What is gluten, and is it bad for you?

Gluten is a pair of proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye that link up when flour meets water, creating the stretchy network that lets bread rise and gives pasta its chew. It is a structural protein, not an additive.

For about 1 percent of people, those with celiac disease, gluten triggers an autoimmune attack on the small intestine, and strict lifelong avoidance is the only treatment. A larger group reports non-celiac gluten sensitivity, real symptoms without the autoimmune damage, though research suggests other wheat components sometimes deserve the blame. A wheat allergy is a third, separate condition.

For everyone else, no. Studies show no benefit to going gluten-free without a diagnosis, and gluten-free processed foods are often lower in fiber and higher in sugar. If bread genuinely bothers you, get tested for celiac before quitting gluten, because the test requires you to still be eating it.