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Story at-a-glance

• Research from The Lancet found that only about 16% to 30% of self-identified gluten-sensitive individuals experience symptoms triggered by gluten alone
• Many people who believe they’re gluten sensitive are actually reacting to fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPs) or gut-brain hypersensitivity, not gluten itself
• Natural FODMAPs from whole foods like fruit and grass fed dairy help feed beneficial gut bacteria such as Akkermansia muciniphila, which strengthens your gut lining and supports immunity
• Eliminating seed oils rich in linoleic acid and eating about 250 grams of healthy carbohydrates daily restores mitochondrial energy, improves digestion, and rebuilds a resilient gut
• Once your gut is healed, gradually reintroducing whole grains helps expand your diet and restore comfort, turning food from a source of fear into a foundation for long-term health

For years, gluten has carried a bad reputation — blamed for everything from bloating to brain fog. The rise of gluten-free products and celebrity-backed diets has made it seem like the culprit behind every digestive issue. But what if the real problem isn't gluten at all?

When you experience discomfort after eating bread or pasta, it's easy to assume gluten is the cause. Yet mounting evidence suggests that the story is far more complex. What feels like a "gluten reaction" often involves other factors — including how your gut processes certain carbohydrates and how your brain interprets digestive signals.

Understanding these interactions gives you more control than simply avoiding another food group. The question isn't just whether gluten is harmful, but what's actually happening in your body when you react to foods that contain it. Recent research offers new insight into why symptoms occur, what's really driving them, and how to find lasting relief without unnecessary restriction.

Gluten Is Rarely the True Culprit Behind Digestive Distress

In a study published in The Lancet, researchers examined more than 58 studies involving adults who experienced discomfort after eating gluten-containing foods but tested negative for celiac disease or wheat allergy.1,2 The goal was to determine if gluten alone triggers these reactions or if other factors are involved.

• Most people who think they react to gluten are responding to other food components instead — Across dozens of controlled trials, only about 16% to 30% of participants had symptoms directly caused by gluten.

The majority felt unwell for other reasons — often due to other wheat components or fermentable carbohydrates known as FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols). These natural compounds, abundant in foods like wheat, onions, garlic, and beans, draw water into your intestines and create gas as they ferment, leading to bloating and cramping.

• Low-FODMAP diets were more effective than gluten-free diets — In one experiment, individuals who believed they were "gluten sensitive" improved on a low-FODMAP diet, even when gluten was reintroduced.3 Another experiment demonstrated that fructans — a type of FODMAP found in wheat — caused more symptoms than gluten itself.4

• The nocebo effect plays a powerful role in perceived gluten intolerance — Researchers found that when participants didn't know whether they were eating gluten or a placebo, symptom differences nearly disappeared. However, those expecting gluten to make them sick developed discomfort even when consuming gluten-free food.

• Beliefs and emotions influence gut symptoms — Brain-imaging research revealed that expecting discomfort activates pain-processing areas in your brain, heightening gut sensitivity. When you anticipate pain or digestive upset, your brain amplifies normal sensations such as gas or fullness, making them feel like distress. This doesn't mean symptoms are imaginary — it means your body is responding to emotional and neural signals as if the threat is real.

• Digestive sensitivity involves both your body and mind — The research supports that gut sensations are closely tied to emotional processing centers in your brain. Chronic stress, food fear, or repeated negative experiences around eating condition your gut to react defensively. Over time, this creates real physical pain from everyday digestive activity. Recognizing this brain-gut connection helps explain why symptoms persist even after gluten is removed.

Going Gluten-Free Unnecessarily Has Unintended Consequences

Gluten-free products are typically 139% more expensive than conventional ones and often lower in fiber and nutrients.5 Long-term avoidance of gluten-containing foods also reduces microbial diversity in your gut, which is important for digestion and immune balance. It also reinforces food anxiety, making it harder to tolerate a varied diet again.

