CBS: Modern wheat a "perfect, chronic poison," doctor says

Modern wheat a "perfect, chronic poison," doctor says

(CBS News) Modern wheat is a "perfect, chronic poison," according to Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist who has published a book all about the world's most popular grain.

Davis said that the wheat we eat these days isn't the wheat your grandma had: "It's an 18-inch tall plant created by genetic research in the '60s and '70s," he said on "CBS This Morning." "This thing has many new features nobody told you about, such as there's a new protein in this thing called gliadin. It's not gluten. I'm not addressing people with gluten sensitivities and celiac disease. I'm talking about everybody else because everybody else is susceptible to the gliadin protein that is an opiate. This thing binds into the opiate receptors in your brain and in most people stimulates appetite, such that we consume 440 more calories per day, 365 days per year."

Asked if the farming industry could change back to the grain it formerly produced, Davis said it could, but it would not be economically feasible because it yields less per acre. However, Davis said a movement has begun with people turning away from wheat - and dropping substantial weight.

"If three people lost eight pounds, big deal," he said. "But we're seeing hundreds of thousands of people losing 30, 80, 150 pounds. Diabetics become no longer diabetic; people with arthritis having dramatic relief. People losing leg swelling, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and on and on every day."

To avoid these wheat-oriented products, Davis suggests eating "real food," such as avocados, olives, olive oil, meats, and vegetables. "(It's) the stuff that is least likely to have been changed by agribusiness," he said. "Certainly not grains. When I say grains, of course, over 90 percent of all grains we eat will be wheat, it's not barley... or flax. It's going to be wheat.

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For those who doubt the growing wheat intolerance...I know first hand what it did to my body.

Wheat free I now live a gout-like pain free life with little to no stomach problems (ones that I had had all my adult life). That's something that I couldn't claim 14 months ago (when I finally eliminated all wheat from my diet).

I can't speak to the science behind his claims other than to say I'd bet that it's far from settled and most likely disagrees with him. I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually found he's on the right path. As a former smoker and a person that successfully lost 50 pounds and kept it off I can say that carb cravings are very similar to cigarette cravings. I haven't smoked in ages but I am dead certain that if I were to have one I'd feel a massive urge to have another shortly there after. I know from experience of course.

When I was dieting and restricted and got carbs purely from fruits and veggies my appetite was entirely in control. I reached my goal weight and had some pasta to celebrate... I needed bread an hour later like a smoker needs a cigarette. Need is a better word than hunger in that instance, it was almost exactly like the smoking sensation. That strange empty feeling that you feel below your throat that isn't hunger.... that might be wrong, it's hard to describe if you haven't ever been a smoker. I don't know if other addictions are different. Appetite is definitely higher when eating a higher carb diet too.

Stories like this are why I always take health food advice with a grain of salt. (see what I did there?)

What's "healthy" and what isn't changes every day and is entirely dependent on who you ask. Wheat bread was supposed to be the healthy way to go, and now I'm hearing it's poison.

Yeah...I'll just go ahead and eat what I want.

Damn, whole grains are supposed to be good for you, I thought. I eat a lot of wheat products to get fiber.

How do you get fiber without eating whole grains?

Damn, whole grains are supposed to be good for you, I thought. I eat a lot of wheat products to get fiber.

How do you get fiber without eating whole grains?

There are hundreds of other grains that can be eaten. Brown rice, quinoa, millet, etc.

For those with celiacs and other wheat/gluten intolerances, the elimination of wheat/oats/barley isn't as bad as one thinks.

I get buy perfectly fine using alt flours such as rice flour or tapioca flout when I bake. I just have to be prudent because the current yields of wheat flour has been genetically modified to be "extra-gluteny". Sure, its a pain to not be able to grab a big mac or eat everything on the menu - but to me it's a bigger pain to be sick all the damn time.

There are hundreds of other grains that can be eaten. Brown rice, quinoa, millet, etc.

For those with celiacs and other wheat intolerances, the elimination of wheat/oats/barley isn't as bad as one thinks.

I get buy perfectly fine using alt flours such as rice flour or tapioca flout when I bake. I just have to be prudent because the current yields of wheat flour has been genetically modified to be "extra-gluteny".

Ah, I eat brown rice and quinoa.

I guess I need to buy this book, because I think of brown rice as a whole grain. I guess, its not what he's talking about?

I suspect wheat. It's the major grain of the western world and the one that has been most modified and it's also the culprit to a lot of health problems worldwide.

There are hundreds of other grains that can be eaten. Brown rice, quinoa, millet, etc.

Until next week when a study concludes that brown rice, quinoa, and millet are poison just like everything else is.

Until next week when a study concludes that brown rice, quinoa, and millet are poison just like everything else is.

Yeah maybe. But take it from someone who knows what eliminating wheat (and not the other grains listed) has done for them.

BTW - it's not the grain - but the protein in it that's the problem with wheat. What's being modified in the gluten. Something (gluten) that doesn't exist in millet, quinoa, rice, etc...

