Does Wheat Cause Coronary Heart Disease?

Introduction

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of deaths worldwide - killing 7 millions people every year. In the following text, we will see that wheat consumption is probably a risk factor for CHD.

Conventional Wisdom on Wheat

Most health organizations currently view wheat as a safe food except for people having celiac disease - affecting up to 1% of the population - and people having non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Also whole wheat - as part of whole-grains - is considered to be one of the healthiest food. In fact a diet rich in whole-grains is considered to be protective against CHD.

Why? Because observational studies consistently find that whole-grain consumption is associated with a decreased risk of CHD. Do these results contradict wheat consumption causing CHD?

Are Whole-Grains Protective Against CHD?

According to this study:

Whole-grain intake consistently has been associated with improved cardiovascular disease outcomes, but also with healthy lifestyles, in large observational studies. Intervention studies that assess the effects of whole-grains on biomarkers for CHD have mixed results.

Indeed many studies show that whole-grain consumption is associated with a decreased risk of CHD. But these studies are observational and can only show correlation but not causation.

In fact there is an health-conscious population bias in these studies: for example people consuming the most whole-grains also exercise more and smoke less:

Data from Majken K Jensen et al., Intakes of whole grains, bran, and germ and the risk of coronary heart disease in men, 2004

Of course researchers adjust the data with these risk factors. But it is very difficult, maybe impossible, to adjust for all risk factors. For example the two previously cited studies did not adjust for important risk factors like socioeconomic status or social support.

A classic example of an occurrence of this bias can be found in hormone replacement therapy (HRT): observational studies had found that HRT was decreasing the risk of heart disease risk while a controlled study finally found that HRT was indeed slightly increasing the risk of heart disease.

A proof that this health-conscious bias could explain the seemingly protective effect of whole-grains can be found in randomized controlled studies: many of them fail to find any beneficial effect of whole-grains compared to refined grains.

So according to these randomized controlled studies whole-grains are neutral toward CHD risks. How then can we say that wheat causes CHD?

Are All Grains Created Equal?

Many randomized controlled studies compared wheat with other grains. These trials are usually quite short. So instead of looking at the number of heart attacks, short-term studies focus on risk predictors of CHD like weight gain or markers of inflammations. Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) level is another risk factor. It represents the number of LDL particles - often called “bad cholesterol”. It is now considered to be a better predictor than LDL-C - the amount of cholesterol contained in LDL particles. The lower the level of ApoB the lower is the risk of CHD.

Here are some results of these studies:

• a study concluded that a bread diet may promote fat synthesis/accumulation compared with a rice diet
• wheat increased BMI compared to flaxseed in a 12 months study
• wheat increased ApoB level by 5.4% compared to flaxseed in a 3 weeks study
• wheat increased ApoB level by 7.5% compared to flaxseed in a 3 months study
• wheat increased ApoB level by 0.05 g/L compared to flaxseed in a 12 months study
• oat decreased ApoB level by 13.7% while wheat had no significant effect in a 21 days study
• wheat increased the number of LDL particles by 14% while oat decreased them by 5% in a 12 weeks study
• ApoA to ApoB ratio (a risk predictor similar in efficiency to ApoB alone - here the higher the better) was increased by 4.7% for oat bran and 3.9% for rice bran compared to wheat bran in a 4 weeks study

These studies show that some grains like oat improve the risk factors of CHD compared to wheat. In addition, these studies often show an absolute improvement of the CHD risk profile in groups eating oat and an absolute deterioration in groups eating wheat. Although we cannot say for sure, it would suggest that oat is protective against CHD - which is confirmed by other studies - while wheat increase the risk of CHD.

That could help explaining why people eating more whole-grains are healthier in observational studies since it looks like that they eat more grains like rice and oat and less typically wheat-made food like white bread, pasta and doughnuts:
Data from Andersson A. et al., Intakes of whole grains, bran, and germ and the risk of coronary heart disease in men, 2007

Now let’s have a look at studies linking wheat and CHD.

Observational Studies on Wheat

Some observational studies linked wheat and waist circumference gains - waist circumference being a strong predictor of CHD:

• a study showed a correlation between consumption of white bread and waist circumference gains
• a study concluded that: ”reducing white bread, but not whole-grain bread consumption, within a Mediterranean-style food pattern setting is associated with lower gains in weight and abdominal fat”
• a Chinese study found that ”vegetable-rich food pattern was associated with higher risk of obesity” but as noted by obesity researcher Stephan Guyenet the association between obesity is in fact stronger with wheat flour than with vegetables

A more pertinent result is found in the data of a large observational study in China. Researchers analysed these data and found a 0.67 correlation between wheat flour intake and CHD. They also found a 0.58 correlation between wheat intake and BMI.

