--- title: Should You Adopt a Gluten-Free Diet? | TIME description: More people are avoiding foods that contain gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye. But is gluten really bad for most of us? Our Healthy Skeptic has the facts. canonical: https://time.com/video/xZZyXLYN/ og:title: Should You Adopt a Gluten-Free Diet? og:description: More people are avoiding foods that contain gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye. But is gluten really bad for most of us? Our Healthy Skeptic has the facts. og:url: https://time.com/video/xZZyXLYN/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xZZyXLYN/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Should You Adopt a Gluten-Free Diet? twitter:description: More people are avoiding foods that contain gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye. But is gluten really bad for most of us? Our Healthy Skeptic has the facts. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xZZyXLYN/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Should You Adopt a Gluten-Free Diet? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Should You Adopt a Gluten-Free Diet? [Watch (HLS stream): Should You Adopt a Gluten-Free Diet?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xZZyXLYN.m3u8) (2:27)  _Published 2015-05-15. More people are avoiding foods that contain gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye. But is gluten really bad for most of us? Our Healthy Skeptic has the facts._ --- Jul 27, 2023 6:16 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [The Vatican Says Gluten-Free Wafers Can't Be Used for Communion](/video/LN1BsarT/) ### The Vatican Says Gluten-Free Wafers Can't Be Used for Communion [Cheerios Labeled As Gluten-Free May Contain Wheat](/video/19QyyXra/) ### Cheerios Labeled As Gluten-Free May Contain Wheat [Healthy Skeptic: Do Hand Sanitizers Work?](/video/g4TKajCn/) ### Healthy Skeptic: Do Hand Sanitizers Work? --- ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Know more. Live better. [ MUSIC ] My cousin told me about how she had gone gluten free and it really helped her. So, I decided I would try it, and it really made a difference in my life. If you, pay attention to food labels, you probably noticed the words gluten free showing up more and more. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, and a growing number of people say they're trying to avoid it. But for many of them, that may be unnecessary. [ MUSIC ] Gluten is in all kinds of foods, everything from beer and baloney to pasta and waffles. Going gluten- free is clearly beneficial for those who have a condition known as Celiac Disease. Disease. For them, gluten damages the lining of the small intestine, impairing the body's ability to absorb nutrients. The condition is diagnosed with a blood test and biopsy. It's estimated to affect a bit less than 1 % of the US population. But what about the remaining 99 % of us? Well some who don't have celiac disease, say they have trouble digesting gluten. While there's no standard medical test for this problem, going off gluten may make sense if it helps them feel better. As for claims that a gluten free diet is effective against arthritis, autism, diabetes or other conditions, there is little evidence. Nor is there proof that shunning gluten can help control your weight or make you healthier overall if you don't have Celiac disease. Still, a gluten- free diet can be beneficial if it forces you to cut back on refined carbs such as pastries, cookies and white bread and on calories over all. But read labels carefully on gluten free breads and other products Some can be higher in calories and lower in fiber and B vitamins than the conventional versions. Because gluten is in so many foods avoiding it takes lots of effort. Unless you absolutely have to stay away from gluten better to devote that time and energy to eating a healthful diet overall which includes lots of fruits and vegetables. And for that No label reading required. Helping you be a healthy skeptic, I'm Robert Davis. [ MUSIC ] ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Should You Adopt a Gluten-Free Diet?","description":"More people are avoiding foods that contain gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye. But is gluten really bad for most of us? Our Healthy Skeptic has the facts.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xZZyXLYN/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-05-15T21:16:59.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xZZyXLYN.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/xZZyXLYN/","duration":"PT2M27S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/xZZyXLYN/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```