“Celiac disease patients can kiss without gluten exposure risk”, study says
REALLY???? When I first saw this study, I couldn’t wait to learn more. I thought….Wow, for the past several years, if my (non-GF) husband has had any gluten, we have followed strict protocols: No sharing water bottles, no sharing my GF snacks, and of course, No Kissing. Could it be that we could have been kissing – without protection – all these years?????
From the study: “Now Researchers from Columbia and Stanford find that in the amount of gluten transferred during a kiss — even after eating gluten-rich crackers — was far below the threshold needed to trigger a reaction in celiac patients.”
The study continues: “A new study suggests that people with celiac disease can kiss someone who has consumed gluten without significant risk of exposure, and in many cases, without taking special precautions.”
Wait…. what??? “Without significant risk” You mean, I’ll only get a little bit sick?
How comforting, I thought.
I was reminded how many times, as I’ve been trying to navigate a menu, the waiter tell me: ” Oh, You should be OK”.
The more I read, the more annoyed I became. Obviously, someone got paid a lot of money for this study. I wondered if any of the researchers have been diagnosed with Celiac.
More from the study which was presented this week at Digestive Disease Week 2025 in San Diego: “The study aimed to answer a question many people with celiac disease have long wondered: Can kissing someone who has eaten gluten be harmful? Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where the body reacts to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.”
I kept reading. Excited to get to the real meat of the study. Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. A big fat nothing burger, in my opinion.
Dr. Ann Lee, the study’s lead researcher from Columbia University, added, “Many people told us they ask their partner to brush their teeth or use mouthwash before kissing. This creates anxiety around dating and affects quality of life — we wanted to investigate this scientifically.”
Dr. Nadav Ilani, a gastroenterologist at Clalit Health Services in Jerusalem, noted, “This research could help ease concerns for celiac patients worried about gluten exposure through kissing. While no medications are currently available in Israel that allow patients to safely consume gluten, future treatments may make this possible.”
Now – here’s some of the meat and potatoes of how the researchers came to their conclusions:
The study involved 10 couples, with one partner diagnosed with celiac disease. The healthy partner ate 10 gluten-containing crackers before kissing their celiac partner. In one scenario, the couples waited five minutes before engaging in a one-minute French kiss. In another, the healthy partner drank half a glass of water immediately after eating the crackers, before kissing.
After each kiss, saliva samples from the celiac patient were tested for gluten, and urine samples were also analyzed. Only two instances showed gluten levels exceeding 20 parts per million — the threshold considered “gluten-free” in food. One sample showed a high level of 154 parts per million and a positive urine test, though the patient showed no symptoms. In both cases, the healthy partner did not drink water before the kiss. When water was consumed before kissing, no gluten was detected.
Dr. Ilani emphasized that the researchers used extreme conditions for the study. “The participants ate 10 gluten-rich crackers and then kissed for at least a minute. This doesn’t simulate a typical situation — most people don’t consume this much gluten in one meal,” he said. “Therefore, if even in these extreme conditions exposure was minimal, it’s likely that in everyday situations, the risk is even lower.”
However, Dr. Ilani also cautioned that the study had limitations. “It involved a small sample size of just 10 couples. If hundreds or thousands of patients were tested, we might find some who are sensitive to even smaller amounts of gluten. Also, the reactions to gluten aren’t always immediate, and in this study, saliva was tested right after the kiss, so some possible reactions might not have been detected.” (so what’s the point????)
In my opinion, this “study” does not clearly or adequately address the questions put forward by the researchers. My husband and I will continue to follow our protocols.
Or, he’ll just enjoy my Gluten-Free crackers and all the kisses we want.
I believe these research dollars were poorly spent. I’d love to know what you think?
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