There are solid reasons as to why wheat products (along with sugar in all its forms) are a major contributor to obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, depression, autoimmune diseases and many other conditions, as well.
Dr. Mark Hyman is a practicing physician and ten-time #1 New York times bestselling author. Hyman is an international speaker and educator in the field of functional medicine. He had indicated that our “tsunami of chronic illness is increasingly caused by eating our beloved diet staple, bread.” He also exposes the many ways that “Wheat is in everything from soups to vodka to lipstick to envelope adhesive.” It’s everywhere!
The history of wheat and all its changes totally parallels the history of chronic disease and obesity across the entire world.
We have to understand that today’s wheat is not the same wheat your grandmother used to make bread, cakes and other goodies. It truly is Franken Wheat (as Dr. Hyman calls it) – which is a scientifically-engineered food product developed over the last 50 years.
How does today’s wheat and gluten trigger weight gain, diabetes and much more?
Today’s dwarf wheat is the product of genetic manipulation. It’s hybridization is meant to create a short, stubby, hearty, wheat plant so that it can provide a much higher yield.
The starch, Amylopectin A, is found in today’s dwarf wheat. This dwarf wheat contains high levels of this super starch – and we really do mean super starch! Just two slices of today’s whole wheat bread can now raise your blood sugar more than two tablespoons of table sugar. It’s very high-glycemic.
Wheat today causes weight gain and diabetes by its Super Gluten, which also drives inflammation. Gluten is the sticky protein that holds bread and baked goods together and makes it rise. Without it, products would fall apart.
The older Einkorn wheat contains 14 DNA wheat codes for the small number of gluten proteins it contains. But the new dwarf wheat contains 28 chromosomes – actually twice the number. And it produces a large variety of gluten proteins, including the ones most likely to cause celiac disease.
Gluten can trigger inflammation, obesity and chronic disease in 5 major ways, according to Dr. Hyman.
- Once the super gluten has caused celiac disease, it triggers body-wide inflammation. This in turn triggers insulin resistance. We know insulin resistance is a top cause of weight gain, diabetes and thyroid disease. That resulting inflammation can also trigger over 55 conditions such as autoimmune diseases, irritable bowel, cancer, and much more.
- Even low-level inflammation reactions to gluten can trigger the same problems. You may not have full-blown celiac disease but just have elevated antibodies, which can cause the same conditions. This represents about 7% of our population or 21 million Americans.
- New research shows adverse immune reactions to gluten besides celiac. What this means is that people can be gluten-sensitive without having celiac disease. It means they can experience inflammation and many other symptoms.
- Non-gluten lectin, is a combination of sugar and protein found in wheat. It is also found in beans and other grains. They can also cause whole body inflammation. It is not an autoimmune reaction, but it can be just as dangerous. Lectins can cause digestive distress in some people, because the body cannot digest them effectively.
- It’s important to know that when we speak of eating gluten-free, it is not a license to eat many of the gluten-free products on the market. Avoid the gluten-free junk foods like cookies, cakes and processed foods, as they can also create a high-glycemic load. Just because a product is gluten-free doesn’t mean it’s healthy.
Next week, we will continue to explore modern wheat and the effects it has on our body.