I think this is one of the areas where a lot of the controversy comes in especially when the claim is made that everyone would benefit from a gluten free diet. From my personal experience and the many articles I have read I have my opinion of what the benefits are and who will benefit which I share here. Once again, I'm not a doctor or scientist, so, these are opinions and not proven facts.
Simply put, those who are experiencing a problem caused by gluten consumption. Like all things in life, there is a wide spectrum of how peoples' bodies react to gluten or any food for that matter. If gluten is not causing any ill effects, very likely, you may not benefit at all, and might actually cause harm if you do not implement a gluten free diet properly. I think the misunderstanding of this is what causes a lot of controversy about GF diet benefits.
From my observations, there are many people who have health issues that could be improved or eliminated by following a gluten free diet and I believe I am one of them. I feel I have proved it many times by allowing gluten back into my diet, experiencing negative side effects, eliminating it and having the symptoms disappear. I have read many similar anecdotes and talked to many people who have experienced the same. I think the point of controversy, though, is we have no way of proving that it was actually the gluten that caused the problem. It could also be some other ingredient that commonly appears with gluten that was the problem, hence, enter the GF diet bashers. Personally, I don't care what is causing the problem. If a GF diet makes me feel tons better, that's all I really need to know.
So, if you have any of the commonly gluten related ailments, you might want to try a strict gluten free diet for a month or two and see if your symptoms improve and if it worth the tradeoff.
There are many conditions thought to be caused or exacerbated by consuming gluten containing foods. Below are some of the more common or prevalent ailments but there are many more. One of the thoughts is that gluten could impair the body's ability to process food, which, could affect just about any part of the body.
Bloating
Diarrhea / Constipation
Persistent Headaches
Chronic Fatigue / Tiredness
Dermatitis / Psoriasis / Eczema / Other skin conditions
Depression / Anxiety
Joint and Muscle Pain
Neuropathy
Brain For / Dizziness / Difficulty Concentrating
Worsening of Allergies
In short, days, months or even years, depending on how severely your body reacts to gluten, how long problems have persisted and what the specific ailment is. For everyone recovery will be different, but, to really fully test a gluten free diet it could take a couple to few months. Many people seem to feel a difference in a matter of days and continue to improve as the weeks and months go by. If a couple of months on a GF diet does not make you feel noticeably better, it might not be a problem for you.
In my opinion, YES! Well, at least at first. For me, I experimented for a long time eating GF about 90% of the time, but, that last 10% was a real challenge. In this phase it was touch and go and I had some mild success, but, when I completely eliminated gluten from my diet is when I noticed a tremendous improvement in some chronic ailments I had been battling for years. This is when I realized that it was best for me to stay on a GF diet for the long haul. Sure, I fall off the wagon every once in a while, but, in order to really know if you are benefiting from going gluten free, you need to cut it out 100%, at least for a long enough period to know if you are deriving any benefit.