Will Going Gluten Free Turn You Into an Olympic Athlete?

By Kristen Tice,  MS, RD, CSSD, LD
December 6, 2013

Everywhere you look restaurants and grocery stores are offering more and more gluten free foods. Many celebrities and professional athletes are even promoting a gluten-free lifestyle. Elizabeth Hasselback has created a gluten free empire with her G-Free line and promotes eating gluten-free as solving all your life’s problems. Saints quarterback Drew Brees, tennis player Novak Djokovic, the Garmin cycling team and Olympians Ryan Hall and Amy Yoder all publicly follow a gluten free diet. You are probably asking yourself is there any truth to their claims or is just another fad?

First, let’s take a look at what in the world gluten is, what it does and where it can be found. Gluten is a protein found in grains, such as wheat, barely and rye. The protein is responsible for giving bread, pastas and other baked items it’s shape and texture. It helps to hold the food together without it crumbling apart. This is why when you are baking bread at home, the recipe will generally call for bread flour, a.k.a. high gluten flour. However, some individuals have intolerance on some level to this substance.

 
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where gluten will ruin the lining of one’s stomach that consumes gluten; therefore a gluten-free diet must be consumed. An inability to digest gluten is often found in those who have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and can lead to gas, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. The majority of people fall in the first category of just feeling better without gluten. Many people who do not have a diagnosable condition find that avoiding gluten improves their energy levels, makes them feel lighter and helps improve their sports performance.

A quick Google search of the gluten-free diet and athletes results in countless blog posts and unscientific articles supporting this method. Some claim that eating a gluten-free diet will help you lose weight, lose body fat and reduce inflammation from exercise, resulting in better muscle recovery and boundless energy. Sounds great right? The caveat to this is that some of these claims have no scientific evidence to back them up. So what does the research say?

First, following a gluten-free diet will not make you lose weight or body fat if you are substituting gluten-free products for their gluten-filled counterparts. These foods contain the same amount of calories and carbs but don’t taste as good, are more expensive and contain less vitamins and minerals. Following a gluten-free diet of mostly fresh fruits, vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats and some gluten-free grains (brown rice and sweet potatoes) will likely help you to lose weight. The reason why? Because you’re eating better, less calories, less carbohydrates and less junk food!

Following a gluten-free diet can make you feel lighter, have more energy and lead to peace with your stomach if your digestive tract is having trouble digesting the protein. In that case, following a gluten free diet is worth the price and hassle associated with it. Lastly, following a gluten-free diet may or may not improve your sports performance. Again, for those who have trouble digesting gluten, this type of diet can help prevent you from running to the bathroom on your next run. Following a gluten-free diet for decreased inflammation and better recovery from your workouts is debatable. There is no scientific evidence supporting this claim, despite athletes of varying levels making the claim.

The bottom line? Following a gluten-free diet will not make you a superstar athlete but if it makes you feel better then why not? If you are experiencing a number of gastrointestinal problems associated with eating gluten, it best to get tested for Celiac disease before cutting it out. However, if you just want to test the waters then consider removing all gluten from your diet for at least two weeks. If there is not a noticeable difference, it probably isn’t worth the money.

For more tips and help with your own personal nutrition plan, visit www.EliteNutritionandPerformance.com   

Kristen Tice, MS, RD, CSSD, LD
Registered Sports Dietitian, Certified Personal Trainer
[email protected]
803-200-2506
www.EliteNutritionandPerformance.com

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