Recent explosion in the prevalence of gluten-free athletes, exacerbated by unsubstantiated commercial health claims, has led to some professional athletes touting gluten-free diet as the secret to their success. Forty-one percent of athletes report adhering to a gluten-free diet (GFD), which is four-fold higher than the population-based clinical requirements. Many nonceliac athletes believe that gluten avoidance improves gastrointestinal well-being, reduces inflammation, and provides an ergogenic edge, despite the fact that limited data yet exist to support any of these benefits. There are several plausible associations between endurance-based exercise and gastrointestinal permeability whereby a GFD may be beneficial. However, the implications of confounding factors, including the risks of unnecessary dietary restriction, financial burden, food availability, psychosocial implications, alterations in short-chain carbohydrates (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols), and other wheat constituents emphasize the need for further evaluation.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	gluten, athletic performance
Research Division:	Medical and Health Sciences
Research Group:	Human Movement and Sports Science
Research Field:	Exercise Physiology
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Public Health (excl. Specific Population Health)
Objective Field:	Nutrition
UTAS Author:	Lis, DM (Mrs Dana Lis)
UTAS Author:	Fell, JW (Associate Professor James Fell)
UTAS Author:	Ahuja, KDK (Dr Kiran Ahuja)
UTAS Author:	Kitic, CM (Dr Cecilia Kitic)
UTAS Author:	Stellingwerff, T (Dr Trent Stellingwerff)
ID Code:	110597
Year Published:	2016
Web of Science® Times Cited:	7
Deposited By:	Health Sciences
Deposited On:	2016-08-04
Last Modified:	2018-02-06
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