[jkjoshuatree]

What’s a gluten-free diet good for?

There are only two established medical reasons to avoid gluten: celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis, a very itchy chronic skin rash of bumps and blisters, frequently linked to celiac. In celiac disease, complete removal of gluten from the diet is necessary for life, and results in complete resolution of symptoms. Non-adherence to a gluten-free diet can have dire consequences (even if the person is asymptomatic), including poor growth, infertility, osteoporosis, anemia, bowel narrowing and bowel cancer.

A gluten free diet is now touted for many other conditions, from autism to attention-deficit disorder, irritated bowel syndrome, multiple sclerosis and now even weight loss.

Although there are anecdotal stories about gluten-free diets making a difference for these conditions, there's really no good evidence to support such advice.

If your wife does NOT have celiac disease, there isn't any reason she should be on a gluten free diet.