Can a kiss be risky business for someone with celiac disease? For decades, patients and providers alike have worried about gluten cross-contact from a smooch with a gluten-eating partner. But thanks to a new study presented at Digestive Disease Week 2025, we can all breathe a little easier and pucker up with more peace of mind.
In the first study of its kind, Anne Lee, EdD, RDN, LD, from the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University and member of the Celiac Disease Foundation Dietitian Advisory Council, and her research team explored whether gluten can transfer through kissing. The answer? Technically yes, but it’s unlikely to be harmful in most situations.
“Everyone worries about whether gluten is getting into their food at a restaurant, but no one really looked at what happens when you kiss afterwards,” said Dr. Lee. “The advice we gave about kissing and celiac disease was based on precaution and assumptions. We were using our best judgment. I felt it was important to do research to see if there was any actual risk.”
For the study, researchers recruited 10 couples where one partner had celiac disease and the other did not. The non-celiac partner first consumed a hefty gluten-filled snack of 10 saltine crackers packed with 590 milligrams of gluten. Then came the kissing: open-mouth style, for at least a minute, with plenty of saliva swapping.
The team tested two scenarios:
- Waiting five minutes after eating gluten before kissing.
- Drinking four ounces of water immediately after eating, then kissing.
They then tested the saliva of the celiac partner and followed up with urine tests for gluten immunogenic peptides. The good news? In 18 out of 20 kisses, gluten levels in the saliva of the celiac partner were below 20 parts per million (ppm), the threshold considered safe by the FDA gluten-free labeling standards. Only one kiss (from a partner with unusually high saliva gluten levels) led to a positive gluten test in urine, but no symptoms were reported.
Does water win for romance? What really stood out in the research is that having a sip of water after eating gluten significantly reduced gluten in saliva. In fact, in the second scenario, all saliva samples from the celiac partners came back under the 20ppm mark. So, if your gluten-eating sweetheart wants a kiss, hand them a glass of water first. It’s the gluten-free love language we never knew we needed.
For those living with celiac disease, the gluten-free lifestyle can be socially isolating and stressful, especially in dating and relationships. This study is a sigh of relief and a sign that not every shared kiss needs to come with anxiety.
As Dr. Lee puts it, “We were using our best judgment before, but now we can offer evidence-based reassurance. You don’t have to go to extreme measures.”
So, what’s the bottom line? If you have celiac disease, your partner’s pasta dinner doesn’t have to be a kissing dealbreaker. Just add water, and maybe a mint for good measure.