Q. Other than celiac disease, is there any reason to avoid gluten in the diet?

A. “Though the hype continues on gluten-free diets being the panacea for all ills, science still lags behind in concrete evidence supporting this belief,” said Dr. Vandana Nehra, a gastroenterologist who specializes in celiac disease at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Dr. Nehra said it was “unclear if the benefit of a strict gluten-free diet in conditions other than celiac sprue may be related to the avoidance of carbohydrates and thus eventually to weight control” or was “merely a placebo effect as individuals feel better eating a healthier diet.”

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Gluten, a protein in cereal grains like wheat, barley and rye, has been blamed by some individuals for everything from indigestion to arthritis to depression. However, these people often do not have any allergic sensitivity to gluten, nor do they have celiac sprue, an autoimmune disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with food absorption. Gluten is known to aggravate intestinal irritation in the disease.