India is a country with the highest cases of diabetes in the world. It is an alarming situation, with more than 77 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the country. However, awareness about the condition can help in controlling the disease. A simple diet and lifestyle changes can help to control and even reverse diabetes effects. As you know, there are certain restrictions regarding the diet of diabetic patients.
Gluten-free diet has gained immensely popular over the past few years for weight loss. But that’s the misconception about this diet and it is not recommended to lose weight. A gluten-free diet is mainly focused on healing our intestines and in return, the body can consume all the required nutrients from our diet in a more effective way. Gluten is a protein that is found in grains like wheat, barley, rye, and others.
Clearing out another misconception, gluten does not affect or harm diabetics. So, diabetic people don’t need to follow a gluten-free diet. The human body reacts to gluten differently, particularly in two health conditions – which are gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivity. However, there are many foods that contain gluten and also increases blood sugar levels.
Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease can cause severe gluten intolerance in the body, and both the conditions are autoimmune. According to studies, 19.7 percent of people with type 1 diabetes also suffer from celiac disease. Celiac disease causes inflammation within the intestine, which prevents the body to absorb necessary nutrients from food. It is very uncommon and remains undiagnosed.
Studies have found that a gluten-free diet is helpful for children suffering from type 1 diabetes. It has also found that a woman following a gluten-free diet in her pregnancy can help prevent type 1 diabetes in her baby.
Many studies have suggested that gluten can help to reduce the risk of obesity. And obesity can cause a high-risk factor for type 2 diabetes. However, this is not scientifically proved yet. In fact, many researchers have suggested that following a gluten-free diet can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later.
Many studies suggest that until you are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, or any form of gluten allergy, you must not follow a gluten-free diet. Instead, one should focus on the quality and the quantity of the carbohydrate intake in their meals.