Evidence of High Sugar Intake and Low Fibre and Mineral Intake in The Gluten-Free Diet

Gerry Robins (1) , Dianne Wild (2) , Victoria Burley (3) , Peter Howdle (2)

1 Gastroenterology
2 Academic Unit of Medicine
3 Nutritional Epidemiology Group

Background: The only therapy for coeliac disease (CD) is a long-term gluten-free diet (GFD). Little is known about the detailed composition of such a diet. Aim: To clarify the nutritional composition of a GFD and to compare it to a non-GFD diet in representative non-CD populations. Methods: 139 consecutive patients with CD were invited to fill in a prospective validated 5-day food diary, of which data from 93 were analysed. Results were compared with data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of Adults and the UK Women's Cohort Study. Results: Individuals consuming a strict GFD generally had similar intakes of energy and nutrients to the comparison populations, but a higher proportion of carbohydrate intake was obtained from non-milk extrinsic sugars and intakes of non-starch polysaccharides were low. Compared to the UKWCS sample, females adhering to a GFD had lower intakes of magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, selenium and folate. In males, intakes of magnesium and selenium were particularly low. Conclusion: This study reinforces the need for clinicians to recognise that avoidance of gluten cannot be the sole focus of a GFD. Maintenance of adequate intakes of essential nutrients and in particular complex carbohydrates must also be the goal for patients.

Mots clés: Medicine

Gerry Robins, Dianne Wild, Victoria Burley, Peter Howdle. Evidence of High Sugar Intake and Low Fibre and Mineral Intake in The Gluten-Free Diet. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2010, 32 (4), pp.573. ⟨10.1111/j.1365-2036.2010.04386.x⟩. ⟨hal-00552584⟩