Wheat Inflammation

Inflammation can be mediated by food.  As I have stated in previous posts, there is a competition between omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, omega 3 being anti-inflammatory and omega 6 being pro-inflammatory. As you might guess, wheat has excessive omega 6. One ounce of wheat germ contains nearly 1500 mg of omega 6 and only 200 mg of omega 3. 

Visceral Fat

Wheat consumption also promotes visceral fat.  That would be fat surrounding the liver, pancreas, kidneys, and so called “love handles” around the abdomen.  This particular fat releases pro-inflammatory compounds.

--Dave

Photo by Dave Carsten

 Why weight loss?

Why would I lose fat with out really making an effort, other than avoiding wheat?
I didn’t feel hungry so it wasn’t calorie deprivation.  I hit the books and the literature.  What did I find out?  Many very interesting facts about wheat and why I lost weight.

Science

1. Wheat is much more glycemic than table sugar (sucrose).  It stimulates insulin about 50% more.  Just avoiding wheat products and bread would decrease my circulating insulin.  More insulin to store fat.  When eating wheat I was more likely to have an insulin trough that creates hunger.
 2. Modern wheat has gliadin protein.  When the protein is broken down, it results in opiate analogues that attach to opiate receptors in the body.  Besides creating a craving, it also makes people hungry.  Hungry?...is that why wheat is in so many products??
3. People that eliminate wheat eat 400 less calories per day on average.

To be continued...

Dave

Could wheat be bad to eat? 

I certainly didn’t think so.  I thought it was one of those rare allergies that troubled a few unlucky people. In my practice I had a number of patients that had celiac disease.  If they ate wheat, they would get sick.  I now know that about 1-2% of the population have celiac disease, most often diagnosed when they are 65, having anemia, osteoporosis, digestive problems, malabsorption problems, and atherosclerosis from eating wheat.  I have seen those people.  They all told me that they got a lot healthier and lost weight when they eliminated wheat.  OK, that’s true for them.  I really like sour dough bread.

Multiple Sclerosis

One of my patients had a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.  She had all the symptoms.  She had it for about ten years, having been diagnosed shortly after getting married.  She had been advised to be very cautious about becoming pregnant so they had no children.  She told me that she read that some people with the MS diagnosis actually had a sensitivity to wheat gluten.  She told me that it occurred to her that it would be worth a try. How hard could it be?  I saw her 6 weeks after she stopped eating wheat, wheat related, or wheat containing products.  My mouth dropped open in shock.  She had dropped weight and she looked healthy!  I asked her what happened and she told me what she had done.  That got me to look in the literature and read that some people acquired neurologic disease by consuming wheat, multiple sclerosis being a misdiagnosis of some of those people.  About three months later, she was pregnant.  Still, that didn’t get me to give up my bran flakes.

Hay Fever

A friend had been diagnosed with gluten sensitivity.  Her husband, in support of his wife, he also went gluten free.  In a period of about a year, all his allergies faded away.  No more hay fever.  He was very enthused because no more allergy meds and more time outside in comfort.  Interesting...but I still really enjoyed my bran muffins.

Gluten Sensitivity

My wife and I have always been careful, trying to eat healthy.  We had gradually shifted to eating organic food and became more motivated when we had a child.  We tried to be very careful with introducing food to him and were very observant what happened when we introduced food.  There were a few things that we avoided.  Some testing had suggested that wheat might not be good.  He would get irritation around his mouth sometimes and it seemed to be related to eating bread.  We decided to mostly eliminate wheat for him.  It reduced my consumption but I still ate some.  He did do better and for me, I felt the same.  After about six months, my wife and I thought, perhaps we should just go 100% gluten free.   We did it with only the idea that it might be a good thing and an interesting experiment.  I was a little reluctant but why not?  I could go back to eating my bran flakes and whole wheat bread after the experiment.

No Diet Weight Loss

In six weeks I lost 25 pounds.  I made no effort to diet other than avoid gluten containing products.  I then very rarely had gas and I felt different.  That got my attention.  How could this be??  I started to read the scientific literature.  (to be continued)

--Dave

photo by Dave Carsten

Diagnosis Diabetes

The diagnosis of diabetes can be very upsetting for anyone.  It is certainly inconvenient.  It can be deadly.  Diabetes can mean pills, injections, blood tests, doctor visits, big changes in diet, and big changes in lifestyle.  That assumes that the patient decides to address the disease.

Common Sense Medicine
A friend and colleague recently got that diagnosis.  As I have observed, my medical and dental friends are no less likely to be in denial than anyone else.  They do have a better idea of the consequences.  He asked me what he should do.  I have seen many patients that were suffering the effects of diabetes, my relatives included.  I know from the current science that it is not inevitable to go blind, have kidney failure, lose sensation, and lose limbs.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet
I told him what I knew.  Nothing I invented.  It is in the scientific literature.  It is almost common sense.  Avoid grains(high glycemic and contain high omega 6), eat high quality protein, avoid chemicals that have bad side-effects, eat food that decreases inflammation, eat fiber, eat only small amounts of simple sugars, and get a moderate amount of regular exercise. Test what you eat by checking blood sugar often.  Everyone is a little different.  He did exactly that.  In about three weeks, he lost 15 pounds.  His blood sugar readings have dropped into normal range.  He is excited to find out what his lipid tests and HbA1c will look like in a couple months.  

Empathetic Healthy Doctor
This experience will make him a better doctor and his health may well be better than if he maintained his habits and didn’t get the diagnosis of diabetes. He will certainly have greater empathy for his patients that have diabetes. A blessing in disguise.  Pray it is.

--Dave