Is gluten contamination real?

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It doesn't warrant separate cutlery.

The science:

If someone in your home has celiac disease, you likely take care to avoid cross-contamination. But a new study shows in many cases, there isn’t enough gluten transfer to warrant the extra diligence.

Expert insight:

For this research, scientists tested how much gluten was carried over while using the same pasta water, toasters, and knives for standard and GF products. They found that pasta water transferred the most, followed by knives, then toasters, which led to such minimal cross-contamination that it wouldn’t even affect celiacs.

It’s unclear why gluten sticks in some cases and not in others, notes study author Vanessa Weisbrod, a board-certified nutritionist and executive director of the Celiac Disease Program at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

The bottom line:

The findings suggest it’s unnecessary to have designated toasters for people with celiac disease. When sharing utensils, rinsing is enough to get rid of the gluten, Weisbrod says.

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