• Improving gut health often requires addressing diet quality and emotional patterns together — Dietary changes alone are not always enough. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure-based approaches that reduce food-related anxiety often help people recover faster. This dual strategy helps retrain both your digestive system and your mindset, restoring confidence in eating without restriction.

• The review identified several reasons why gluten-free diets make people feel better, even when gluten isn't the problem:

◦ Cutting gluten usually means removing processed, high-FODMAP foods that strain digestion.

◦ People tend to eat more whole, naturally gluten-free foods like fruits and vegetables.

◦ Eating more mindfully and controlling portions reduces stress on your digestive system.

◦ Feeling proactive about diet improves psychological well-being and body awareness.

• True non-celiac gluten sensitivity is uncommon but real — While rare, a small portion of people do react specifically to gluten through immune pathways that differ from celiac disease or allergy. For these individuals, symptoms such as abdominal pain, fatigue, or mental fog improve only when gluten is completely removed. However, the lack of reliable biomarkers makes diagnosis challenging, so it remains a process of exclusion.

Clinicians should first rule out celiac disease and wheat allergy, then optimize overall diet quality. If symptoms persist, a low-FODMAP diet should be tested before moving to a short-term, supervised gluten-free trial. Reintroducing gluten afterward helps confirm whether it truly causes symptoms.

• The study underscores the importance of an individualized approach — Not everyone benefits from the same diet, and overly restrictive eating often backfires. Building tolerance gradually, rather than eliminating foods out of fear, helps retrain your gut-brain communication system. Tracking your progress — such as noting symptom-free days or successful food reintroductions — transforms recovery into an empowering process rather than a restrictive one.

How to Stop Blaming Gluten and Start Healing Your Gut

If you've sworn off gluten yet still feel bloated, foggy, or uncomfortable after meals, the issue isn't likely gluten at all. True healing happens when you repair your gut at the cellular level — not by cutting more foods, but by restoring energy and balance.

Your gut thrives when your mitochondria, the tiny energy producers in your cells, are well-fed and protected. That means limiting the toxins that damage them — like seed oils rich in linoleic acid (LA) — and fueling them with real, unprocessed carbohydrates that keep your digestive system running efficiently. Here's how to do it.

1. Start by ruling out what's not the problem — Before making changes, confirm that celiac disease or wheat allergy aren't behind your symptoms. Those are the only conditions that truly require lifelong gluten avoidance. Once that's ruled out, shift your focus to what's disrupting your digestion. Keep a food and symptom journal for two weeks.

Track what you eat, how you feel, and your stress levels. You'll likely find that the problem isn't gluten but something deeper — an imbalance in gut bacteria, mitochondrial sluggishness, or too many processed foods high in seed oils that inflame your gut lining and drain your cellular energy.

2. Stop starving your gut — FODMAPs from whole foods feed it — FODMAPs are often blamed for bloating, yet many are essential for gut health when they come from natural sources. Fructose in fresh fruit and lactose in grass fed dairy products feed Akkermansia muciniphila, one of the most beneficial bacteria in your colon. This species strengthens your intestinal barrier and helps regulate immune function.

The real problem comes from processed FODMAP sources like packaged snacks, gluten-free treats, and high-fructose corn syrup. These feed the wrong bacteria and create gas and inflammation. Reintroduce natural FODMAPs slowly and intentionally to rebuild balance.

3. Fuel your gut cells with real energy — not restriction — Your digestive system depends on mitochondria to power every process, from absorbing nutrients to maintaining your gut barrier. When you cut too many carbs or rely on seed oils for energy, those mitochondria sputter out.

To restore cellular vitality, aim for around 250 grams of healthy carbohydrates daily — from ripe fruit, potatoes, root vegetables, and white rice. These whole-food carbs provide glucose that feeds your mitochondria and supports your thyroid and nervous system, which in turn improve gut motility and digestion. When your cells have enough energy, your gut can finally heal.

Many people struggle to tolerate gluten-containing whole grains simply because their gut isn't ready for them. A damaged intestinal lining and poor microbial diversity make it harder to digest the fiber and proteins these foods contain. Start instead with easy-to-digest carbohydrates like fruit and white rice while your gut heals. Once your microbiome and intestinal barrier are restored, you can gradually reintroduce whole grains in small amounts to test your tolerance.

