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Peter Gibson published a study that found gluten to cause gastrointestinal distress in patients without celiac disease, one of the strongest pieces of evidence to date that gluten intolerance is genuine. Gibson wasn't satisfied. With this new study, Gibson found that each treatment diet, whether it included gluten or not, prompted worsening pain, bloating, nausea, and gas even when the placebo diet was identical to the baseline diet! The data indicated a nocebo effect, the reaction that prompts people to get sick from wind turbines and wireless internet, was at work. Gluten wasn't the culprit; the cause was likely psychological. Participants expected the diets to make them sick, and so they did. The finding led Gibson to the opposite conclusion of his 2011 research: “In contrast to our first study… we could find absolutely no specific response to gluten." The rise in non-celiac gluten sensitivity seems predominantly driven by consumers and commercial interests, not quality scientific research. - Ross Pomeroy, Real Clear Science
To start with, let me say that Peter Gibson is an utter and complete fraud. Not his first study, the one that confirmed gluten sensitivity, that was great. He should've gotten a medal. His early work was terrific. He should've quit while he was ahead instead of going on and contradicting himself. He's clearly sold out to the massive Pro-Gluten Industry out there. I suggest we look into his funding.
Where would we be if scientists went around correcting themselves. What if Columbus had gone out and said, "Wait a minute, maybe the world is flat after all?" What if Newton had said, "On second thought, the whole gravity thing is bunk?" Fact is, if scientists go back and check out all their research and then start blabbing from the rooftops if it turns out they made a mistake, we're going to have chaos out there.
But it won't do any good moaning. What's done is done. Now we got to consider what we're going to do with an warehouse of gluten-free bagels, donuts, cookies, and cupcakes that taste like cardboard. Partly, of course, we can rely as we always have on the unspoken slogan: "Anything this unappetizing must be good for you." But we must re-brand ourselves.
We need to start putting on labels that advertise our products were not baked near high-voltage power lines, or that our employees don't use cellphones.
They do?
If we can't claim those things, then we just have to claim something else. Our products contain no rat feces. Our products contain no genetically modified foods.
They do?
Then we'll claim our products contain no feces from genetically modified rats. Hows that?
We have to come up with something, people.
