William Davis's Blog: Dr. Davis Infinite Health Blog, page 159

A grain eater’s cholesterol panel

Much of the $23 billion spent each and every year on statin drugs is really targeting the treatment of “high cholesterol” created by consuming grains.

It doesn’t initially seem this way, as people (including most of my colleagues) focus on fat consumption, especially saturated fat, as the cause for high cholesterol. So let me try and clear up this somewhat confusing issue.

Here is a typical panel of someone who consumes grains:

Triglycerides 170 mg/dl

LDL cholesterol (calculated) 150 mg/dl

HDL cholesterol 40 mg/dl

Total cholesterol 224 mg/dl

In other words, HDL cholesterol is lowish, triglycerides high, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol high. What does this mean? Let’s take each, one by one:

Triglycerides are the byproduct of two digestive processes: 1) De novo lipogenesis or the liver’s conversion of the amylopectin of grains into triglyceride-rich VLDL particles that enter the bloodstream, and 2) absorption of dietary fats (which are triglycerides themselves). De novo lipogenesis dominates triglyceride levels in the bloodstream, far outstripping consumption of fat as a determinant of triglyceride levels. This simple fact was only identified recently, as the rise in triglycerides that occurs after consuming fats and oils develops within 2-4 hours, but the much larger rise in triglycerides from carbohydrate-to-triglyceride conversion starts 6-8 hours later, a fact not uncovered in older studies that failed to track this phenomenon this far out in time. (And, in certain genetic types, such as apo E2, the rise from carbohydrates in grains and sugars can last for days to weeks.)

LDL cholesterol is calculated, not measured. The Friedewald calculation, developed in the early 1960s to provide an easy but crude means of estimating the quantity of cholesterol in the low-density lipoprotein fraction of the blood appled several basic assumptions: 1) that everyone consumes an average diet of average macronutrient composition, and 2) that the triglyceride content of all lipoproteins remained constant from person to person (which is not true, but wildly variable, and 3) that all LDL particles are the same size (also not true, as LDL particles vary in size within a wide range of diameters).

Grain consumption, thanks to the process of de novo lipogenesis, increases blood levels of triglycerides and VLDL particles. VLDL particles interact with LDL particles, enriching LDL particle triglyceride content and reducing cholesterol content. This leads to a process of LDL particle “remodeling” that creates small LDL particles–glycation-prone, oxidazable, adherent to inflammatory blood cells, and persistent in the bloodstream for 7 days, rather than the 24 hours of more benign large LDL particles. Grains thereby trigger the process creating small LDL particles; fats trigger the process that does not.

When we cut out grains, the Friedewald calculation is therefore no longer valid, as the assumptions–weak to begin with–are completely disrupted. LDL cholesterol, this crude, surrogate effort to indirectly quantify LDL particles, is therefore completely useless. This has not, unfortunately, dampened enthusiasm among my colleagues nor the drug industry for trying to treat this number with statin drugs.

Better ways to quantify LDL particles: NMR LDL particle number (which includes quantification of small and large LDL particles) or an apoprotein B. (Each LDL particle contains one apo B, which thereby provides a virtual count of LDL particles, but no breakdown into small vs. large.)

HDL cholesterol is, unlike LDL cholesterol, a measured and reliable value. Ironically, it is among the most ignored. Grain-consuming humans tend to have low HDL because the high triglyceride/VLDL particles interact in the bloodstream with HDL particles, enriching HDL particles in triglycerides and reducing cholesterol content. This leads to a reduction in HDL size and HDL quantity, thus the lowish or low HDL cholesterol values. The lower the HDL, the higher the cardiovascular risk, a relationship that has held up many times over the years.

Total cholesterol is the sum of all three values: LDL cholesterol + HDL cholesterol + triglycerides/5. (More accurately, LDL cholesterol is the calculated value: LDL = total chol – HDL – trg/5.)