4. Eliminate seed oils to stop mitochondrial damage at the source — LA, the polyunsaturated fat found in most seed oils, is a hidden driver of gut inflammation. It builds up in your tissues and oxidizes easily, impairing mitochondrial function and weakening your intestinal lining. Replace industrial seed oils — like soybean, canola, safflower, and sunflower — with stable, saturated fats such as grass fed butter, tallow, or ghee. These support energy production instead of hijacking it.

Once you stop eating LA-laden foods, your gut cells regain the ability to generate energy efficiently, reducing bloating, irritation, and fatigue. Aim to keep daily LA intake under 5 grams, ideally closer to 2 grams. When my Mercola Health Coach app launches, the Seed Oil Sleuth feature will help you track this down to the tenth of a gram.

5. Rebuild trust in food and retrain your gut-brain connection — Food fear keeps your body in a constant stress response, shutting down digestion before it even begins. Calm that reflex before meals by slowing your breathing and reminding yourself that food is nourishment, not danger. Gradually reintroduce natural foods you've avoided — one at a time — and track how your body responds.

Think of it as a personal experiment rather than a test, and celebrate small wins. These experiences retrain your brain to associate eating with safety, helping restore the communication between your gut and nervous system that's been disrupted by stress and restriction.

FAQs About Gluten Sensitivity and FODMAPs

Q: Why do I feel better when I stop eating gluten if gluten isn't the real problem?

A: Some people who feel better after cutting gluten are actually reacting to FODMAPs, not gluten itself. Removing gluten also reduces processed foods and additives that strain your gut, which explains why symptoms often improve even when gluten isn't the real trigger.

The study also found that your brain's expectations play a major role — when you believe certain foods will make you sick, your brain often amplifies normal digestive sensations, making them feel like discomfort. This gut-brain response is real and powerful, and learning to calm it is part of true healing.

Q: What are FODMAPs, and do I need to avoid them?

A: FODMAPs are fermentable carbohydrates found naturally in foods like fruit, dairy, garlic, and beans. While some people temporarily react to them when their gut is inflamed, these compounds actually feed beneficial bacteria like Akkermansia muciniphila, which strengthens your gut lining and improves digestion. The key is to heal your gut health, then reintroduce natural sources gradually while avoiding processed versions such as high-fructose corn syrup.

Q: How do seed oils affect my gut health?

A: Seed oils — including soybean, canola, safflower, and sunflower — are high in LA, a polyunsaturated fat that oxidizes easily and damages your mitochondria. This weakens your intestinal barrier and drives inflammation. Replacing them with stable fats like grass fed butter, ghee, or tallow helps restore energy production in your gut cells and reduces bloating, fatigue, and irritation.

Q: Why does my body struggle with gluten-containing whole grains?

A: If your gut lining is damaged or your microbiome lacks diversity, whole grains are often difficult to digest. Their fiber and proteins require beneficial gut bacteria and a healthy intestinal barrier. Start with easy-to-digest carbohydrates such as fruit and white rice while your gut heals, then reintroduce whole grains in small amounts once your digestion stabilizes.

Q: How much carbohydrate do I actually need for a healthy gut?

A: Your gut depends on carbohydrates to fuel mitochondrial energy production. Aim for around 250 grams of healthy carbs daily from sources like ripe fruit, potatoes, root vegetables, and white rice. This steady glucose supply supports digestion, strengthens your microbiome, and helps your body produce the energy needed to repair and maintain a healthy intestinal environment.

Sources and References

• 1 The Lancet October 22, 2025
• 2 The Conversation October 22, 2025
• 3 Gastroenterology August 2013, Volume 145, Issue 2, P320-328
• 4 Gastroenterology February 2018, Volume 154, Issue 3, P529-539
• 5 Gastroenterology June 2024, Volume 167, Issue 1, P172-182