Wheat gluten

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Celiac symptom comparison²

  In people with celiac disease, wheat gluten treated with an enzyme caused fewer gut symptoms than untreated gluten.

• Benefit

  Oral treatment for food allergy³

  In people with wheat allergy, wheat gluten taken by mouth helped about half handle more wheat after a year.

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Appetite control⁹

  In lab studies, digested wheat gluten blocked leptin from attaching to its receptor.

Study type not stated

• Open question

  IBS symptom triggers⁴

  Scientists do not yet know whether wheat gluten or other parts of wheat cause IBS symptoms.

• Concern

  Meat-free texture⁵

  Wheat gluten helps meat-free foods get a fibrous, meat-like texture, though it can cause allergy problems.

• Open question

  Processing effects on reactions⁶

  How wheat gluten is processed may change how it is digested and how the body reacts to it.

• Concern

  Celiac disease risk⁷

  Wheat gluten is definitively the culprit in only one condition, celiac disease, which affects about 1% of people in the Western world.

How it’s made and used

• Meatball texture and juiciness⁸

  Wheat gluten added to pork meatballs helped them hold water and stay firm after boiling.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.