Wheat sensitivity, gluten-free diets and long-term eating habits in the UK
What it found
Sales of gluten-free products in the UK rose sharply, but people who avoid wheat without having coeliac disease struggled to stick to the diet long term.
Their adherence was much lower than that of people with diagnosed coeliac disease.
What they found
Studies in people
Sticking to the diet
People with self-reported wheat sensitivity found it harder to keep to a gluten-free diet than those with coeliac disease. About three quarters scored very low on a diet check, compared with only 8.1% of coeliac patients. Only 24.3% scored high, versus 90.1% of coeliac patients.
Seeking more medical help
After leaving the clinic, 36% of patients (40 people) went back for further medical advice. How strictly they followed the diet did not seem to affect whether they needed extra help.
Other findings
Gluten-free product sales
UK sales of gluten-free products grew from £214 m in 2014 to £607 m in 2024. People managing self-reported wheat or gluten sensitivity made up 9.7% of buyers.
What the authors conclude
- They note that even though fewer people are being referred to specialist clinics, up to 9.7% of shoppers are buying gluten-free food to manage self-reported wheat sensitivity.
- The authors say that keeping to a gluten-free diet over the long term is poor in this group.
How it was done
People who feel unwell after eating wheat or gluten, but do not have coeliac disease or a wheat allergy, often manage this by cutting it out. The authors wanted to see how well people kept up this diet over time and whether sales of these foods were changing.
They looked at UK sales figures for gluten-free products up to September 2024 and shopper data up to July 2021. They also sent a questionnaire to 186 patients diagnosed between 2006 and 2018 at one clinic, and 111 replied. They compared how closely these patients followed the diet against a matched group of people with coeliac disease.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This work tracked people over time and looked at their habits, so it can show links but cannot prove what caused them.
- It relied on people remembering and reporting their own eating habits, which may not always be exact.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Ferrara, Italy; University of Sheffield Medical School, UK
The paper
- Title
- Trends in non-coeliac gluten/wheat sensitivity: a self-managed problem?
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Manza F, Raju SA, Harrop RM, et al (2025). Trends in non-coeliac gluten/wheat sensitivity: a self-managed problem?. Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology. doi:10.1080/00365521.2025.2554346PubMed 40904060DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error