Gluten free? Doctors warn of the risks

Medical experts say a very small percentage of the population can't digest gluten, but a large number of people choose to avoid the protein anyway.

In a Consumer Reports survey, about one third of Americans said they buy gluten-free foods or try to avoid gluten.

63 percent of those surveyed said they believe cutting out gluten has health benefits.

However, only seven percent of Americans can't eat gluten because they have celiac disease or a diagnosed gluten sensitivity.

Consumer Reports wanted to find out: how good is a gluten-free diet for everyone else?

To find out, Consumer Reports reviewed nutrition labels for more than 80 gluten-free foods.

"People think that going gluten-free will help them lose weight or get better digestion and a whole host of other health benefits. But when we looked at those gluten-free products we found that they're not necessarily healthier and they may be less so," said Patricia Calvo of Consumer Reports

One concern - some gluten-free foods contain more fat, sugar or sodium than their regular counterparts.

And while products made of enriched-wheat flour provide essential nutrients like iron and folic acid, you don't get those in many gluten-free foods.

Another important worry - many of the gluten-free products Consumer Reports analyzed contain rice flour or other rice-based ingredients.

"In our tests of rice and rice products in 2012, we found that most contain arsenic, often at worrisome levels," Calvo said.

The bottom line: a small percent of people need to eat gluten-free foods. For everyone else, there's little evidence that a gluten-free diet is a healthier choice.

One more disadvantage to going gluten-free: nearly all the gluten-free foods Consumer Reports purchased were more expensive than a regular counterpart.