From Denise Minger
But this is just a single unadjusted correlation and does not prove much. However blogger Denise Minger thoroughly analysed the data of this study and found that the association held strongly after multivariate analysis with any other variable available like latitude, BMI, smoking habits, fish consumption, etc.

Since it is an observational study it cannot prove anything but it is yet another evidence suggesting that wheat consumption causes CHD. Let’s now have a look at randomized controlled trials.

Randomized Controlled Trials on Wheat

In addition to the previous randomized controlled trials comparing wheat with other grains there are two additional studies suggesting that wheat consumption causes CHD.

The first one is a study involving rabbits. While studies involving animals are not always relevant to humans - especially studies with herbivore animals like rabbit - the results of this study are quite interesting.

The researchers fed rabbits an atherogenesis diet (i.e. promoting formation of fatty masses in arterial walls) with a supplement of cottonseed oil, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, wheat germ or sucrose. And as they concludes:

Severity of atherosclerosis after 5 months was greatest on the wheat germ-supplemented diet, whereas there were no differences among the other three groups.

The second study is the Diet And Reinfarction Trial (DART). In this 2-year randomized controlled trial, people who already had recovered from an heart attack were split into groups receiving various advices. The main result of this study was that the group advised to eat fatty fish had a reduction in mortality from CHD.

One other advice - the fibre advice - was:

to eat at least six slices of wholemeal bread per day, or an equivalent amount of cereal fibre from a mixture of wholemeal bread, high-fibre breakfast cereals and wheat bran

Seeing this advice we can guess that most of cereal fibres intake by this group was from wheat although we cannot be sure.

This advice resulted on a 22% death increase:
From Stephan Guyenet
However this result bordered on statistical significance: the 95% confidence interval being 0.99–1.65.
For people not familiar with statistics, a result is usually defined as statistically significant when there is less than 5% chance that the result is due to luck alone. Here there is a 95% probability that the relative risk is between 0.99 (1% decreased chance of dying) and 1.67 (67% increased chance of dying).

Since the probability that the fibre advice resulted in a protective or neutral effect was a little too high, this result has been quite overlooked. Had the study last a little longer, it would have raised way more suspicion toward whole-grains.

In fact, researchers found this effect to be statistically significant in a follow-up study. After adjusting for pre-existing conditions and medication use, we can see in the table 4 of this study an hazard ratio of 1.35 (95% CI 1.02, 1.80) for the 2-year period of the randomized controlled trial.

These results are quite telling: according to these researchers, a 2 year randomized controlled trial showed that advising people recovering from an heart attack to eat at least six slices of wholemeal bread per day resulted in a statistically significant 35% percent chance increase of CHD compared to people not receiving this advice.

Wheat, Vitamin D Deficiency And Heart Disease

Many studies found that vitamin D deficiency is associated with CHD.
However vitamin D deficiency does not seem to cause heart disease. For example several studies found that vitamin D supplementation did not prevent heart disease.
As this study concludes:

A lower vitamin D status was possibly associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease. As a whole, trials showed no statistically significant effect of vitamin D supplementation on cardiometabolic outcomes.

Wheat consumption causing CHD could help explaining these results. A study found that wheat consumption depletes vitamin D reserves. That could explain why vitamin D deficiency is associated with heart disease and why it does not seem to cause it: both vitamin D deficiency and heart disease could be consequences of wheat consumption.

Of course this is not the only explanation. For example the DART study shows that fish consumption prevents CHD and fish is a food rich in vitamin D.

Not the Perfect Culprit

To be clear, if it seems likely that wheat consumption is a risk factor of CHD it is not the only one nor the primary one. There are many other factors like smoking, hypertension, lack of exercice or stress. Even among dietary factors wheat is probably not the main one. For example the DART study shows that the protective effect of fish intake is stronger than the adverse effect of wheat.

In addition, deleterious wheat effects might not affect everybody. One study showed that the ApoB level variation following wheat and oat bran intake was different depending on the genotype of the individuals. In another study whole-wheat intake worsened the lipid profile only in people having a specific genotype compared to refined wheat.

How the wheat is cooked may have a role too. Studies show that sourdough bread improve mineral bioavailability (such as magnesium, iron, and zinc) compared to yeast bread or uncooked whole-wheat. Also content in proteins with potential adverse consequences like gluten or wheat germ agglutinin differs depending of the food type.

Conclusion

There are strong evidences that wheat consumption is a risk factor for CHD. People at risk of CHD should avoid wheat as should those trying to lose weight. In all cases, stopping wheat consumption for a month for example to see how one feel without wheat is always a good idea since there is currently no available method to diagnose non-celiac wheat sensitivities and that even for celiac disease the average delay in diagnostic is 11 years in the US.

More studies looking at the links between wheat and CHD are urgently needed since CHD is the leading cause of deaths while wheat is the second most widely consumed food and whole-wheat is often advised to lower risk of CHD. Studies considering grains as a whole are bound to give inconsistent results since different grains seem to have opposite effects in the case of CHD. So as much as possible future studies should treat grains separately and consider things like type of wheat products and genetic variability.

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Read the complete article here or here.

Wheat Gluten Sensitivity and Autoimmune Disease - Dach

Wheat Gluten Sensitivity and Autoimmune Disease

by Jeffrey Dach MD

Read the complete article here.

Gluten Sensitivity, Autoimmune and Neurological Disease by Jeffrey Dach MD This article is Part Three of a Series. For Previous Parts, Click Here: Part One and Part Two Two Very Mysterious and Complicated Cases caused by Gluten SensitivityWhat is wheat gluten? Gluten is a protein in grains such as wheat, rye, barley, spelt, triticale, kamut,and possibly oats. In susceptible individuals, about one per cent of the population, Wheat Gluten stimulates an immune response which may damage the inner lining of the gastrointestinal tract, or cross-react with other tissues in the body producing auto-immune, neurological and psychiatric illness. Upper left image: A variety of foods made from wheat, all containing gluten. Courtesy of the USDA and Wikimedia Commons. Celiac Disease or Gluten Sensitivity ? Shag Carpet or Flat Carpet ? The immune response to gluten may cause malabsorption, and damage to the mucosal lining of the GI tract which can be seen on endoscopic biopsy as villous atrophy (see left image). Normally, the healthy small bowel looks like a "shag carpet" under the microscope with a brush border. However, with villous atrophy, the villi or fingers are lost or shortened, and the shag carpet turns into indoor-out door carpeting with a flat surface. Left Image: Red Arrows point to Villous Atrophy. Biopsy of small bowel showing Coeliac disease manifested by blunting of villi, crypt hyperplasia, and lymphocyte infiltration of crypts, consistent with Marsh classification III. Courtesy of wikimedia commons. This advanced form is called Celiac Disease which may cause malabsorption of B12, Iron, and Calcium (leading to osteoporosis and stress fractures at a young age) . In addition, there may be malabsorption of fat with labs showing a low serum triglyceride level which may be "tip-off" for the diagnosis. (12-14) However, in many people, there may be minimal or no gastrointestinal symptoms. Rather the immune response may show up elsewhere in the body as an auto-immune disease, a neurological disease or a psychiatric manifestation. This form of the disease is called Gluten Sensitivity, a diagnosis frequently missed or ignored by mainstream medicine. Gluten Testing - Conventional Lab PanelSince Gluten sensitivity leads to villous atrophy and malabsorption of vitamins, minerals and fats, various abnormalities may show up on the conventional lab panel: Low serum triglyceride level (below 75) is a marker for gluten sensitivity.(12-14) Low Serum Iron, Ferritin and Vitamin B12 are frequently seen together as a "pattern". This pattern of malabsorption is strongly suggestive for gluten sensitivity. A clinical history of stress fracture, and osteoporosis at a young age (from calcium malabsorption) is strongly suggestive for gluten sensitivity. Enterolabs - Definitive Testing After finding the conventional blood antibody testing to be useless, we have switched to stool antibody testing with a home test kit from Enterolabs. This kit can be ordered by anyone, without a prescription, and the test performed at home. The stool sample is sent into the lab for analysis which includes immunological response to gluten, anti-gliadin antibody and genetic testing for gluten sensitivity. They offer additional panels which examine fat malabsorption (similar to the triglyreride test), and food sensitivity to dairy, egg, and soy. Dietary Trial Off-Gluten Another obvious test is a 6-week trial on a strict gluten-free diet, during which time symptoms are closely observed for improvement, indicating a gluten sensitivity. These patient should remain on a strict gluten-free diet. A 63 year old male with Recurring Cranial Nerve Palsies, Hypertransaminasemia, and Hashimotos ThyroiditisA pleasant 63 year old gentleman came to the office for a "wellness physical and some vitamins". A few years past, he had Bell's Palsy, a form of facial nerve paralysis, which had resolved. He also noticed intermittent loss of sensation involving the soles of his feet. On physical exam, he had a mild residual facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy), and a mild sensory polyneuropathy with loss of vibratory sense in the lower extremities. His lab studies showed mildly elevated liver enzymes which "had always been present over the years", and previous doctors have told him that it is "genetic", and not to worry about it. The patient also had elevated thyroid antibodies, with reduced thyroid function compatible with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The patient was treated with thyroid hormone among other things, and did well over the next few years. However a few years later, he reported eye problems. He was unable to gaze laterally with his right eye. The opthalmologist made a diagnosis of Sixth Cranial Nerve palsy (abducens nerve to the lateral rectus eye muscle) with failure of lateral gaze. Extensive neurological workup with MRI scans was unremarkable, and his neurologist suggested a test for Lyme's Disease, which was done and found negative. Gluten and Neurological Disease The immunologic response to gluten may cross react with the nervous system, producing various neurological symptoms, such as cranial nerve palsy, and neuropathy. These may be present in the absence of any gastrointestinal symptoms. Neuropathies and psychiatric symptoms caused by consumption of wheat gluten have been reported in the medical literature.(5-7) Recurrent cranial nerve palsy has also been reported caused by ingestion of gluten. (1) Gluten Sensitivity Celiac Hashimoto's Connection Patients who have Hashimoto's thyroiditis have about 15 times greater chance of also having gluten sensitivity. One Dutch study published in 2007 showed 15% of Hashimoto's patients tested positive for gluten sensitivity or celiac disease.(2). Chronic Mild Elevation of Liver Enzymes Chronic mild elevation of liver enzymes may be a tip off of underlying gluten sensitivity.(3-4) These mild liver enzyme elevations will normalize 95% of the time by adhering to a strict gluten-free diet.(3) Treatment- Gluten Free DietThis patient ordered the Enterolabs test kit for gluten sensitivity which showed a markedly positive immunologic response to wheat gluten. After adhering to a strict gluten-free diet, the patient's symptoms of cranial nerve palsy and sensory neuropathy gradually resolved. In addition, the liver enzyme elevations normalized. A Young Patient with Systemic Lupus - Gluten Connection A 23 year old female college student with Lupus came to my office. She had been previously diagnosed with Systemic Lupus and started on Prednisone, a commonly used immune suppressive drug. She was recently hospitalized and treated with IV antibiotics for pneumonia. She was very ill, lost weight, and was amenorrheic, with menses stopping about 18 months ago. Her symptoms included joint pains, and buccal ulcerations. Physical examination showed a chronically ill, weak, cachectic young woman, with typical increased pigmentation of the palms and Lupus Butterfly Rash of the face (see left image). Above left image : Butterfly Facial Rash of Systemic Lupus Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This is caused by low adrenal output which stimulates increased pituitary ACTH which has Melanocyte stimulating properties. This patient needs adrenal hormones. Acetyl Co-A Deficiency in Lupus Lupus is an autoimmune disease, and blood testing shows circulating anti-nuclear antibodies as a main feature. Acetyl Co-A Deficiency in LupusMy previous article discussed the underlying defect in Lupus as an Acetyl Co-A Deficiency and how this produces adrenal insufficiency, with reduced hormone production. Adrenal insufficiency causes the pituitary to increase ACTH production which has melanocyte stimulating properties. The melanin pigment accounts for the increased skin pigmentation and facial rash of lupus (see above image). Vitamin B5, Pantothenic Acid is extremely beneficial for Lupus patients because B5 increases Acetyl-Co-A which helps the adrenals recover in their important job manufacturing adrenal hormones. My Lupus treatment program includes high dose Pantothenic Acid (300 mg three times a day of Vitamin B5), as well as direct adrenal hormones replacement with cortisol or prednisone. Over time, patients are slowly weaned off the prednisone and switched to low dose bioidentical hydro-cortisone (cortisol). Since other hormones levels are typically low in Lupus patients, we will commonly give a bioidentical hormone topical cream containing DHEA, Estradiol, Estriol (Bi-Est), Testosterone and Progesterone. Low vitamin D is frequently associated with autoimmune disease, correction is important. Her low Vitamin D levels were treated with Vitamin D3, 10,000 units per day. LDN for Autoimmune Diseases including Systemic LupusLow Dose Naltrexone is an FDA approved drug which has been used off label in a variety of auto-immune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, crohn's rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus, with considerable benefits for these patients. See my previous articles on LDN: LDN Part One and LDN Part Two. Lupus patients will frequently benefit from Low Dose Naltrexone Capsules 4.5 mg each evening before sleep. Gluten Free Diet Benefits Systemic Lupus PatientsMedical science considers Lupus to be an incurable disease, and relies on prednisone, a powerful immune suppressing drug to control symptoms. Prednisone is a synthetic form of hydro-cortisone, the main adrenal hormone. Systemc Lupus Cured With a Gluten Free Diet I was astounded to find a report by Jonathon Wright of 500 patients cured of Lupus with a gluten free diet. Jonathan Wright MD writes in a newsletter about how dietary exposure to wheat gluten may trigger autoimmune disease including systemic lupus. Here is an exerpt from "A Simple Solution to an Incurable Disease". (15): In 1989, my wife Holly and I visited the office of Dr. Christopher Reading in Dee Why, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. He showed us documentation of over 500 individuals who came to see him with a diagnosis of Systemic Lupus, a usually-thought-to-be incurable auto-immune disease. With hard work on their own and with Dr. Reading's treatment, these individuals eliminated all signs and symptoms of lupus as well as the patent and formerly patent medicines used to treat it. How did over 500 individuals eliminate all signs and symptoms of lupus – and all patent medicines given for it, too – over 20 years ago? Dr. Reading had them totally eliminate all gluten, all milk and dairy products, and often other foods to which they were found to be allergic.(15) Lupus is only one of a long list of auto-immune diseases triggered by Wheat Gluten Exposure. (15) Here is the complete list of auto-immune diseases triggered by gluten sensitivity: Type One Diabetes Hashimoto's thyroiditis Graves's disease Ulcerative Colitis Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (lupus) Vitiligo Addison's disease Sjogren's syndrome Pernicious anemia Scleroderma Chronic auto-immune hepatitis Dermatitis herpetiformis Polymyalgia rheumatica Celiac disease The patient was advised to adhere to a strict gluten-free diet, and eliminate dairy products as well. (8-16) She did well, and eventually tapered off the prednisone without recurrence of joint pain, and resumption of normal menses. How Many Cases of Gluten Sensitivity Are Missed by the Mainstream Medical System ? All of them. Articles with Related Interest: Wheat Gluten and Celiac Diease, Part One Gluten Sensitivity , Is Your Food Making You Sick? Part Two Minefield at the Grocery Store Fast Food in Hospitals, Selling Sickness in the Lobby

