Gluten

Wheat protein

What does Gluten do in your body?

Proteins in wheat, barley and rye that give dough stretch. Harmful for people with celiac disease; not shown harmful for others.

What does Gluten do?

A protein source like any other for most people.

Can you get too much Gluten?

In celiac disease, gluten triggers immune damage to the small intestine villi. Testing should happen before going gluten-free, or results can be falsely normal.

What is known and unknown about Gluten?

Celiac disease affects about 1% of people. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is real for some but poorly understood.

Evidence & sources

• People should not start a gluten-free diet before being tested for celiac disease, because it can make test results inaccurate. Evidence: strong. Known: Clinical guidance. Unknown: — Source: NIH NIDDK, Diagnosis of Celiac Disease (Current revision).

Connected topics

• Villi
• Small Intestine
• Bread
• Immune Response
• Absorption

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General education only, not medical advice. Drafted Oct 2026 · pending qualified expert review.