Do you remember a time before you thought bread was the devil?

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When a slice of toast after school was met with no trepidation or guilt.

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And, now, what started as a minor carb-phobia has extended to all gluten.

We didn't even know what gluten meant and we started cutting it out of our diets.

If you have coeliac disease (spelled 'celiac' in America), it's not fear of flab or a need to follow fashion that propels you to eschew all things gluten-related.

For coeliacs, gluten creates an immune response in your lower intestine, prohibiting the coeliac sufferer from being able to absorb the nutrients and often creating uncomfortable side effects like nausea and cramps.

For people who don't have celiac disease, however, the jury is still out, and squabbling, as to whether gluten is bad for them.

Many celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow and Kourtney Kardashain, have publicised their successes on a gluten-free diet, but recent scientific studies suggest that leaving out gluten in a non coeliac sufferer's diet can actually be harmful.

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Yep, get those bagels at the ready.

This is all according to the BMJ who released a study by the folks over at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, who sounds pretty brainy to us.

They tracked 64,714 women and 45,303 men working in the health industry from 1986 to 2010 and analysed their regularly updated food questionnaires throughout.

They found that avoiding gluten (for those who didn't need to) increases the risk of coronary heart disease.

We know!

And it's because gluten is often found in things which help reduce your coronary heart risk. Like whole grains, which is in bread!

Bread, the best thing ever.

Oprah's favourite.

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Now, obviously we all know that there are other health factors at play here, and we're not suggesting you just go out and gorge on gluten-based snacks...

But if you wanted to, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

In fact, if you are getting lower abdominal pain and you don't think you have celiacs, it might be worth checking out our handy what's what on symptoms and causes, because you don't want to be cutting out all that delicious bread for no reason.

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Daisy Murray
Digital Fashion Editor

Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.