The last week was devastating for the nutrition trend. Recently, a series of myth-busting studies were published showing that GMOs are harmless, probiotics are unnecessary and that having a gluten-free diet is a terrible idea. The one thing that managed to pass the test is kale- the study proved it’s a superfood.
“It’s always nice to see studies that are skeptical of magic nutritionism. But whether or not that actually trickles down into changing the behavior of the public remains to be seen. I think it takes an awful lot, unfortunately, to break the public opinion that there are magic foods,” said Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, an Ottawa-based physician and professor who has a blog on nutrition and diet.
One study published by Genome Medicine showed that probiotics boost the immune system and the gut. On the other hand, a team of Danish researchers examined the effects of the probiotic products on the fecal matter. They came to the conclusion that “there is no convincing evidence for consistent effects of probiotics on fecal microbiota composition in healthy adults.”
The next one on the research list was the gluten-free diet. A paper published by Dr. Norelle Rizkalla Reilly, a gastroenterologist and Celiac expert at Columbia University, showed that a gluten-free diet can have many health benefits, but the reality is that not eating gluten can really damage your health, unless you have a wheat allergy, Celiac disease, or a gluten sensitivity. Non gluten diet can make you deficient in certain nutrients and vitamins and may even overexpose you to toxins like arsenic.
Another subject on the list-GMOs. The National Academy of Science published a report showing that there’s no evidence that GMO foods increase health risk.
These findings really challenged the nutrition gurus, but Dr. Yoni Freedhoff explains that it’s hard to convince people that the nutrition frenzy isn’t really good, even when it’s scientifically proven. Some people will always look for the secret solution to a better health.
The luxury of healthful living is one that realistically and understandably eludes a lot of people. “The majority of people out there don’t give a crap about whether or not they’ve got GMOs in their products. They care about whether or not they can feed their families, whether or not their kids are happy and healthy. That’s the reality for most people,” said Dr. Freedhoff.