Given the mix of values, total cholesterol is therefore essentially useless. A large increase in HDL, for instance–a GOOD thing–will raise total cholesterol; a large reduction in HDL–a BAD thing–will reduce total cholesterol: the opposite of what you would think. Total cholesterol can indeed yield useful prognostic information when applied to a population, though it is crude and the relationship weak. But it is useless when applied to an individual.

If we reject the silly and simpleminded notions of cholesterol panels, and apply the greater insights provided by advanced lipoprotein analysis, several nutritional observations can be made:

–Saturated fat increases HDL, shifts HDL to larger particles, and triggers formation of large LDL particles.

–The amylopectin carbohydrates of grains trigger higher triglycerides, thereby providing more VLDL particles to interact with HDL and LDL particles, the process that leads to triglyceride enrichment and smaller ineffective HDL and smaller atherogenic LDL (heart disease causing).

–Given the unusual persistence time of small (7 days) vs large (1 day) LDL particles, grain consumption is FAR worse than fat consumption.

You can begin to appreciate how overly simplistic this notion of “reducing LDL cholesterol” using statin drugs is–$23 billion per year of overly simplistic. You can also appreciate that the real situation is a bit complicated and beyond the reach of most busy primary care physicians, while being outside the interests of most cardiologists, obsessed as they are with revenue producing activities like heart catheterizations, stent and defibrillator implantation.

But don’t fall for it: The common distortions of cholesterol panels can be easily explained by the chain of events that emits from a diet rich in “healthy whole grains.”

Wheat-free eating enters the gourmet world

While in Toronto as part of my Experience Wheatlessness tour, chef David Chrystian of the Victor restaurant in the Le Germain Hotel prepared a meal specifically crafted to fit the Wheat Belly lifestyle. In particular, the chef focused on the elegant preparation of organ meats. Chef Chrystian was a Top Chef Canada

contestant on Food Network in 2012.

Many people’s notions of organ meats end at liver and onions, or unappetizing presentations of other offal. Chef David Chrystian’s elegant and wonderfully presented dishes were therefore a true delight to see and to eat.

Here are two of his dishes (among the six he prepared for us!):

Roasted Bone Marrow and Orgaganic Rib Eye with arepas, salsa verde and kidney beans

The combination of flavors and the mix of textures were heavenly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buttermilk fried Sweetbreads with sauerkraut, hot sauce and sweet potato

Sour, spicy, and smooth sweetness made wonderful accompaniments to the slightly crunchy sweetbreads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Butter Chicken Liver with tomato and cardamom chutney and almond naan

My favorite, the pate-textured chicken liver blended perfectly with the tomato and chutney.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Primitive humans feasted on the organs of animals. Not only would it be silly and wasteful to not consume them, various organ meats provide nutrients essential to human life, such as iodine from the thyroid glands, omega-3 fatty acids from the brain, carnitine from the heart, and vitamin C and phospholipids from the liver.

It was therefore a genuine and eye-opening experience for Chef Chrystian to show us just how delicious and beautiful a meal of organ meats can be.

 

Wheat Belly Live in Ontario!

Along with Julie Daniluk, author of Meals that Heal Inflammation and hosted by Anne Berube, Life Coach and founder of Autopoetic Ideas.

Toronto:

At the John Bassett Theatre MTCC

255 Front St West, Toronto

Friday, November 1, 2013 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Tickets here

Niagara Falls

Fallsview Theatre, Scotiabank Convention Centre

Niagara Falls, Ontario

Sat Nov 2, 2013 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Tickets here

Brantford

Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts

88 Dalhousie Street, Brantford, Ontario

Sun Nov 3, 2013 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Tickets here

Kiki kicks ADHD

Kiki posted this interesting comment chronicling her experience with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD (or ADD).

I started researching diet changes because of inattentive-type ADD.

I had always had problems with concentration, even in elementary school. Fortunately, academics have always come easily to me and I never needed to really study. If I had, I doubt I would have made it through high school with my concentration/attention problems!

By the time I got to university, I was immensely frustrated. I knew the ADD was holding me back. I was tired of just sliding by and avoiding challenging work because I couldn’t focus on it, and I knew I could achieve so much more if I could only find a way to sit down and concentrate on what I was doing!

