Interesting Information: May 2, 2012
Modern Wheat Raises Blood Sugar
I’m researching grains for Part II of the three-part series of the Mainely Tipping Points essays on the Paleo Diet. Part III will be on legumes. Part I is on the blog, TP 41. Click on Mainely Tipping Points essays on the right sidebar of the blog.
“Well Being Journal” (May/June 2012) published a letter from Mark Pasley, who heard an on-line interview with William Davis, M.D., who just published WHEAT BELLY. (I’ve ordered this book.) Pasley writes that “what got my attention was Davis’s assertion that modern wheat (which differs greatly from our wheat of just 50 years ago) raises blood sugar as much as table sugar. So every time we eat wheat, our blood sugar spikes and then drops a couple hours later, when we (no surprise) crave more wheat. This creates a cycle of constant hunger and snacking, as well as a potential predisposition for type 2 diabetes. In addition, the way the wheat is metabolized tends to create visceral fat around the organs in the belly.”
Pasley writes, also, the following–which I find really interesting: “Apparently, the changes made to wheat by agribusiness and the food industry over the years have created a grain–never tested on humans–that causes health problems for many people.”
Pasley decided to go wheat-free for one month after hearing the interview. Here’s what he wrote: “Since then, I have experienced dramatic improvements in mood, energy, and digestion by simply eliminating wheat, and my belly has indeed gotten smaller. I don’t own a scale, but the last time I went to the gym, their scale said I was 7 pounds lighter.”
I have no idea what kind of research William Davis is using, and I’m looking forward to reading his book. But I will say that I am increasingly finding good information (in that it is well researched by people with good credentials and being published in major mainstream journals) that wheat, and especially wheat gluten, is a big problem for many more people than anyone previously thought. Also, wheat is being put into all kinds of body-care products–where it can be easily absorbed by the skin–especially if it’s in a shampoo or conditioner being used in a hot shower.
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