A gluten-free diet could increase risk of type 2 diabetes, warns Harvard study

Gluten-free may not be the healthy option, according to a major new study.

Research from Harvard University claims to have found a link between gluten-free diets and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The study suggests that ingesting only small amounts of Gluten, or avoiding it altogether, increases the risk of diabetes by as much as 13 per cent.

The findings could end conventional modern thinking that going gluten-free is the healthy option.Harvard team examined 30 years of medical data from nearly 200,000 patients.

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Experts from Harvard examined 30 years of medical data from nearly 200,000 patients.

They found that most participants had a gluten intake of below 12g a day, roughly the equivalent to two or three slices of wholemeal bread.

It also found that those eating the highest 20 per cent of gluten had a 13 per cent lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared with those eating up to four grammes a day.

Gluten is commonly found in wheat, rye and barley.

Just one per cent of people are gluten-intolerant, a condition called coeliac disease.

However, some 12 per cent of people eating a gluten-free diet inis estimated at around 12 per cent.