Gluten-free, anti-cancer, or intermittent fasting diets: what they don't tell you about their real risks

Social media and word of mouth are the fastest ways to spread trends, whether it's clothing, makeup, TV shows, or movies... and food is no exception. There are hundreds of profiles on platforms like TikTok and Instagram where users share the miracle diet they're following and how well it works. And they may have good results at first, as they claim, but they don't always discuss what happens in the long term and how, at times, it can end up putting our health at risk.

Mireia Hurtado , a general health psychologist and dietitian, outlines some of them in her book, "Compassionate Eating" (Alienta, 2025). The first is the gluten-free diet by choice , that is, one that is not justified by the person suffering from celiac disease or an intolerance. The reasons for not consuming products containing gluten are because it causes inflammation, weight gain, harms cardiovascular health... all of these are arguments that have not been scientifically proven , as this expert explains, who insists that it is neither healthier nor does it help you lose weight.

"By eliminating gluten , people are restricting carbohydrates. In the short term, this can lead to the feeling that gluten is the problem , and they will lose weight, but later they will suffer the consequences: with this restriction, the body is not well nourished because there is a lack of very important nutrients found in cereals, such as B vitamins or minerals like magnesium; there is a deficit that can cause them to end up binge eating ," explains this specialist in food psychology . In other words, there is a risk that in the end, the person's own fear of eating that food will direct them and enter a cycle where this rule can lead to an eating disorder.

Is long-term intermittent fasting viable?

Although if we're talking about viral eating habits, intermittent fasting can't be left out. In recent years, thousands of people have adopted this practice, which, in theory, is supported by science. It involves eating within certain time frames, which can be a maximum of 8 or 12 hours, for example. The results attributed to it are numerous: preventing cellular aging , aiding cardiovascular and antioxidant health , and, of course, it's a great way to lose weight.

The catch is that it can have an effect at first, just like with a gluten-free diet, but you have to look beyond that : "We lose flexibility and the ability to adapt to the present moment. If we've been working very long hours, for example, and we come home tired and have to eat within that time frame, it may not be the best fit for what you need, both physically and emotionally," he explains.

Over time, difficulties begin to appear. To illustrate, Hurtado comments that the part of the brain that regulates hunger and satiety signals begins to detect that there isn't enough food in the long term . "From then on, it begins to produce a whole series of internal symptoms that have to do with fighting to ensure survival . That is, we will experience an urgent need to eat, we will spend all day thinking about food, we will have the sensation of starting to eat and not being able to stop, and hence the binges and overeating," he says.

Guilt also stands out in this whole issue when they fail to maintain it , with phrases like "I'm not doing it right," "there's something wrong with me," or "I can't do it."

Beyond these popular diets, there are others that deserve special attention, such as the anti-cancer diet , which is often used during the oncology process . It consists of eliminating foods that are considered inflammatory and that "feed" cancer or harm the immune system. This group would include those that contain a lot of sugar, processed foods, or even sometimes carbohydrates "because that sugar content is considered to feed, let's say, the cancer cell."

"This type of diet is obviously intended to help the person recover and can greatly help in the process, but what I would caution is that you have to be careful because if it's done from a place that's too rigid , it can be a huge source of stress for the person , who's already experiencing a lot. Therefore, eliminating foods that are more pleasurable can be counterproductive over time," he adds.

This doesn't mean I'm encouraging people to eat unhealthily, as it's important to have a nutritiousdiet rich in fruits and vegetables. The problem lies in its rigidity : "If we focus too much on our diet, it can lead to this obsession. When we're out of fear, all we're doing is adding cortisol."

In other words, the point is that these eating habits involve hyper-focus on what we eat, which can lead to anxiety and stress . Therefore, she encourages us to assess the benefits and contraindications and to do so "from a very flexible and individualized perspective." "We have to be extremely careful because these are diets that put us at risk ," she concludes.