This month I’m going to discuss a topic that has been on the hot seat in the health industry for the last year or so. With the growing confusion I felt it was a good time to shed some light on that four letter word that is actually six-----GLUTEN.
Let’s quickly review first.
Gluten is a protein, a heavily consumed one at that. Gluten is created when two molecules, glutenin and gliadin, contact one another and form a bond. When bakers (gigantic industrial machines) knead dough, that bond creates an elastic membrane, which is what gives bread its chewy texture. As humans we have been eating wheat and thereby gluten for many thousands of years. So why all the hubbub now?? The answer…………Celiac disease/gluten insensitivity, and honestly……….the media. If we have been eating gluten so long why all of a sudden is there this drastic increase with people suffering from complications from ingesting gluten?? There are several reasons. Let’s take a look at some of the theories.
THE WHEAT...THINK OF THE WHEAT--The wheat we have now is different from the wheat we had 50 years ago. Is it? Let’s discuss. Wheat today isn’t simply milled and baked into bread. Wheat today is the brainstorm of some lab experiment gone horridly wrong. Much of the wheat ingested today has been milled into white flour which has lots and lots of gluten, but guess what……no nutritional value. Did you know that wheat is in over 30% of the foods we purchase at the grocery store? Included in this are snack foods, soups, dressings, and even processed meats and frozen veggies (anyone else seeing a processed theme here?). But…wait a moment…researchers at the US Department of Agriculture, the Mayo Clinic, and even the North American Society for the Study of Celiac Disease have been studying wheat genetics and have shown that there is virtually no difference in the genetic makeup of wheat now and wheat of the past. What they do know is that something seemed to change in 1950, right about the time when heavy industrialization was introduced as a means of producing baked goods (Anyone else seeing a theme as well?). So, if it’s not fuzzy genetics, what else might it be?
GLUTEN HYSTERIA--Gluten anxiety has been building for years. About a decade ago William Davis wrote a book called Wheat Belly and everything changed in an instant. David Perlmutter a Neurologist went as far as saying that Gluten sensitivity, “represents one of the greatest and most under-recognized health threats to humanity.’’ Sales of Gluten free products exploded and will in fact exceed 15 billion (That's a B folks) dollars next year, double what it was just five years ago. It has become a cultural phenomenon. You want Gluten free vacations....you got it. You want Gluten free weddings.....you got it. They even make gluten free communion wafers and matzah (OY VEY!). Want to read a great blog? Check out Gluten Is My Bitch (Excuse the language, but yes...a real blog)https://glutenismybitch.wordpress.com/. A great blog about life without Gluten. Point is.........you want Gluten out of your life? There is an armada of people who agree with you and plenty of resources to make it happen.
Let’s quickly review first.
Gluten is a protein, a heavily consumed one at that. Gluten is created when two molecules, glutenin and gliadin, contact one another and form a bond. When bakers (gigantic industrial machines) knead dough, that bond creates an elastic membrane, which is what gives bread its chewy texture. As humans we have been eating wheat and thereby gluten for many thousands of years. So why all the hubbub now?? The answer…………Celiac disease/gluten insensitivity, and honestly……….the media. If we have been eating gluten so long why all of a sudden is there this drastic increase with people suffering from complications from ingesting gluten?? There are several reasons. Let’s take a look at some of the theories.
THE WHEAT...THINK OF THE WHEAT--The wheat we have now is different from the wheat we had 50 years ago. Is it? Let’s discuss. Wheat today isn’t simply milled and baked into bread. Wheat today is the brainstorm of some lab experiment gone horridly wrong. Much of the wheat ingested today has been milled into white flour which has lots and lots of gluten, but guess what……no nutritional value. Did you know that wheat is in over 30% of the foods we purchase at the grocery store? Included in this are snack foods, soups, dressings, and even processed meats and frozen veggies (anyone else seeing a processed theme here?). But…wait a moment…researchers at the US Department of Agriculture, the Mayo Clinic, and even the North American Society for the Study of Celiac Disease have been studying wheat genetics and have shown that there is virtually no difference in the genetic makeup of wheat now and wheat of the past. What they do know is that something seemed to change in 1950, right about the time when heavy industrialization was introduced as a means of producing baked goods (Anyone else seeing a theme as well?). So, if it’s not fuzzy genetics, what else might it be?