I attend a music conservatory, and my inability to concentrate was negatively affecting what I love most in the world: practicing and composing. I had to do something.

I tried Adderall and it was a nightmare. The first time I took it, I had a full-blown panic attack at work in the middle of a busy bar. My heart raced every time I took it, and a few times I had such bad chest pain and anxiety that I was afraid I might be having a heart attack. I had a constantly stiff and sore jaw because the stimulant meds caused me to grind and clench. I felt “hyper,” which I didn’t like, because I’m naturally pretty mellow and easygoing. I was always on edge and my anxiety was through the roof. Yes, my ability to concentrate improved, but only until the Adderall wore off. I hated the side effects even more than I hated not being able to pay attention, so I started Googling “ADD and diet.”

Most of the information was focused on AD(H)D in children, but I assumed the same advice would apply to adults. First I found out about food dyes, which are apparently a common cause of ADHD behaviors in children. So I cut those out. Next I read about wheat and dairy potentially causing worsening ADHD symptoms, so I cut those out too, along with things that I knew all along were bad for me but had been ingesting anyway (HFCS, fried foods, alcohol, soy, the occasional hookah.)

Within a week, I noticed improvement. I’ve now been off of crap ‘foods’ for over a month and can say amazing things have happened. I am able to concentrate for longer periods of time, but even better than that, I find myself able to get things done more efficiently.

I now practice and compose in 20-minute increments (with regular short breaks where I stretch or do jumping jacks or sprint down the hall and back), and I am able to accomplish in 20 minutes what used to take me over 2 hours. In addition to the inattention problems, I have always experienced “brain fog” and always found myself “stuck” with writer’s block whenever I tried to write music. I assumed I just wasn’t good enough to write music and should give it up, even though one of my dreams in life is to write my own opera. Ever since changing my diet, I’ve been finding it easier and easier to compose. About a week ago I almost started crying when I realized I had just sat down and wrote an entire melody without becoming distracted or fogged. It came easily to me –- NO frustrating writer’s block!

Obviously wheat, food dyes, alcohol, etc. are everywhere, even in my apartment, as my roommates always buy donuts, chips, etc. But I’m actually not tempted, because nothing tastes as good as being able to create and concentrate feels!

It is estimated that up to 5% of children have ADHD. The conventional medical response is to hand out prescriptions for stimulant medications, amphetamines such as Adderall or methylphenidates such as Ritalin. While the drugs do indeed yield benefits in the majority–reduction of impulsive behavior, extension of attention span, and reduction in long-term adult potential for substance abuse–they are not benign. Regulatory agencies have long debated just how common, for instance, sudden cardiac death is with these stimulants, a phenomenon shared by all pharmacologic stimulants. While the absolute risk is low in children, it escalates with adulthood.

So it is no small matter that Kiki completely kicked the impaired concentration, blocked creativity, and overall reduced performance of ADHD with her nutritional changes. Several small clinical trials, such as this UK study, do indeed demonstrate improvement with wheat/gluten and dairy elimination, though it is not yet clear what proportion of kids or adults can expect benefit.

But, unlike stimulant drugs, changes in diet come with virtually no added cost, no side effects, no potential for sudden cardiac death. And there are oodles of other health benefits beyond those associated with ADHD.

Texas doctor discovers the power of Wheat Belly!

Dr. Mahdavi Ampajwala, a family practice physician in Plano, Texas, wrote me a wonderful letter detailing her wheat-free experience and what she is witnessing as she incorporates wheat elimination into her medical practice:

I have found an answer.

Finally, there’s a resource I can recommend with confidence. Dr. William Davis’ book, “Wheat Belly,” has given me the ability to help those patients who come to me looking for a way to improve their health and lifestyle.

Many of my patients ask for advice on effective nutritional strategies for weight loss. Oftentimes, they are looking for an answer besides ‘exercise and a healthy diet.’ Many of them tell me that they work out four or five times a week and eat healthy, but do not see any change in their weight.

