Probiotics labelled gluten-free often aren't: study

New York

LAST year, doctors at Columbia University found that people with celiac disease frequently use probiotic supplements, but that those who take these products tend to experience more symptoms of the disease than those who do not.

Now these experts say they may know why: More than half of the top-selling probiotic supplements they analysed contained gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye that is harmful to people with celiac disease. The authors of the study found gluten in probiotic supplements that carried gluten-free claims on their labels, and the most expensive supplements were just as likely to contain gluten as the cheapest products.