Peer-reviewed, large scale studies on gluten

[cornynut]

I'm having an argument with a FB friend on whether gluten is actually harmful for people.  He says there are no peer-reviewed, large-scale studies on the negative effects of gluten.  I know there are a variety of studies, but can anyone point me to any large-scale, peer-reviewed studies?  I'll also look, but my time is a bit limited.  Thanks!

[TamarE]

Many of The Paleo Mom's blog posts have references listed at the end. Here are a few of her posts about grains:
www.thepaleomom.com/?s=grains

Other sites that may be good resources:

PubMed www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
Robb Wolf robbwolf.com/
Mark’s Daily Apple www.marksdailyapple.com/
Chris Kresser chriskresser.com/

Sorry, I can't remember if you're AIP. Do you have The Paleo Approach? There are pages and pages of references, although I'm not sure if "large scale, peer-reviewed" studies are listed.

But for any study you find, your friend may find a study that states gluten is healthy for people. Some people are fine with gluten.

[laurenrdn]

You could also point to studies that suggest that the majority of people with celiac are undiagnosed since it's often silent and doesn't show up just as gastrointestinal symptoms. The studies also suggest that 7-10% (not sure exactly) of the population may be gluten sensitivity. Just in my practice, I nearly always screen people for celiac since it's pretty common to have whole body symptoms rather than just digestive distress.

[rach]

You could point to a lot of celiac sufferers being undiagnosed, but I'm afraid your FB friend may be right, at least in part. Latest research is pointing to the idea that a lot of people who self-diagnose as having a gluten intolerance due to IBS really have FODMAP issues instead, and gain relief because a lot of high FODMAP foods contain gluten.
I found the relevant study the other day, let me try and hunt it out.
www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(13)00702-6/abstract
It's a small trial, but it is a double-blind crossover study, so very statistically rigourous

[alisongregory]

Gluten doesn't tend to have gastrointestinal issues with me (I think!) but mood issues. I'm going to quote a paragraph: "Gluten is hypothesized to have direct effects on the brain leading to depression and other neurological maladies.28 Although fatigue did not change in the current study with exposure to gluten, it was a prominent effect in the initial study. More focused attention to anxiety and depression rather than fatigue might provide additional clues to why patients who follow a GFD feel better. One mechanism by which this interaction might work is that FODMAPs are pre- dominant triggers of gut symptoms and gluten is the predominant trigger for a loss of wellness. This intriguing potential interaction deserves additional investigation."