GLUTEN HYSTERIA--Gluten anxiety has been building for years. About a decade ago William Davis wrote a book called Wheat Belly and everything changed in an instant. David Perlmutter a Neurologist went as far as saying that Gluten sensitivity, “represents one of the greatest and most under-recognized health threats to humanity.’’ Sales of Gluten free products exploded and will in fact exceed 15 billion (That's a B folks) dollars next year, double what it was just five years ago. It has become a cultural phenomenon. You want Gluten free vacations....you got it. You want Gluten free weddings.....you got it. They even make gluten free communion wafers and matzah (OY VEY!). Want to read a great blog? Check out Gluten Is My Bitch (Excuse the language, but yes...a real blog)https://glutenismybitch.wordpress.com/. A great blog about life without Gluten. Point is.........you want Gluten out of your life? There is an armada of people who agree with you and plenty of resources to make it happen.
ANECDOTAL--Many people just feel better when they get off Gluten. People who complain of headaches, nausea, arthritis, aches and pains, trouble sleeping, trouble with digestion, trouble with energy, and any other number of ailments report them disappearing after getting off of Gluten. As April Peveteaux the author of Gluten Is My Bitch so bluntly puts it, "No matter what kind of sickness has taken hold of you, let’s blame gluten. If you want or need to get gluten out of your diet, bravo! Kick that nasty gluten to the curb. . . . Not sure if gluten-free is for you? Perhaps gluten simply causes you some discomfort, but you’ve never been diagnosed. Then eff that gluten!’’ But is Gluten getting a bad rap? MSG has long been the Godfather of all things evil in the kitchen, causing many of the same symptoms that gluten does. But after many years of debate and study there is still no definitive evidence that MSG actually contributes to these problems, and that there is virtually no chemical difference between man made MSG and that which is natural. Did you know there is MSG in tomatoes? Mushrooms? Potatoes? What quantity you ask? Ahhh…now we are getting somewhere.
FODMAPS—Means fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. Now that's a mouthful(pun intended). New research has been focusing on these types of carbohydrates. There is a growing culture (and diet) that feel not eliminating these water grabbing carbs from your diet leads to many of the same discomforts that gluten causes. In fact a recent study removed both FODMAPS and gluten from the diet of the participants. Guess what? Their intestinal discomfort disappeared (no surprise). But, gluten was then reintroduced to their diet. You know what happened? Nothing...bubkis. The digestion issues did not return. What does this point to?? Well, we are not entirely sure yet, but that maybe removing gluten from your diet is not necessarily a panacea to all your problems.
THE REAL CULPRIT??--Vital wheat gluten is a powdered, concentrated form of gluten that is found naturally in all bread. It is made by washing wheat flour with water until the starches dissolve. Extra VWG is often added to dough to provide the strength and elasticity necessary for it to endure the brutal process of commercial mixing. VWG increases shelf life and acts as a binder. Interestingly and perhaps ironic is the fact that the use of VWG increased when we as consumers demanded healthier bread. It is nearly impossible to mass produce whole wheat bread without adding something to strengthen it, the dough is just not strong enough to endure the current way it is manufactured. That something is vital wheat gluten. Look at the 1st four ingredients of your average whole wheat bread and it may look something like this: whole-wheat flour, water, wheat gluten, and wheat fiber. Translation=gluten, water, more gluten, and fibrous gluten. Does anyone else think that is a whole bunch of gluten? The notion is that gluten in itself is not exactly the problem, it is the sheer amount of gluten. One would think that there has to be a limit to the amount of gluten the body can digest. Did you know that in China gluten is used as a substitute for meat and tofu? It is often served straight up steamed, fried, or baked. Is all the gluten hysteria similar to the Low Fat diets of the 80's?? For years low-fat diets have been recommended for weight loss and to prevent heart disease. Food companies have altered thousands of products so that they can be labelled as "low in fat", but they replaced those fats with sugars, salt, and refined carbohydrates making the foods even less healthy. What research has shown is that the total amount of fat in your diet (in moderation) isn’t truly linked to weight or disease. What matters is the type of fat and the total calories you consume. Bad fats increase the risk of death from heart disease and good fats can help lower it.
WHY CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG--Perhaps gluten is suffering the same fate. Peter H. R. Green, the director of the celiac-disease center at the Columbia University medical school states, “This is a largely self-diagnosed disease, and in the absence of celiac disease, physicians don’t usually tell people they are sensitive to gluten." You know who is now prescribing this gluten free diet? ME!! chiropractors, psychiatrists, acupuncturists, naturopaths, personal trainers, life coaches, podiatrists and the like are all preaching the benefits of a gluten free life. And it is distinctly possible we are doing so without firm data supporting such a move. The idea in itself is solid, let's cut back on foods that contain gluten which helps people reduce their consumption of refined carbohydrates, bread, beer (perish the thought!), and other highly caloric foods. If followed carefully, these restrictions help people lose weight. But, what I am learning is that the gluten-free versions are not necessarily more healthy even though they are found in the "green" section at Kroger. Ingredients like rice starch, cornstarch, tapioca starch, and potato starch are often used as replacements. These are also highly refined carbohydrates, and release at least as much sugar into the bloodstream as the foods that people have just given up.