This book is for everyone who is looking to transform their health and wellness and, in particular, for folks who are struggling to shake of that excess weight. The book focuses on the effects of modern wheat and carbohydrate intake on one’s health. Dr. Davis highlights the discovery that obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, etc. have all been on the rise since the low-fat diet came to light two decades ago. He also explains that since the use of genetic modification through hybridization, the grain is not the same as it was in the 1970’s.

As a native of India, I grew up with a diet consisting of rice, vegetables, and the occasional chicken, fish, or egg. After coming to the States, I acquired a taste for bread in the form of wraps and sandwiches etc., and thus wheat entered my diet. A few months into my new lifestyle and food intake, I began to experience severe allergies, regular sinus headaches, and eczema. My baby was being breastfed at the time and developed eczema by the time she was 6 weeks old. I began to suspect my new wheat intake. I made sure I ate only whole grains, but I continued to experience fatigue and weight gain. I gained an unwanted 18 pounds (went from a size 2 to 6).

I hired a personal trainer with the goal of losing 12 pounds. I lost 6 in about 6 months times. This was all with what I thought was a healthy diet and exercise routine 6 -7 times a week. After all that effort, it was disappointing to see no improvement in my energy level or loss in weight. This is when I came across “Wheat Belly.” A colleague recommended it to me in March of 2012, and I decided to take on the wheat-free challenge in April. I have continued since then, and have seen an incredible transformation.

I lost ten pounds in the first six weeks and dropped 3 sizes. My energy level was higher than ever before. I saw improvement in my previously troubled sleep habits. I used to wake up with aches and pains; now that was all gone. My appetite was reduced; I no longer craved food. To date, the weight I lost has stayed off. I didn’t even have to go to the gym every day. I felt like an entirely new person, and my experience empowered me to help my patients in their weight loss journeys.

Not a single weight-loss conversation with my patients goes by without my recommendation for “Wheat Belly” or the Wheat Belly Blog. I make sure that my patients receive a copy of “Wheat Belly Quick & Dirty” article from the blog. All my patients who adopted the wheat-free diet have showed significant improvements in their health, as well. I intend to continue referring my patients to this book in hopes of improving their health, as much I was able to improve my own.

Ah, priceless! Thank you Dr. Ampajwala. Your open-mindedness will make you a better practitioner who will deliver empowering messages of health to your patients.

As Dr. Ampajwala is discovering, NOTHING comes close to the power of wheat elimination to restore health and weight in so many people. I virtually stopped prescribing drugs for people because so many conditions previously “requiring” drugs got so much better or went away.

This is revolutionary: If there is a healthcare crisis going on that threatens to bankrupt the country, I believe what we have here is an answer that, because the benefits are so astounding and apply to so many people, has the potential to slash healthcare costs–and suffering–by a huge margin.

High triglycerides: Wheat elimination or gemfibrozil?

April posted this question about high triglycerides. High triglycerides are very confusing to many people, often even ignored by many of my colleagues. Because she got such lousy advice from her doctor and because the solutions are really SO simple, I thought I’d relate her story with the advice that really works.

I had blood work done last week after experiencing some edema in my feet and legs. My non-fasting triglycerides were 600 mg/dl and the doctor wants to put me on gemfibrozil and do a HbA1c to rule out diabetes. I want to try Wheat Belly first before taking the meds. Is that reasonable?

He told me I need to start the medicine right away or I am at risk of pancreatitis. I am about 100 pounds overweight, so I obviously need to make some dietary changes. This is kind of scary stuff to me. I was told other than the triglycerides my cholesterol was ‘OK.’ My vitamin D was also very low at 13 ng/ml so I was given a prescription of D3 (50,000 I.U.) for 12 weeks. I just really don’t want to start a medication like the gemfibrozil without at least giving diet a chance.