I know this is totally unscientific but I'd like to mention that my grandfather stopped eating wheat products and lost 30 pounds over two months. My dad switched to rye and lost the same amount in about 3 months. I don't need to lose weight, but I've flirted with cutting out most wheat products for a while because I believe there are some health benefits, especially considering how my wheat consumption includes things such as pizza and arnold's country white bread on a regular basis. It would be impossible to truly give up pizza, and uncomfortable to give up PBJ, or at least in the form that I like it. I'm thinking of doing it anyway just to experiment with it.

gliadins are old proteins that were almost certainly in your grandmothers wheat as they are found not only in wheat but closely related plants.

gliadins are old proteins that were almost certainly in your grandmothers wheat as they are found not only in wheat but closely related plants.

So, you think this guy is sort of full of it?

gliadins are old proteins that were almost certainly in your grandmothers wheat as they are found not only in wheat but closely related plants.

From what I have read...there is a peptide in glutens that's not present in gliadins. Thus, the people who are intolerant of gluten aren't usually intolerant of other grains that don't have glutens but do have gliadins.

Since wheat is the only true grain that has gluten (some people like me also see problems with barley and oats), wheat is getting singled out here.

---------- Post added November-26th-2012 at 11:07 AM ----------

So, you think this guy is sort of full of it?

I don't. I live it.

Stories like this are why I always take health food advice with a grain of salt. (see what I did there?)

What's "healthy" and what isn't changes every day and is entirely dependent on who you ask. Wheat bread was supposed to be the healthy way to go, and now I'm hearing it's poison.

Yeah...I'll just go ahead and eat what I want.

I don't think that was ever said. Just that if you are going to eat bread it should be whole grain.

Of course, people will claim it's a fad (like they claim nut allergies are).

Here's the thing - it's finally being properly diagnosed. I can't tell you how many years I've been told I had irritable bowel syndrome and gout. I eliminate all wheat (gluten) from my diet and 2-3 weeks later all the symptoms are gone.

Coincidence?

Yeah maybe. But take it from someone who knows what eliminating wheat (and not the other grains listed) has done for them.

BTW - it's not the grain - but the protein in it that's the problem with wheat. What's being modified in the gluten. Something (gluten) that doesn't exist in millet, quinoa, rice, etc...

Every single person's body is different. That's the problem whenever a study comes out. So what works for you may not work for anyone else or it may work for some or a lot etc. That said, genetically altering plants obviously will produce negative effects at some point. So, not surprised.

Ridiculously small sample, but the only person I know who went to a gluten-free diet is also one of the most unhealthy people I know. He/She is always researching "5 Super Foods" or "These Foods Will Kill You" type articles/books. That being said, celiacs (?) definitely benefit from a wheat-free diet.

Of course, people will claim it's a fad (like they claim nut allergies are).

Here's the thing - it's finally being properly diagnosed. I can't tell you how many years I've been told I had irritable bowel syndrome and gout. I eliminate all wheat (gluten) from my diet and 2-3 weeks later all the symptoms are gone.

Coincidence?

It's psychological.

Just kidding. There are definitely people, like you (and celiacs), that significantly benefit from a gluten-free diet. However, the craze encompasses many that are unnecessarily following gluten-free just because it is the latest fad, IMO.

So, you think this guy is sort of full of it?

Well, I KNOW gliadins are old proteins. At least old enough to be in your grandmothers and even great great grand mothers wheat.

I don't know of any evidence that they bind to opiate receptors or that they survive the digestive system and make it accross the brain blood barier to affect opiate receptors in the brain.

---------- Post added November-26th-2012 at 02:27 PM ----------

Of course, people will claim it's a fad (like they claim nut allergies are).

Here's the thing - it's finally being properly diagnosed. I can't tell you how many years I've been told I had irritable bowel syndrome and gout. I eliminate all wheat (gluten) from my diet and 2-3 weeks later all the symptoms are gone.

Coincidence?

Who claims nut allergies are fad? People DIE from nut allergies.

There are people out there that glueten intolerant. My daughter has two different friends that don't eat any gluten.

That isn't a fad, but just like nut allergies that doesn't mean it affects everybody.

Celiac's disease was first recognized in the early 1900's and first tied to gluten in the 1960's according to wiki.

Celiac is tied to diabetes, which is then tied to gout. If you've been complaining of gout and abdoninal/intenstial problems for years to doctors, and they didn't put it together for you, you haven't been going to very good doctors.

Who claims nut allergies are fad?

There are people out there that glueten intolerant. My daughter has two different friends that don't eat any gluten.

That isn't a fad, but just like nut allergies that doesn't mean it affects everybody.

Oh I agree and I would never wish a gluten free diet on anyone who didn't need it. That said, I recognize that my intolerance is probably caused by wheat being produced nowadays that is extra-gluteny (yeah I know, not a word).

As for the nut allergies comment - it was hyperbole on my part - but I too thought for a long time that the explosion in allergies in the last 20 years was a fad. I'm on the other side of that "fad" now.