FODMAPS—Means fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. Now that's a mouthful(pun intended). New research has been focusing on these types of carbohydrates. There is a growing culture (and diet) that feel not eliminating these water grabbing carbs from your diet leads to many of the same discomforts that gluten causes. In fact a recent study removed both FODMAPS and gluten from the diet of the participants. Guess what? Their intestinal discomfort disappeared (no surprise). But, gluten was then reintroduced to their diet. You know what happened? Nothing...bubkis. The digestion issues did not return. What does this point to?? Well, we are not entirely sure yet, but that maybe removing gluten from your diet is not necessarily a panacea to all your problems.
THE REAL CULPRIT??--Vital wheat gluten is a powdered, concentrated form of gluten that is found naturally in all bread. It is made by washing wheat flour with water until the starches dissolve. Extra VWG is often added to dough to provide the strength and elasticity necessary for it to endure the brutal process of commercial mixing. VWG increases shelf life and acts as a binder. Interestingly and perhaps ironic is the fact that the use of VWG increased when we as consumers demanded healthier bread. It is nearly impossible to mass produce whole wheat bread without adding something to strengthen it, the dough is just not strong enough to endure the current way it is manufactured. That something is vital wheat gluten. Look at the 1st four ingredients of your average whole wheat bread and it may look something like this: whole-wheat flour, water, wheat gluten, and wheat fiber. Translation=gluten, water, more gluten, and fibrous gluten. Does anyone else think that is a whole bunch of gluten? The notion is that gluten in itself is not exactly the problem, it is the sheer amount of gluten. One would think that there has to be a limit to the amount of gluten the body can digest. Did you know that in China gluten is used as a substitute for meat and tofu? It is often served straight up steamed, fried, or baked. Is all the gluten hysteria similar to the Low Fat diets of the 80's?? For years low-fat diets have been recommended for weight loss and to prevent heart disease. Food companies have altered thousands of products so that they can be labelled as "low in fat", but they replaced those fats with sugars, salt, and refined carbohydrates making the foods even less healthy. What research has shown is that the total amount of fat in your diet (in moderation) isn’t truly linked to weight or disease. What matters is the type of fat and the total calories you consume. Bad fats increase the risk of death from heart disease and good fats can help lower it.
WHY CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG--Perhaps gluten is suffering the same fate. Peter H. R. Green, the director of the celiac-disease center at the Columbia University medical school states, “This is a largely self-diagnosed disease, and in the absence of celiac disease, physicians don’t usually tell people they are sensitive to gluten." You know who is now prescribing this gluten free diet? ME!! chiropractors, psychiatrists, acupuncturists, naturopaths, personal trainers, life coaches, podiatrists and the like are all preaching the benefits of a gluten free life. And it is distinctly possible we are doing so without firm data supporting such a move. The idea in itself is solid, let's cut back on foods that contain gluten which helps people reduce their consumption of refined carbohydrates, bread, beer (perish the thought!), and other highly caloric foods. If followed carefully, these restrictions help people lose weight. But, what I am learning is that the gluten-free versions are not necessarily more healthy even though they are found in the "green" section at Kroger. Ingredients like rice starch, cornstarch, tapioca starch, and potato starch are often used as replacements. These are also highly refined carbohydrates, and release at least as much sugar into the bloodstream as the foods that people have just given up.
WRAP UP—So, what’s the answer? To be completely honest…..I have no idea. I am just as exhausted with the whole idea as you are. This is what I can say….do your due diligence. Research any diet or life style change that you are considering undertaking. Don’t just hop on the bandwagon because everyone else is. Remember, the goal of any company, including those who make gluten free products is to get you the consumer to buy their wares. Much of the time they will use any means available to make that happen. It is likely that it will take years for us to know the true extent of the effect of gluten on our diet. Until then, follow your gut (pun intended again)…it won’t lead you wrong.
Thanks for reading. The information above is not meant to sway you one way or another. It is also not meant as a pro or anti gluten stance. It’s meant to open conversation and get you thinking. That what good healthcare practitioners should do. J
If you would like to read any of the other previous newsletters, you can find them here.
Vitality Sports Chiropractic Blog
Thanks again,
Dr. Wiskind DC, CCSP
Thanks for reading. The information above is not meant to sway you one way or another. It is also not meant as a pro or anti gluten stance. It’s meant to open conversation and get you thinking. That what good healthcare practitioners should do. J
If you would like to read any of the other previous newsletters, you can find them here.
Vitality Sports Chiropractic Blog
Thanks again,
Dr. Wiskind DC, CCSP
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