April likely has “Familial Hypertriglyceridemia,” a genetically-determined abnormality in which she is unable to clear triglycerides formed from diet. We know several things based on the facts provided by April:

1) Potential for pancreatitis really shows itself at around a triglyceride of 1000 mg/dl. This is very bad: Not only is it very painful, but it can do irreversible damage to the pancreas, both endocrine (killing off beta cells that produce insulin) and exocrine (killing off the cells that produce digestive enzymes like pancreatic lipase and trypsin). But a low-grade, imperceptible degree of beta cell damage can occur at triglyceride levels below 1000 mg/dl, sufficient to impair insulin responses and bring the prospect of irreversible type 2 diabetes closer.

2) While fats and oils are, by definition, triglycerides, a much larger contributor to blood triglycerides is the process of de novo lipogenesis: liver conversion of sugars and carbohydrates to triglyceride-containing lipoproteins. You can see this with extended monitoring of blood triglycerides: After a meal of mixed composition (fats/oils, proteins, carbohydrates, fibers), there is a modest initial rise in triglycerides at 2-4 hours, followed by a much larger rise 6-8 hours, the time lag represented by liver de novo lipogenesis from carbohydrates. High triglycerides are therefore largely caused by grains and sugars.

3) High triglycerides can be made worse by insulin resistance/pre-diabetes/diabetes. On this issue, April’s doctor was correct: Look for diabetes: Fasting glucose and HbA1c (reflecting the last 90 days of blood sugars) will almost certainly be high, given the excess weight. Conventional answer: prescribe metformin and a low-fat diet. My answer: Go berserk on diet to reduce both blood sugar (and HbA1c) and triglycerides: NO grains, NO sugars; don’t worry about fat but have MORE of it.

4) Gemfibrozil? This is a drug from the fibrate class, but similar to statin drugs in side-effects. It can reduce triglycerides 100-200 mg/dl, rarely more, so it’s not a complete answer. And it has little benefit beyond this.

5) Fish oil–If there is an agent that reduces triglycerides, it’s the omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, EPA and DHA. However, higher doses are required, e.g., 3600 mg EPA + DHA per day, divided into two doses. Omega-3 fatty acids activate the enzyme, lipoprotein lipase, that is responsible for clearing triglyceride-containing lipoproteins from the bloodstream. Ideally, this should come in the form of liquid triglyceride fish oil, such as that from Ascenta NutraSea or Nordic Naturals, not the stuff from big box retailers that comes in capsules as the less well-absorbed ethyl ester form. It should certain NOT be the prescription form, Lovaza, as this is a big ripoff, plain and simple. (It represents a loophole in FDA regulations in that a company who can spend the money to gain FDA approval for a health indication can take something in the public domain and give it the veneer of a “drug” while charging drug-like prices for it–typical monthly cost: $300–provided physicians can be persuaded to prescribe it. There is NO analysis showing superiority over, say, Sam’s Club fish oil for $18.99 for triple-strength capsules with 900 mg omega-3s.) And it should not be krill oil, a trivial source of EPA + DHA, nor linolenic acid from flaxseed or chia. (These are fine foods, but not for reducing triglycerides.)

6) Correct vitamin D deficiency–At 13 ng/ml, April is woefully deficient. While correcting vitamin D deficiency does not reduce triglycerides per se, it can improve insulin responses and indirectly reduce triglycerides. The dose of D3 or cholecalciferol–the HUMAN form–is likely to be something like 10,000 units per day, the dose required to raise her 25-hydroxy vitamin D level to 60-70 ng/ml. (The prescription form is usually D2 or ergocalciferol, the MUSHROOM form, that is inferior in effect and duration. I don’t believe any mushrooms read this blog. There is a prescription D3, but it is not usually prescribed.)

This approach is uniformly effective. While gemfibrozil reduces triglycerides but achieves little else, the above approach also:

–Achieves weight loss–especially from visceral fat stores

–Reduces blood sugar–often sufficient to reverse diabetes

–Reduces hypertension

–Reduces appetite–since you lose the gliadin-derived opiates that stimulate appetite

–Reduces inflammation–because you lose the gliadin-induced abnormal intestinal permeability

–Improves gallbladder function–because you lose the lectin of wheat that blocks cholecystokinin, the hormone that stimulates the gallbladder

–Improves bowel flora–since the disruptive effects of gliadin, wheat germ agglutinin, and amylopectin A are removed.

–Improves a long list of other individual wheat-related phenomena

Target triglyceride level? I aim for 60 mg/dl or less, the level that we KNOW is associated with complete relief from abnormal triglyceride-related phenomena.

An open letter to Tom Hanks: Don’t be diabetic!

Tom Hanks announced on the David Letterman Show that he was diagnosed with diabetes after many years of struggles with blood sugar. All the news media have captured the story; here’s the USA Today story.



Mr. Hanks seems like a genuinely nice guy. So here is my open letter to him. Should he stumble on it, it provides the blueprint that I have been using to get rid of diabetes, a very realistic prospect for most people with diabetes–if they choose to do it and stick to it.

Now, not knowing the full details of Mr. Hanks health and lab values, I make the assumption that he is a type 2 diabetic. Adults can indeed develop type 1 (which is often triggered by wheat, by the way, via autoimmunity). Adults can also develop a sort of diabetes often regarded as in-between types 1 and 2 called the Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood (LADA), though it behaves more like type 1. (There are also other forms, though rare, such as type 1 diabetes that develops from pancreatic disease beyond autoimmune beta cell destruction.) Because type 2 diabetes is, by far, the most common and the form that is driving the nationwide epidemic, I will assume that is the form Mr. Hanks shares. (LADA is next in line.)

Dear Mr. Hanks–

I believe it was very courageous to share your diagnosis on television with a national audience. I am sure you will be flooded by well-wishers as well as many people with advice. I’d nonetheless like to alert you to several issues relevant to diabetes:

–The majority of diabetes is reversible. Most people can make the choice to have diabetes or to not have it. I hope that you choose not to have it. This is because it is caused by diet. Sadly, it is caused by conventional advice to “cut your fat and eat healthy whole grains.” People often blame too many soft drinks and junk food, but there are many people like you who, I’m sure, try to eat well and don’t drink or eat sugary foods–yet have diabetes. This is due to grains.

More than sugary foods, grains raise blood sugar to high levels. The glycemic indexes, for instance, of whole wheat bread, oatmeal, and multigrain breads are among the highest of all foods. They ENSURE having high blood sugars. (To see for yourself, use your glucose meter and check a blood sugar immdiately prior to a meal; consume the food in question, then recheck a blood sugar at 1-hour after eating, not 2 hours as often advised to assess the adequacy of blood sugar control on diabetes medication. You want the blood sugar peak, which is around 1 hour. You will see blood sugars of 200, 250, or 300 mg/dl after eating grains.) High blood sugars from “healthy whole grains” are also toxic to the beta cells of the pancreas (“glucotoxicity”), making blood sugars go even higher. In some people, the loss of beta cells means there can be no reversing diabetes, but this is less common early in the diagnosis.

–Ignore conventional dietary advice. Even better, do the opposite. Unfortunately, in the world of conventional diabetes advice, including that from most healthcare professionals, “Stupid is as stupid does.” The diet advised for people with diabetes makes fasting blood sugar and HbA1c (the 90-day measure of blood sugar) go higher, not lower.

–There are a number of other reasons that grains, especially wheat (white and whole) can be blamed: The gliadin protein of wheat is degraded in the gastrointestinal tract to small peptides that act as opiates and bind to the opiate receptors of the human brain. This triggers appetite for carbohydrates, the worst foods to eat for anyone with diabetes. Wheat germ agglutinin, another protein in wheat, blocks leptin and cholecystokinin, both of which should trigger satiety. In the presence of wheat, appetite is not satisfied.

Beyond the powerful strategy of grain elimination, we do not restrict fats but get plenty of olive oil, coconut oil, and the fats from animal organs and meats and supplement with:

–Vitamin D–The insulin-sensitizing effects of raising your 25-hydroxy vitamin D level to 60-70 ng/ml helps regain control over blood sugar. A typical male requires 6000 units of D3 in gelcap form to achieve this level.

–Magnesium supplementation–While the effect is modest, correcting common magnesium deficiencies stacks the odds in your favor of regaining control over blood sugar. I advocate magnesium malate, 1200 mg, twice per day.

–Omega-3 fatty acids–from fish oil. After eating a meal, there is a flood of particles in the bloodstream (lipoproteins), representing the digestive byproducts of the foods consumed. These particles can block insulin. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil activate an enzyme that accelerates clearance of after-meal lipoproteins, reducing their insulin-blocking effect. I advocate 3000-3600 mg per day of the EPA + DHA omega-3 fatty acids, divided in two doses for assured day-long reduction of lipoproteins.

Those of us who follow the above principles drop fasting blood sugar and HbA1c precipitously, often enough to get off medication, reduce HbA1c into the 5.0% range, and become assuredly NON-diabetic. Even if you are among the few who have impaired pancreatic beta cells and produce insufficient insulin, elimination of grains will minimize need for medications. And, by the way, we should also pass this information onto David Letterman, who also admitted to having high blood sugars during your interview.

My sincerest hopes that you benefit from these suggestions, I remain

William Davis, MD

Author, Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find Your Path Back to Health

Wheat Belly LIVE in Canada!

[image error]

I will be speaking on a Canada-wide tour starting November 1st, 2013:

Ontario

Toronto November 1st

Niagara November 2nd

Brantford November 3rd

Quebec

Montreal November 16th

More information and tickets can be found here.

I’ll be introducing some new information that I’ve not discussed before! Nutritionist Julie Daniluk author of Meals that Heal Inflammation, will also be speaking at the events.

More dates and cities to be set in future.

Gliadin: The Universal Human Poison

Autoimmunity is the process describing an immune response waged against our own organs. The complex collection of mechanisms consisting of T and B lymphocytes, antibodies, and others, meant to provide protection against viruses, bacteria, and other body invaders, is misdirected against proteins of the body’s organs, such as liver, pancreas, thyroid, or brain. Autoimmune conditions now affect 8% of the American population–it is increasingly looking like diseases of autoimmunity are out of control.

Dr Alessio Fasano was recently awarded the Linus Pauling Award, the highest award from the Institute for Functional Medicine, for his pioneering work on deciphering the role of the gliadin protein of wheat in triggering disruption of the normal intestinal barriers, a process that appears to underlie an astounding proportion of autoimmune conditions.

Dr. Fasano’s research has demonstrated that, in the presence of gliadin, foreign substances are permitted entry into the bloodstream, substances that ordinarily should have remained confined within the intestinal tract. Increased intestinal permeability is signaled by increased blood levels of the protein, zonulin. Increased zonulin levels have been found in type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. Interestingly, while zonulin levels are the highest in people with celiac disease, zonulin levels are increased in the majority of people without celiac disease. This may explain why, although people with celiac disease are at high risk for various autoimmune diseases, people without celiac disease can also develop autoimmunity (determined, in part, by haptoglobin 2 genotype).

The list of autoimmune conditions that have been associated with wheat, thereby gliadin, consumption is formidable:

Alopecia areata

Ankylosing spondylitis

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)

Autoimmune angioedema

Autoimmune aplastic anemia

Autoimmune dysautonomia

Autoimmune hepatitis

Autoimmune immunodeficiency

Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED)

Autoimmune myocarditis

Autoimmune oophoritis

Autoimmune pancreatitis

Autoimmune retinopathy

Autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (ATP)

Autoimmune thyroid disease

Autoimmune urticaria

Axonal & neuronal neuropathies

Cafe au lait

Cardiomyopathy

Celiac disease

Cerebellar ataxia

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)

Crohn’s disease

Demyelinating neuropathies

Dermatitis herpetiformis

Dermatomyositis

Endometriosis

Eosinophilic esophagitis

Eosinophilic fasciitis

Erythema nodosum

Fibromyalgia

Giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis)

Glomerulonephritis

Gluten encephalopathy

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

Hemolytic anemia

Hypogammaglobulinemia

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)

IgA nephropathy

Interstitial cystitis

Juvenile arthritis

Lupus (SLE)

Meniere’s disease

Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)

