Gluten-Free Diet Has No Cognitive Benefits in those Without Celiac Disease: JAMA

(1) psychomotor speed and attention score,

(2) learning and working memory score and

(3) global cognition score. Higher scores indicated better performance.

Key findings of the study were:

• After controlling for demographic and lifestyle risk factors in linear regression, the researchers found no significant differences in standardized cognitive scores by quintile of gluten intake across the highest and lowest quintiles of gluten intake (psychomotor speed and attention: −0.02; learning and working memory: 0.02; global cognition: −0.002).
• Similarly, they found that these associations were not materially altered in sensitivity analyses that excluded women who had reported cancer or dementia diagnosis or had not completed all dietary assessments.

"People without a history of celiac disease should not modify their gluten intake under the belief that it will somehow prevent cognitive decline," said co-author Dr Andrew T. Chan in an interview.

The authors concluded, "In this study, long-term gluten intake was not associated with cognitive scores in middle-aged women without celiac disease. Our results do not support recommendations to restrict dietary gluten to maintain cognitive function in the absence of celiac disease or established gluten sensitivity."

For further information:

jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2780271