Can Gluten-Free Grains Contain Gluten?

Here is a little ditty. The pubmed (gem) article brings a nice touch to this tidbit brought around again by the National Association of Nutrition Professionals.

Choose wisely my friends, choose wisely.

Twenty-two gluten-free grains, seeds and flours, not labeled gluten-free, were purchased and sent to a lab for gluten content analysis . Products included white rice and flour, brown rice, corn meal, polenta, buckwheat and buckwheat flour, amaranth seed and flour, flax seed, millet grain and flour, sorghum flour, and soy flour. Gluten contamination of mean gluten levels ≥20 parts per million (ppm) was found in 32% of the samples (7/22), mean gluten levels ranging from 8.5 to 2,925.0 ppm was found in 41% of the samples (9/22) and 59% (13/22) of the samples contained less than 5 ppm for gluten. The authors point out that inherently gluten-free grains, seeds and flours are not gluten free and co-mingling can occur anywhere along the line from field to package. Some degree of contamination exists in naturally gluten-free grains.

J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Jun;110(6):937-40.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20497786
Note the date here...this is NOT new news, just new news to the public...

The results of this study suggest that inherently gluten-free grains, seeds, and flours not labeled gluten-free may be contaminated with gluten. This raises health concerns for clients who must follow a gluten-free diet, as the consumption of these products can lead to unintended gluten intake.

This is why I advise my clients to go grain free! If you must OR a few times a week, choose naturally gluten-free grains, flours, seeds, and products made from them that are labeled gluten free. Keep in mind that a gluten-free label is not a guarantee that products have been tested and contain below 20 parts per million of gluten, but they are still more likely than unlabeled products to have been tested. Buyer beware or at least accepting of the consequences ;-).

~jgirl