Warnings on the health risks of eating bread don't have a grain of truth, according to scientists.

Researchers at the British Nutrition Foundation said that most of the health alerts about eating bread are myths. In fact, people who skip out on bread are missing out on vital vitamins and minerals that are contained in each loaf.

The London-based group has dismissed two decades of warnings that bread is responsible for a range of symptoms like fatigue, stomach pain, bloating, headaches, wheat allergies and weight gain. Lead researcher Dr. Aine O'Connor said that despite a massive downturn in bread consumption, the UK's obesity crisis is the most serious in Europe and continues to worsen.

Researchers said that sliced white bread in particular has been unfairly "demonized," by campaigners and the media, and that it is actually filled with vital vitamins and minerals.

O'Connor said that wheat allergies have not been on the rise, and that many people are now incorrectly believe they suffer from wheat intolerance or an allergy to gluten (the protein found in wheat). "Health professionals need to dispel the myths," she told The Sun. "Bread is an important source of nutrition."

A 2010 survey conducted by researchers at the University of Portsmouth found that one in five adults in the UK believed that they are allergic to a food, with most blaming wheat.

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