If your brain is feeling foggy, gluten probably isn't the problem

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Peer-reviewed: This work was reviewed and scrutinised by relevant independent experts.

Observational study: A study in which the subject is observed to see if there is a relationship between two or more things (eg: the consumption of diet drinks and obesity). Observational studies cannot prove that one thing causes another, only that they are linked.

People: This is a study based on research using people.

Eating gluten long term will only have a negative effect on a woman's brain function if she has celiac disease, according to a US study. 13,494 women without celiac disease who were participants in a long-term health study underwent tests to check their brain performance. The researchers found no significant differences in test scores between those who consumed high amounts of gluten over 25 years and those who consumed lower amounts of gluten.

Journal/conference: JAMA Network Open

Link to research (DOI): 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.13020 (

Organisation/s: Harvard Medical School, USA

Funder: This work was supported by the following National Institutes of Health grants: U01 CA176726, for Nurses’ Health Study II cohort infrastructure; R37 CA246175, R21 AA027608, and K07 CA218377 to Dr Cao; UM1 CA186107 and UM1 CA167552 to Dr Willett; and R01 CA202704, R35 CA253185, and K24 DK098311 to Dr Chan. Dr Chan was also supported by the Massachusetts General Hospital Stuart and Suzanne Steele Research Scholars Award. Dr Lebwohl was supported by the Louis and Gloria Flanzer Philanthropic Trust and the American Gastroenterological Association Foundation Research Scholar Award.

Media release

From: JAMA

This observational study found no association between long-term dietary intake of gluten and cognitive function among a large group of middle-age women without celiac disease.

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