Should you eliminate gluten and dairy for health - trend breakdown from TikTok

Under such slogans, videos about the "anti-inflammatory diet" appear on TikTok - and they have already been watched by more than 20 million people.

The idea is simple: if you avoid "unhealthy" foods, you can lose weight, get rid of bloating and improve your health. But how well does it work? A scientific piece by The Conversation tells us.

What is inflammation and why is it important?

Contrary to popular belief, inflammation isn 't always a bad thing. It is the body's natural response to infection or injury. Through inflammation, we heal.

But there are two types of inflammation:

• Acute - helpful, short-term (such as swelling and redness after a cut).

• Chronic - sluggish and invisible, but is associated with serious diseases: cardiovascular, type 2 diabetes, oncology.

Many factors influence the level of inflammation: age, stress, smoking, overweight, sedentary behaviour and diet.

How does nutrition affect inflammation?

Research confirms: the typical Western diet with an excess of processed foods (fast food, sweets, soda, white bread) and a lack of fibre increases inflammation.

In contrast, a Mediterranean diet - with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, fish, and olive oil - reduces inflammatory markers in the blood.

Diets low in fibre and high in sugar also negatively impact gut microflora, which in turn triggers chronic inflammation.

TikTok: where is the truth and where is the myth?

The truth: probiotics can actually reduce inflammation. A review of clinical trials (2020) showed that some probiotic strains reduce levels of inflammatory markers in healthy people and patients with disease. However, scientists emphasise: more data is needed on dosages and strains.

Myth: Excluding gluten and dairy products without a medical reason. In TikTok, "black lists" of foods that allegedly provoke inflammation are popular. There is no scientific evidence for this - except for allergies and celiac disease.

Dairy products, on the contrary, often have a neutral or even protective effect. Yoghurt, kefir and some cheeses contain probiotics. And whole grain products with gluten (such as oatmeal) are good for the microflora and reduce inflammation.

The Mediterranean diet already limits "harmful" sources of gluten - fast food, buns and snacks - without having to give up valuable grains.

Who really benefits from an anti-inflammatory diet?

For conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, arthritis or autoimmune disorders, the diet can reduce symptoms.

But it's important to have your diet tailored by a doctor or nutritionist - especially if you want to eliminate whole food groups.

What should a healthy person do?

If you don't have a diagnosis, there's no need to go to extremes. It's better to:

• stick to a varied and balanced diet,

• eat more vegetables, more fruit, more whole grains,

• limit processed foods,

• use healthy fats (e.g. olive oil and nuts).

In addition to nutrition, it helps to:

• physical activity,

• adequate sleep,

• minimal alcohol consumption,

• no smoking.

And most importantly - no radical prohibitions without a real reason.