Wheat gluten

Studies in people

• Open question

  IBS symptom triggers²

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

• Benefit

  Celiac symptom comparison³

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

• Benefit

  Oral treatment for food allergy⁵

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

• Open question

  Appetite and fullness⁶

  Adding wheat gluten to rye porridge did not make people feel fuller or less hungry.

• Open question

  Amino acids in blood⁷

  In young men fed wheat gluten, blood levels of several amino acids fell as protein intake dropped.

• Open question

  Heart and kidney health⁸

  In people, eating wheat gluten as extra protein lowered blood fats and uric acid, but raised urea.

• Open question

  Diabetes risk from food⁹

  Wheat gluten may not play a big role in human diabetes, though some newly diagnosed patients showed a slight immune response.

• No harm found

  Mental health symptoms¹⁰

  In eight young long-term schizophrenia patients, eating wheat gluten did not worsen symptoms or cause inflammation.

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Appetite and weight control¹⁴

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

• Benefit

  Gut damage in celiac disease¹⁶

  In mice and lab studies, resveratrol eased gut inflammation and stress caused by wheat gluten.

Study type not stated

• Concern

  Meat-free texture¹²

  Wheat gluten helps plant-based meat alternatives form a fibrous texture, though it can cause allergic reactions.

• Open question

  Processing effects on reactions¹³

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

Allergies and intolerances

These are about people with an allergy, an intolerance or coeliac disease. The signal is about the ingredient itself, and these are about the person eating it, so the signal does not count them.

• Celiac disease risk⁴

  In people, celiac disease is the only condition wheat gluten definitely causes, affecting about 1% of Westerners.

• Celiac immune response¹¹

  In people with celiac disease, wheat gluten peptides trigger gut T cells, and some newly found ones may do so too.

How it’s made and used

• Meatball texture and juiciness¹⁵

  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 one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. 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.