Debby Herold, Faculty of Arts
July 23, 2018
New study shatters myth that gluten-free children's products in the supermarket are nutritionally superior
Despite having a 鈥渉ealth halo鈥 reputation among consumers as being nutritionally superior to other supermarket food products, gluten-free supermarket foods that are targeted at children are not necessarily a healthier option, according to new study in the journal聽Pediatrics, authored by the 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 Dr. Charlene Elliott, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Food Marketing, Policy and Children鈥檚 Health. In fact, gluten-free children鈥檚 products may be a of greater concern because of their sugar content.
鈥淔or many consumers, 'gluten free' is the new 'better-for-you'," says Elliott, a professor in the Department of Communication, Media and Film. 鈥淪ome parents opt for a gluten-free diet as they believe it will be healthier for their children. But when you look at the nutritional profile of packaged gluten-free foods, this is not the case.鈥澛
Parents of children with gluten intolerance or sensitivity, along with those who purchase gluten-free products for other health reasons, need to carefully assess product labels when making purchases, says Elliott. As her study shows, approximately 80 per cent of child-targeted gluten-free products have high sugar levels.聽
罢丑别听笔别诲颈补迟谤颈肠蝉听study (published online July 23)聽examined the nutritional content of gluten-free products marketed specifically to children to see how they measured up to their traditional counterparts. The author purchased 374 child-targeted products from two of the largest supermarket chains in Calgary and compared the nutritional quality of the gluten-free labelled products with the products without such a claim.聽
A secondary analysis compared the nutrient profile of child-targeted gluten-free products to their product 鈥渆quivalents.鈥 The findings revealed that products labelled gluten-free are not nutritionally superior to 鈥渞egular鈥 children鈥檚 foods (those without a gluten-free claim) or to their gluten-containing equivalents.
In fact, approximately 80 per cent of child-targeted gluten-free products have high sugar levels, while 88 per cent of the packaged gluten-free foods aimed at children can be classified as having poor nutritional quality due to high levels of sugar, sodium and/or fat. Many of the gluten-free foods for children also had lower protein levels, and a聽similar proportion of gluten-free foods had high sugar levels compared to their gluten-containing counterparts.
鈥淒espite the fact that gluten-free products tend to have a 鈥榟ealth halo鈥 among consumers, they are not nutritionally superior,鈥 says Elliott. 鈥淭his makes it challenging for parents of children with gluten intolerance, and it also has implications for parents who mistakenly believe that gluten-free will confer health benefits.鈥澛
She adds: 鈥淚t is important to unsettle the assumption that gluten-free food equals healthy food, which has functioned as an excellent sales tool for the food industry but does little to support public health.鈥澛
Dr. Charlene Elliot, PhD, is a member of the Alberta Children鈥檚 Hospital Research Institute and the O鈥橞rien Institute for Public Health at the Cumming School of Medicine.