---------- Post added November-26th-2012 at 11:39 AM ----------

There are people out there that glueten intolerant. My daughter has two different friends that don't eat any gluten.

That isn't a fad, but just like nut allergies that doesn't mean it affects everybody.

Celiac's disease was first recognized in the early 1900's and first tied to gluten in the 1960's according to wiki.

Celiac is tied to diabetes, which is then tied to gout. If you've been complaining of gout and abdoninal/intenstial problems for years to doctors, and they didn't put it together for you, you haven't been going to very good doctors.

I'm not sure that I would go that far although I do think that IBS is the cop-out when doctors either don't care, don't have the time, or lack the resources to figure it out. I do recognize though that the gamut of blood and biopsy tests for me show no celiacs or other auto-immune diseases. Nor do I ever get a 100% positive allergy result for wheat.

That said, I positively know that through the elimination of wheat from my diet my stomach problems and gout have disappeared.

Oh I agree and I would never wish a gluten free diet on anyone who didn't need it. That said, I recognize that my intolerance is probably caused by wheat being produced nowadays that is extra-gluteny (yeah I know, not a word).

As for the nut allergies comment - it was hyperbole on my part - but I too thought for a long time that the explosion in allergies in the last 20 years was a fad. I'm on the other side of that "fad" now.

---------- Post added November-26th-2012 at 11:39 AM ----------

I'm not sure that I would go that far although I do think that IBS is the cop-out when doctors either don't care, don't have the time, or lack the resources to figure it out. I do recognize though that the gamut of blood and biopsy tests for me show no celiacs or other auto-immune diseases. Nor do I ever get a 100% positive allergy result for wheat.

That said, I positively know that through the elimination of wheat from my diet my stomach problems and gout have disappeared.

I probably went over board. I don't really know that much about things on that level.

You do seem to have a combination of related symptoms that suggesting a gluten issue would have been reasonable.

But clearly, I don't know your medical history and what tests you've had done. I also don't know the range of things from celiacs vs. just wheat allergies.

I apologize.

I probably went over board. I don't really know that much about things on that level.

You do seem to have a combination of related symptoms that suggesting a gluten issue would have been reasonable.

But clearly, I don't know your medical history and what tests you've had done. I also don't know the range of things from celiacs vs. just wheat allergies.

I apologize.

No need as nothing you said was offensive.

Now..if people knew the amount of things (almost everything frozen that's quick to eat and/or delicious) that contain wheat in one form or another - and then they tried to eliminate it - they would see why this "fad" as some are labeling it isn't as easy and/or great as they think.

Hell, even simple stuff like most over the counter soy sauces contain wheat flour as an ingredient.

I pity my wife when we grocery shop because I have to read every damn label when we buy stuff for us.

I've heard that Gluten allergies are commonly reversed over a long period of avoiding gluten. Is this true? I mainly ask because I've so tired of preparing "special" meals for my strange sister every time our family gets together.

While there is still scientific debate about the merits of these types of theories, my experience in public health and nutrition has led me to fully believe these claims.

This past couple years I've seen more and more evidence as to how crucial proper nutrition is for optimal health. I've worked on switching over to organic fruits and vegetables and buying local produce (reason being fruit grown locally has less distance to travel to get to the supermarket, therefore, these batches of produce have less chemical proliferation via chemical preservatives).

Crops grown these days are genetically altered to 1) keep costs down 2) increase production therefore increasing profits. Corn and wheat crops are the worst as far as genetic engineering go, so I try my best to stay completely away from corn and minimize my wheat intake.

Before I turned vegetarian, I only bought organic poultry and meat as well, due to the hormones pumped into the livestock.

One very interesting documentary I encourage people to watch is "Forks Over Knives." It interviews some of the top cardiologists in the country, including the physician who invented the CABG procedure, and the evidence is pretty overwhelming that having a plant-based diet is the best for cardiovascular health and greatly decreases risk of developing other chronic diseases. When I had my sister and her boyfriend (who's a cardiologist) watch the documentary, they decided they were switching almost exclusively to a vegetarian diet.

I'm not saying everyone should switch to real food/plant food based diet, that's just the decision I made for myself after a lot of research and testimonies I've heard from various cardiologists and public health physicians. I would, however, encourage watching the "forks over knives" documentary, it's very enlightening.

Damn, whole grains are supposed to be good for you, I thought. I eat a lot of wheat products to get fiber.

How do you get fiber without eating whole grains?

You can get fiber through a lot of other "real food" avenues. Fruits and vegetables provide decent fiber, as do all kinds of beans.

---------- Post added November-26th-2012 at 01:27 PM ----------

Coincidence?

Nah, it's a conspiracy

jk

By what you described, it's pretty reasonable to think you have a wheat/gluten sensitivity. Everyone has unique nutritional needs, so it probably shouldn't be applied across the board...but I'm very happy to hear you seem to have found a solution to your digestive issues.