Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity — a look at the evidence behind the headlines

“Going gluten-free was a real game changer.” That was the sporty headline carried by the Express online newspaper1 in reference to a story on Novak Djokovic, the Serbian tennis ace who just keeps on winning. Apparently “plagued by tight chest pain and stomach spasms and unable to overcome breathing difficulties and fatigue”, Djokovic was told he had a gluten intolerance, “a diagnosis which would allow the Serbian to overhaul his diet and become the best player in the world”.
On the basis of such headlines it is not hard to see why a diet excluding gluten — a mixture of the proteins gliadin and glutenin — has become so popular in modern times for all manner of reported ills and conditions. The corresponding increase in the availability of gluten-free foods, which now even pervade supermarkets, is estimated to be worth billions annually. What was once a fairly undesirable treatment regimen for a restricted number of people has seemingly turned into a full-blown dietary craze. The popular reading on the topic with titles like “wheat belly” and “grain brain” is further evidence of the changing fortunes of gluten.