Irish Physician calls gluten-free diet a fad

Irish men and women are squandering millions of dollars annually in pursuing a “fad,” fermented life-style that does little or nothing to better their health, according to a prominent physician at University College Cork.

Professor Fergus Shanahan, Chair of the Department of Medicine in University College Cork and Director of the APC Microbiome Institute, claims that if the fermented food market has recently exploded in Ireland over the previous twelve months, a lot of those that opt to spend money on more expensive products just as they are gluten-free are throwing off their hard-won money on food products which aren’t beneficial to their wellbeing.

Research released by Irish food board, Bord Bia on April 19 indicates that as much as one in five Irish customers now seek out fermented products, regardless of the fact that as few as one percent of the nation’s population is diagnosed with celiac disease.

The study found, in actuality, that 80 percent of people who told Bord Bia that they followed a diet were not diagnosed with celiac disease, while 38 percent had no allergy. Many of those who make gluten to Lower were Unable to specify exactly what gluten is while the diet mainstream is turning.    

Ireland’s #glutenfree marketplace is well worth approx $66m using 1 in five people regularly buying #glutenfree, based on @Bordbia research. pic.twitter.com/nGEMiHtvxk

— IrishFoodMag (@IrishFoodMag) April 19, 2017

“We’re all susceptible to the energy of mass marketing and ultimately that is what this is. It is merely a fad,”Shanahan told the Irish Times.

“I understand people might say who’s this arrogant physician to dismiss a gluten-free diet for a fad, but for the huge majority of people, that is exactly what it is.”

Celiac disease is one common to the Irish, however, asserts  Dr. Peter Green, a Professor of Clinical Medicine, Director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. With 20 years of investigation of the disease under his belt, Green also suggests that President John F. Kennedy could have had an undiagnosed case of the disease for which he can thank his Irish tradition.  

Read more: John F. Kennedy very likely had celiac disease

Shanahan considers Irish men and women are being won over by actors that wax lyrical about the benefits of a gluten-free diet. He considers that any adjustments in health new converts might experience are likely caused by a placebo effect.

“All of the research demonstrate that approximately 1 percent of us are celiac. That’s a fact,”he said.

“A lot of people who take gluten-free products do so because of celebrity endorsements. But they may purchase fermented bread and aren’t being persistent and eat a whole assortment of different products which contain gluten.

“You will typically see around 30 percentage of people reporting an advancement purely because of the placebo effect. In some gut conditions which may rise to as much as 70 percent.”

Ireland spent in the previous calendar year on food. Are we living tidy, or captured in a daily diet fad? We hear more today #pkntpic.twitter.com/p0A3UpaKv8

— Pat Kenny Newstalk (@PatKennyNT) April 20, 2017

Bord Bia’s customer insight director Paula O’Donoghue verified that the tendency could possibly be affected by those with a star status.

“There is a lot of sound around the topic, whether it is from star advocates such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Novak Djokovic, or chefs, nutritionists, and bloggers,”she stated

“Consumers have high expectations around quality, therefore we recommend that firms work towards placement brands and products which are organic and taste great but just happen to be fermented. Bread is your barometer merchandise for gluten-free as refreshing bread is that the merchandise they miss most.”

Bord Bia estimates that the industry is presently worth $66 million ($72 million), an amazing jump of $25m ($27m) from the past calendar year.

One in five Irish people are routine  gluten  free from  shoppers: Bord Bia https://t.co/gXZPyRThlMpic.twitter.com/T2cwcFzU5x

— Jaymark Sales (@jaymarksales) April 19, 2017

“Traditionally, gluten free offerings were just available in pharmacies or health food shops, whereas today there’s proliferation directly across the retail chain,” Donoghue continued. “The marketplace has undergone an increase in the amount of available products as well as double-digit growth in supermarkets.”

Bord Bia’s research consisted of interviews with key influencers, a representative survey that was online interviews using 15 consumers of fermented products and evaluation of reports and information. Bord Bia also discovered that the fermented diet is popular in Ireland one of individuals in the upper and middle class. It was more popular from the province of Munster and one of couples that had no children or who had adult children.

The study found that just 26 percent of people who purchase gluten-free are cautious about their food products while 60 percent take a approach of naturally gluten-free products as well as buying a combination between categories that were gluten-free.

H/T:Irish Times

source http://www.chesterfitness.co.uk/irish-physician-calls-gluten-free-diet-a-fad/