You're almost certainly not gluten sensitive


If you're among the 99 percent of Americans who doesn't have celiac disease, but you still think you're sensitive to gluten, chances are you're wrong — according to science.
Although many people believe that their sensitivity toward gluten, a protein present in wheat and barley, is responsible for their unfortunate bouts with irritable bowel syndrome, a recently published study found that fructans — a polymer frequently found in gluten — actually was the more common culprit for causing IBS in non-celiacs. It wasn't the gluten — it was the fructans!
So the good news is that you, dear reader, are probably not gluten sensitive. (A 2014 study suggested that only one in four people who self-reported gluten sensitivity actually meet the criteria for diagnosis.) But this new study does pose some bad news, as fructans do exist independently of gluten. You'll find them in notably delicious foods such as onions, garlic, black beans, watermelon, and bananas. Sadly, humans are apparently not that great at processing fructans, as they can be "malabsorbed" in the small intestine and cause gas, bloating, pain, and all sorts of things that should never be associated with the delicious taste of garlic.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.
-
Israel faces international anger as Gazans starve
Feature World leaders pressure Israel to let in aid as famine spreads across Gaza
-
Redistricting: How the GOP could win in 2026
Feature Trump pushes early redistricting in Texas to help Republicans keep control of the House in next year's elections
-
Tariffs: Is Trump winning his trade war?
Feature Trump secures a new trade deal as Europe agrees to 15% tariffs
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively