3. WHAT IS GLUTEN?
The new “fad” diet that everyone from Kim Kardashian to Lady GaGa
are talking about is the Gluten-free diet.
Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye, and barley that makes bread chewy
and it is a filler in most processed carbohydrates such as bagels,
cookies, and pasta.
Modern day technology has tried to increase the yield of wheat by
genetically crossing a breed that has a larger bulb with a breed that
has a shorter stalk so that it is able to hold the enormous head up.
This new hybrid dwarf breed of wheat is not much like its former
breed, can’t survive without humans, and it currently makes up 99%
of wheat grown worldwide. Because so many hybridizations were
formed so fast, there was no animal or human testing done on new
strains and they can’t pin point which hybrid could be responsible for
the ill effects of wheat.
4. CELIAC DISEASE IS HAVING AN ALLERGY TO
GLUTEN
● Celiac Disease is an inherited autoimmune disease that
affects 1 out of 100 Americans and 6% of Americans
have a sensitivity to gluten.
● This allergy causes gluten to kill the villi that line the
intestine allowing gluten to get through and the immune
system attacks it. This causes symptoms such as
bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and exhaustion.
5. IS GLUTEN BAD FOR THE REST OF US?
Wheat can even be bad for people who don’t have Celiac disease. 75% of wheat is
made up of molecules of glucose called amylopectin A, which is easily digested in
the stomach and these whole grains cause more of a spike in blood sugar than
simple carbohydrates such as sucrose.
Your blood sugar spikes more when you eat a couple of slices of whole wheat bread
than when you eat a candy bar because whole wheat contains more amylopectin A
than a candy bar.
Eating wheat causes your blood sugar to rise which triggers your pancreas to
excrete insulin, which allows your body to store the glucose as fat. This initiates the
2hour roller coaster of appetite cravings, and wheat acts much like morphine in the
brain.
The fat stored from wheat is visceral fat that is stored in the abdomen and the more
of it that there is, the more resistant to insulin you become. Because of the location
of this fat, inflammatory responses such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are
triggered.
6. EFFECTS OF ACID IN THE BODY
Wheat metabolizes as acid in the body. The body has to equal out its
pH so it takes alkaline stores out of bones and this weakens the
bones causing osteoporosis. Animal products also metabolize as
acid in the body, but the vegetables in our diet are meant to balance it
out. The introduction of wheat into our diet has thrown off the balance
causing an excess of acid.
Visceral fat causes inflammatory hormones such as leptin to be
released within the joint fluid, causing cartilage and joint damage.
Also, when your blood sugar rises, glucose binds to protein and
glycation occurs in bloodstream, tissues, and joints. The advanced
glycation end products (AGEs) are the particles that cause
atherosclerosis, skin aging, dementia, kidney dysfunction, cataracts
and arthritis. These particles are literally responsible for aging us and
we can actually have a blood test measure our rate of aging to test
and see if is accelerated or not.
7. OTHER EFFECTS OF WHEAT
● Carbohydrates increase liver production of VLDL (very low
density lipoproteins) that are responsible for the creation of
small LDL particles which are dangerous because they can
stick around and cause problems in small areas of the body
such as arteries.
● After eating wheat, insulin triggers an insulin-like growth
factor-I or IGF-I in the skin which causes acne. Wheat gluten
is also said to cause other skin inflammation such as
dermatitis hepetiformis and psoriasis.
● If this hasn’t scared you enough, hair loss has also been
linked to gluten..
8. WHAT TO EAT
● It can be hard to gradually reduce wheat because of the
insulin-glucose roller coaster and it’s addictive exorphin
effects.
● People who have not had wheat for a couple hours go through
withdrawal and become crabby a foggy so some people feel
more comfortable eliminating it gradually.
● Dr. William Davis, cardiologist and author of “Wheat Belly”
says, that if you’re trying to give up gluten you should eat
more vegetables, some fruit, raw nuts, meats, eggs, dairy
products, and use healthy oils such as extra-virgin olive
oil/coconut oil/avocado oil/cocoa butter liberally.
9. BIBLIOGRAPHY
● Davis M.D, William. Wheat Belly. New York. Special
Markets Department, Rodale, Inc., 2011
By Nicole Denison as part of an internship at Bauer
Physical Therapy, done while finishing Bachelor of
Science degree in Kinesiology (emphasis: Gero-
kinesiology) at Cal State Fullerton University.
