Is the Bread in Europe Better for You?

Eat|Is the Bread in Europe Better for You?

In a video on TikTok, Christian Collins unwraps a crusty baguette and addresses his five million followers.

Why, he asks, can he eat “pizza and full-on buns every day” in Europe, but bread in the United States and Canada causes issues? These can include an upset stomach, fatigue and a “foggy head,” Mr. Collins said in an interview with The Times.

Mr. Collins, who describes himself as a digital nomad, is just one of many people on various platforms who have, for years, talked about this puzzling phenomenon. In June, Joe Rogan amplified the idea that European bread products might be superior on his popular podcast. “Go eat bread in Italy,” he said. “You don’t feel bad at all.”

Dr. Alessio Fasano, a gastroenterologist at Mass General Brigham, said he had heard similar accounts from many of his patients with certain types of wheat sensitivities.

When they eat wheat products in the United States, his patients say, they have bloating, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, joint pain, fatigue or brain fog. When they eat wheat products — particularly bread — in Western Europe, they have fewer or milder symptoms.

There isn’t solid research on why this may be, Dr. Fasano said. But he and other experts have some theories.