The dark side of wheat

Wheat, the Bible tells us, is the “staff of life”. It has been the cornerstone of human diet since antiquity. For over ten thousand years, wheat has occupied a prominent place in caves, huts and on modern tables. However, almost all wheat consumed today bears little resemblance to what our ancestors ate over the millennia. There the rub.

At the onset of agriculture, the first farmers planted and harvested a form of wheat called “Einkorn” (triticum monococcum). Einkorn had a fairly simple genetic code containing fourteen chromosomes. A couple of millennia later, the  “Emmer” (triticum dicoccum) variety of wheat made its appearance. This was a genetic hybrid of Einkorn and a wild grass called “Goat Grass” (aegilops speltoides). Emmer was slightly more complex than Einkorn due to its twenty eight chromosome genetic structure, but still shared most of the genetic traits of its progenitor. Emmer and Einkorn would be the mainstays of man’s wheat-dominated diet for thousands of years.

During latter half of the 20^th century, faced with the urgent problem of feeding the rapidly growing world population, scientists conducted intensive research into creating a new genetic wheat hybrid that would provide greater yield, and would be disease, drought, and heat resistant. Thus was born modern wheat: triticum aestivum. Today, modern wheat is the most consumed grain on earth and is responsible for  twenty percent of all human caloric consumption. While it is undoubtedly true that this form of wheat prevented mass starvation in the third world, it is also responsible for some of the most pernicious chronic degenerative diseases known to man.

Modern wheat contains forty two chromosomes, which puts it thousands of genes apart from the einkorn wheat of yore. Einkorn and modern wheat may look and taste the same, but there are major biochemical differences. Up to 75% of the total carbohydrate content in modern wheat consists of  Amylopectin-A, a compound composed of a chain of glucose units. This starch is efficiently digested, and causes a sharp rise in blood sugar levels immediately upon consumption. Its glycemic index (GI) - a measure of how quickly blood sugar levels rise after eating a type of food - is 72, higher than sucrose (table sugar: GI 59). High GI foods are directly implicated in hyperinsulinism, chronic inflammation due to excess deposition of visceral fat in the body, and the collection of autoimmune conditions commonly known as Syndrome X. In his bestselling book “Wheat Belly”, Dr. William Davis notes that while wheat and diabetes have travelled hand in hand throughout most of history, the arrival of modern wheat has precipitated an explosion in the rate of diabetes around the world today.

Other insidious effects of modern wheat are caused by the very component that gives it its unique cohesiveness and malleability: the protein Gluten. In about 1 in 100 people (98% of whom have the generic markers HLA-Q2 or DQ8), gluten triggers an immune response characterized by severe inflammation of the small intestine. This is manifested by incapacitating abdominal cramps, diarrhea, bloating and fatigue (see table 1), a collection of symptoms widely known as Celiac disease. If left untreated, this condition has been shown to severely damage intestinal walls. Celiac disease has been recognized and treated by the medical community for several decades. However, gluten is also responsible for another, less recognized condition known as non-Celiac gluten sensitivity, which has very Celiac-like symptoms (see table 1). This condition lacks the immune response, intestinal damage and genetic markers of celiac disease, but is linked to severe neurologic and psychiatric conditions including schizophrenia and cerebellar ataxia.

Gluten works its nefarious ways by stimulating the intestines to produce a protein called Zonulin. Zonulin damages the gut lining by breaking up the tight junctions between the intestinal cells thereby causing a leaky gut. As a result, partially digested food and intestinal microbes cross the gut barrier and enter the bloodstream. This exposure triggers an immune reaction, generating antibodies that attack the body’s own tissue leading to systemic inflammation. Various conditions such as heart disease, dementia, cancer and diabetes are linked to systemic inflammation.

Another alarming aspect of gluten is that when exposed to stomach acid and enzymes, it gets digested into shorter proteins or polypeptides called exorphins. These are like endorphins that one gets from an exercise high.  The exorphins can cross the blood brain barrier and bind to opioid receptors in the brain. These are the same receptors to which opiates such as heroin bind. Wheat exorphins behave exactly like a drug causing multiple problems with brain physiology including schizophrenia and autism. They also cause addictive behavior including cravings and binge eating. Thus gluten can alter mood and generate withdrawal symptoms upon its elimination.

Beyond gluten, there are about 20% non-gluten proteins can cause allergic or anaphylactic reactions in human (see table 1). Some of these non-gluten proteins include agglutinins, alpha amylases, thioredoxin and glycerinaldehyd-3-phosphare dehydrogenases. Exposure of these elements triggers asthma, rashes and wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA) in susceptible individuals.

Strict elimination of gluten is the most effective way to reverse all the above conditions. A gluten-free lifestyle is also recommended for ostensibly healthy individuals because the majority of individuals who are sensitive to wheat may not exhibit any visible problems. Yet when they cut wheat out of their diets, they experience health benefits that include better mood, clearer skin, less fatigue, clearer thinking. Gluten elimination also helps those who struggle with autoimmune diseases, mental disorders, migraines, eczema and psoriasis, and joint pain. If you are suffering from any of the issues listed below it may be worthwhile to try a gluten free diet for a period of six weeks.

1) Genetic predisposition  or a family history of celiac disease or gluten intolerance

2) Presence of any digestive disease such as irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, poor intestinal permeability

3) Presence of food sensitivities that manifest as migraines, chronic fatigue, aches and pains, skin problems such as eczema, acne or pityriasis,

4) Presence or a family history of autoimmune conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

5) Difficulty in losing weight.

Table 1: Some of the symptoms associated with celiac disease, wheat allergy and non celiac gluten sensitivity

	Celiac Disease	Wheat Allergy	Non celiac gluten sensitivity
Gastrointestinal	Abdominal pain Diarrhea Constipation	Abdominal pain Diarrhea Vomiting	Abdominal pain Diarrhea Constipation Nausea Vomiting
Neurologic or psychiatric	Headache Brain fog Fatigue Numbness in hand and feet Musculoskeletal pain Ataxia	Dizziness Headache	Headache Brain fog Fatigue Numbness in hand and feet Musculoskeletal pain Other neurologic and psychiatric conditions
Other	Dermatitis herpetiformis Weight loss	Eczema Asthma Rhinitis Nausea Itchiness	Rash Nausea Weight loss