Bread – the staff of life or the stuff of nightmares? - Briffa

Bread – the staff of life or the stuff of nightmares?

Sep, Fri 21st,  Dr John Briffa

 

I was away for most of this week and, as a result, this on-line article (and several similar ones) passed me by. It focuses on the ‘research’ conducted by Dr Aine O’Connor of the British Nutrition Foundation and published in its ‘journal’ – the Nutrition Bulletin [1]. I’ve not read the article itself, but here’s the abstract (summary).

Despite being a staple food in the UK for centuries, bread consumption has fallen steadily over the last few decades. Average consumption now equates to only around 2–3 slices of bread a day. As well as providing energy, mainly in the form of starch, bread contains dietary fibre and a range of vitamins and minerals. The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) of adults suggests that it still contributes more than 10% of our daily intake of protein, thiamine, niacin, folate, iron, zinc, copper and magnesium; one-fifth of our fibre and calcium intakes; and more than one-quarter of our manganese intake. Therefore, eating bread can help consumers to meet their daily requirements for many nutrients, including micronutrients for which there is evidence of low intake in some groups in the UK, such as zinc and calcium. This paper gives an overview of the role of bread in the UK diet, its contribution to nutrient intakes and current consumption patterns in different population groups.

The tone of the articles spawned by this research and the (likely) press release that accompanied, people who have eschewed bread in search of better health are deluded idiots. Plus, they’re putting themselves at perilous danger of nutritional deficiencies. And this has to be right, of course, because it comes from a ‘nutrition scientist’.

