in symptoms such as flatulence, bloating and an upset stomach.

Professor
Gibson told the publication: ‘The issue is that wheat has not only
gluten, but also FODMAPs, and we have found that FODMAPs are a very
important source that stimulates gut symptoms in people with irritable
bowel syndrome.

‘Where gluten was being blamed, the FODMAPs were probably the more important cause.’

Dr Peter Irving, a gastroenterologist at
Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital and The London Clinic, supports this
theory and says a ‘Low FODMAP’ diet can be very beneficial for people
with IBS.

Experts say FODMAPs, not gluten, could be responsible for symptoms such as bloating and stomach cramps. Image shows which foods are rich in FODMAPs and should be avoided by people with irritable bowel syndrome

He says it restricts foods containing poorly absorbed sugars.

‘It works on the principle that not all sugars can be absorbed within the small intestine,’ he said.

‘As a result, they are rapidly fermented by bacteria in the bowel which draws in fluid and produces gas.

‘This can cause symptoms including bloating, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.’

Foods
containing FODMAPs include honey, apples, pears, stone fruit such as
peaches, onions, garlic, cabbage, beans and sweeteners such as sorbitol.

Foods
high in FODMAPs also include milk, ice cream, yoghurt, broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, pasta, biscuits, watermelon, lentils, baked beans and
chickpeas.

Research at King’s College Hospital found that 75 per cent of those on the diet saw their symptoms improve.

Experts say some foods high in FODMAPs are not absorbed easily meaning they ferment in the bowel causing water to be drawn in and gas to be produced. They say it is this that causes symptoms. Image shows some foods that are low in FODMAPs

Professor Gibson studied the effect of FODMAPs by looking at 37 people who believed they were sensitive to gluten.

These people were given all of their meals by the researchers and took stool samples while swapping between high-gluten, low-gluten and gluten-free diets.

The volunteers did not know which diet they were on at any one time but the researchers found they experienced the same symptoms regardless.

As a result, Professor Gibson concluded that gluten was not causing their symptoms and hypothesised that they would be more likely to see benefits from giving up FODMAPs.

He says the only people who should give up gluten are those who have been diagnosed with coeliac disease.

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Comments (22)

what you think

The comments below have not been moderated.

Ashley,

USA,

17 minutes ago

Everyone’s body is different. I don’t eat any breads or pastas. If I do I do get bloated, really bloated and have a heavy feeling in my stomach like I am carrying around a bag of potatoes. Have no clue what part of the food product causes it, but it just does. I have the same feeling if I eat certain meats. As I have gotten older my body does not tolerate certain foods anymore.

Ellebelle,

Tiny Village, United Kingdom,

27 minutes ago

If I eat even one slice of bread, I get this awful bloated feeling. If I eat fruits or so, nothing. Of course lentils and peas make you slightly bloated too, but not as much as wheat and other grains.

Jones,

Germany,

29 minutes ago

The article and title don’t make sense. The title says that gluten doesn’t cause bloating, and yet the chart that says what you should eat on a low FODMAP diet includes gluten-free bread and cereals. And then the final sentence says that the only people who should give up gluten are those with coeliac disease. Contradictory or what? All I know is that if I take just one bit of a biscuit or slice of bread, my body will swell up so that it will look as though I’ve swallowed a football.

dnarex,

Rochester, United States,

31 minutes ago

Do not use acronyms in an article without identifying what it stands for. Apparently,the article’s author was absent from journalism class the day they covered that.

Completely Average,

Somewhere, United States,

1 hour ago

At what point did the entire human race suddenly become intolerant to the things we’ve eaten for thousands of years?

Olah,

Eilat,

1 hour ago

Where is this parallel universe where sweeteners are classed as “healthy foods”?

bar,

notts,

1 hour ago

I donbt understand. Why do folk take any notice of what other say about foods that are supposed to upset one. Surely you can see for yourself and if something keeps on disagreeing with you, you just stop eating it. Its not difficult. Although we are omnivours and designed to eat a wide variety of foodstuffs everyone is different. Just ‘listen to your own body and not just the crackpots.

Luna,

USA, United States,

1 hour ago

I always looked bloated and had chronic constipation since I was a teen, doctors put me on so much meds and none of it worked. I saw a new doctor last year and she told me to try cutting out gluten, I did and my bloated tummy went away and I started going to the bathroom regularly.

Urbanfox,

Nottingham, United Kingdom,

1 hour ago

Think I’ll carry on with the FODMAPS – who cares about a bit of flatulence?

emma50,

Gurnee, United States,

1 hour ago

And yet gluten-free foods are staple of the low FODMAP diet.

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