Multiple sclerosis

Myositis

Narcolepsy

Neutropenia

Optic neuritis

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH)

Peripheral neuropathy

Pernicious anemia

Polyarteritis nodosa

Polymyalgia rheumatica

Polymyositis

Primary biliary cirrhosis

Primary sclerosing cholangitis

Psoriasis

Psoriatic arthritis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Pyoderma gangrenosum

Raynauds phenomenon

Reactive Arthritis

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy

Relapsing polychondritis

Restless legs syndrome

Retroperitoneal fibrosis

Rheumatoid arthritis

Scleroderma

Sjogren’s syndrome

Sperm & testicular autoimmunity

Transverse myelitis

Type 1 diabetes

Ulcerative colitis

Uveitis

Vasculitis

Vitiligo

Yes, “healthy whole grain” consumption is accompanied by risk for an astounding variety of autoimmune diseases, some just a nuisance (such as vitiligo or cafe au lait), some disfiguring or debilitating (such as psoriasis or cerebellar ataxia), some rapidly fatal (gluten encephalopathy, transverse myelitis, type 1 diabetes without insulin).

You think any of this is factored in when we are advised to consume plenty of “healthy whole grains”?

Lose the wheat . . . climb a mountain

Lisa tells a moving story of a life transformed by wheat elimination:

About 3 years ago I was struggling with crazy inflammation: moderate at times, but also spiking and leaving me barely able to walk.

I was turning 40 and felt 90. Doctors diagnosed me with “fibromayalgia” and “Auto Immune Disorder–Etiology Unknown” and gave me pain pills and steroids, which I tried but the side effects were terrible. I knew they weren’t the answer, but I had no idea how to figure out what was wrong.

I basically suffered for years until I found your book. Within a week–days, really–of staying away from wheat, my pain was gone. My stomach issues, which had plagued me for several years, as well: gone.

I climbed a mountain on my 43rd birthday with my two daughters. Two weeks prior (before I found your book) I could barely climb the stairs. At the top of that mountain, I cried like a baby, so thankful for the chance to do this with my girls and live a full life again. Sometimes I can’t believe I feel this good.

I now row on my rowing machine 1500 meters a day, and will do more as times goes on. It feels great: no joint pain, no trigger points. I could go on and on here, but all I really need to say is thank you.

Wheat can be crippling.

What is it about wheat that can so profoundly impair muscles, bones, and connective tissue, the body parts we need to carry out activities like walk or climb a mountain? Here are a few reasons:

1) The gliadin protein of wheat induces increased intestinal permeability that allows foreign substances to gain entry into the bloodstream. This is the first step in autoimmunity, the body’s immune system attacking itself. While it’s worst in people with celiac disease, it applies to everyone else (though varies in intensity, depending on haptoglobin 2 genotype; see http://www.pnas.org/content/early/200...).

2) Wheat germ agglutinin–The lectin protein of wheat, in addition to its direct toxic effects on the intestinal lining, can also enter the bloodstream. Even in microscopic amounts, it is highly toxic and causes joint, connective tissue, and cartilage inflammation.

3) Anti-transglutaminase antibodies–We know that the gliadin protein of wheat oddly resembles the transglutaminase enzyme of the intestine, a situation of “molecular mimicry.” Celiac disease is diagnosed by a positive test for an antibody against transglutaminase, which cross-reacts with (deamidated) wheat gliadin. BUT there are emerging data that the antibodies generated against transglutaminase may also be responsible for inflammation in other organs even in the absence of celiac disease. This may especially involve joints, brain and nervous system, and liver.

4) The amylopectin A of wheat, the “complex” carbohydrate responsible for the high blood sugars of wheat consumption, triggers glycation of cartilage tissue that leads, over time, to brittle cartilage, then arthritis. (This part of the process of wheat-induced joint dysfunction is not reversible, however, so likely did not play a big role in Lisa’s case.)

In addition to being a perfect obesogen and perfect bowel-toxic food, wheat is also perfectly crafted to impair your joints, muscles, and connective tissues. Get rid of it . . . and climb a mountain.