So, let’s get a few things straight. First of all, bread is not a particularly nutrient dense food, and it also contains things (like digestion inhibitors and phytates) that impair our ability to absorb nutrients from it anyway.

The fact that: “The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) of adults suggests that it still contributes more than 10% of our daily intake of protein, thiamine, niacin, folate, iron, zinc, copper and magnesium; one-fifth of our fibre and calcium intakes” may sound impressive, but these figures exist only by virtue of the fact that, although declining, bread consumption is still relatively high. The fact remains that there’s nothing in bread that cannot be had more healthily elsewhere in the diet. Superfood it ain’t.

The issue of wheat sensitivity needs dealing with too, because repeatedly we are told by people like Dr O’Connor that it’s a minor and rare concern. Often this view is based on the prevalence of coeliac disease (sensitivity to gluten). However, research suggests that it is possible to be sensitive to gluten but not have coeliac disease. In other words, even if tests exclude coeliac disease, that does not mean that person will have no ill effect from eating gluten. Over the years, I have seen literally hundreds of patients who, on reduction or elimination of wheat from their diets, have seen significant improvement in a range of symptoms including abdominal bloating, other digestive symptoms including indigestion. Of course, some people (maybe Dr O’Connor) will tell us that such improvement can only be in their heads. They might be right, but the consistency of the improvement seen on elimination of wheat suggests to me there’s something in it.

Another potential problem with bread is that it’s made mainly of starch, and starch is sugar (starch is comprised of chains of glucose molecules). Now, the extent to which bread disrupts blood sugar levels is about the same as table sugar (also known as sucrose, which is half glucose and half fructose). So, munching down on a sandwich at lunch, for instance, is quite likely to induce quite a sugar high, that may well get the body pumping out insulin, the effect of which can be to drive blood sugar levels to sub-normal levels in the mid-late afternoon. The end result can be fatigue, mental lethargy, and perhaps a desire to raid the biscuit tin or take a trip to the vending machine.

When people take bread out of their lunch, the usual end result is for people to feel significantly more energised and productive through the afternoon. I say ‘usual’, but actually it’s hardly ever not the case. Again, perhaps it’s all in their heads and a major placebo response is going on. However, once again, the predictability and consistency of the improvement suggests to me that it’s something that deserves our consideration and has validity.

As I said earlier, I haven’t read Dr O’Connor’s article, but her scientific credentials lead me to suspect at least some of her line of argument will be ‘where’s the evidence’ for the harmful effects of bread? In my experience, the evidence is all around and evident to those who:

1. have benefitted from the removal of bread/wheat from their diets
2. see patients who consistently benefit from bread/wheat from their diets and are prepared listen to what their patients tell them

By the way, I fall into both categories. When I eat wheat the usual response in very noticeable digestive discomfort and fatigue.

I don’t feel inclined to wait for evidence that smashing someone in the face with a polo mallet causes pain and suffering, and I feel pretty much the same about bread.

I suppose it should not go unremarked that the British Nutrition Foundation is supported by various factions within the food industry, and this organisation is sometimes less than transparent about where it gets its money from and the obvious conflicts of interest here. See here for more on this.

References:
1. O’Connor A. An overview of the role of bread in the UK diet. Nutrition Bulletin 2012;37(3):193–212
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Read the complete article here.

Read an additional article titled "The Threat of CSIRO’s GM Wheat Revealed at Press Conference"
Quote:  “What we found is that the molecules created in this wheat, intended to silence wheat genes, can match human genes and through ingestion these molecules can enter human beings and potentially silence our genes.”

An open letter to the Grain Foods Foundation

An open letter to the Grain Foods Foundation

from Heart Scan Blog by Dr. William Davis

To:

Ms. Ashley Reynolds
490 Bear Cub Drive
Ridgway, CO 81432
Phone: 617.226.9927
ashley.reynolds@mullen.com

Ms. Reynolds:

I am writing in response to the press release from the Grain Foods Foundation that describes your effort to “discredit” the assertions made in my book, Wheat Belly: Lose the wheat, lose the weight and find your path back to health. I’d like to address several of the criticisms of the book made in the release:

” . . . the author relies on anecdotal observations rather than scientific studies.”
While I do indeed have a large anecdotal experience removing wheat in thousands of people, witnessing incredible and unprecedented weight loss and health benefits, I also draw from the experiences already documented in clinical studies. Several hundred of these studies are cited in the book (of the thousands available) and listed in the Reference section over 16 pages. These are studies that document the neurologic impairment unique to wheat, including cerebellar ataxia and dementia; heart disease via provocation of the small LDL pattern; visceral fat accumulation and all its attendant health consequences; the process of glycation via amylopectin A of wheat that leads to cataracts, diabetes, and arthritis; among others. There are, in fact, a wealth of studies documenting the adverse, often crippling, effects of wheat consumption in humans and I draw from these published studies.
 
“Wheat elimination ‘means missing out on a wealth of essential nutrients.’”
This is true–if the calories of wheat are replaced with candy, soft drinks, and fast food. But if lost wheat calories are replaced by healthy foods like vegetables, nuts, healthy oils, meats, eggs, cheese, avocados, and olives, then there is no nutrient deficiency that develops with elimination of wheat. There is no deficiency of any vitamin, including thiamine, folate, B12, iron, and B6; no mineral, including selenium, magnesium, and zinc; no polyphenol, flavonoid, or antioxidant; no lack of fiber. With regards to fiber, please note that the original studies documenting the health benefits of high fiber intake were fibers from vegetables, fruits, and nuts, not wheat or grains.
People with celiac disease do indeed experience deficiencies of multiple vitamins and minerals after they eliminate all wheat and gluten from the diet. But this is not due to a diet lacking valuable nutrients, but from the incomplete healing of the gastrointestinal tract (such as the lining of the duodenum and proximal jejunum). In these people, the destructive effects of wheat are so overpowering that, unfortunately, some people never heal completely. These people do indeed require vitamin and mineral supplementation, as well as probiotics and pancreatic enzyme supplementation.

I pose several questions to you and your organization:

Why is the high-glycemic index of wheat products ignored?

Due to the unique properties of amylopectin A, two slices of whole wheat bread increase blood sugar higher than many candy bars. High blood glucose leads to the process of glycation that, in turn, causes arthritis (cartilage glycation), cataracts (lens protein glycation), diabetes (glycotoxicity of pancreatic beta cells), hepatic de novo lipogenesis that increases triglycerides and, thereby, increases expression of atherogenic (heart disease-causing) small LDL particles, leading to heart attacks. Repetitive high blood sugars that develop from a grain-rich diet are, in my view, very destructive and lead to weight gain (specifically visceral fat), insulin resistance, leptin resistance (leading to obesity), and many of the health struggles Americans now experience.

How do you account for the psychologic and neurologic effects of the wheat protein, gliadin?
Wheat gliadin has been associated with cerebellar ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, gluten encephalopathy (dementia), behavioral outbursts in children with ADHD and autism, and paranoid delusions and auditory hallucinations in people with schizophrenia, severe and incapacitating effects for people suffering from these conditions.

How do you explain the quadrupling of celiac disease over the last 50 years and its doubling over the last 20 years?
I submit to you that, while this is indeed my speculation, it is the changes in genetic code and, thereby, antigenic profile, of the high-yield semi-dwarf wheat cultivars now on the market that account for the marked increase in celiac potential nationwide. As you know, “hybridization” techniques, including chemical mutagenesis to induce selective mutations, leads to development of unique strains that are not subject to animal or human safety testing–they are just brought to market and sold.

Why does the wheat industry continue to call chemical mutagenesis, gamma irradiation, and x-ray irradiation “traditional breeding techniques” that you distinguish from genetic engineering? Chemical mutagenesis using the toxic mutagen, sodium azide, of course, is the method used to generate BASF’s Clearfield herbicide-resistant wheat strain. These methods are being used on a wide scale to generate unique genetic strains that are, without question from the FDA or USDA, assumed to be safe for human consumption.

In short, my view on the situation is that the U.S. government, with its repeated advice to “eat more healthy whole grains,” transmitted via vehicles like the USDA Food Pyramid and Food Plate, coupled with the extensive genetic transformations of the wheat plant introduced by agricultural geneticists, underlie an incredible deterioration in American health. I propose that you and your organization, as well as the wheat industry and its supporters, are at risk for legal liability on a scale not seen since the tobacco industry was brought to task to pay for the countless millions who died at their product’s hands.

I would be happy and willing to talk to you personally. I would also welcome the opportunity to debate you or any of your experts in a public forum.

Wiliam Davis, MD
Author, Wheat Belly: Lose the wheat, lose the weight and find your path back to health (Rodale, 2011)

link