Image
© celiacresource.org
The Wall Street Journal carried this report of a new proposed classification of the various forms of gluten sensitivity: "New Guide to Who Really Shouldn't Eat Gluten."

This represents progress. Progress in understanding of wheat-related illnesses, as well as progress in spreading the word that there is a lot more to wheat-intolerance than celiac disease. But, as I mention in the letter, it falls desperately short on several crucial issues.

Ms. Beck -

Thank you for writing the wonderful article on gluten sensitivity.

I'd like to bring several issues to your attention, as they are often neglected in discussions of "gluten sensitivity":

1) The gliadin protein of wheat has been modified by geneticists through their work to increase yield. This work, performed mostly in the 1970s, yielded a form of gliadin that is several amino acids different, but increased the appetite-stimulating properties of wheat.Modern wheat, a high-yield, semi-dwarf strain (not the 4 1/2-foot tall "amber waves of grain" everyone thinks of) is now, in effect, an appetite-stimulant that increases calorie intake 400 calories per day. This form of gliadin is also the likely explanation for the surge in behavioral struggles in children with autism and ADHD.

2) The amylopectin A of wheat is the underlying explanation for why two slices of whole wheat bread raise blood sugar higher than 6 teaspoons of table sugar or many candy bars. It is unique and highly digestible by the enzyme amylase. Incredibly, the high glycemic index of whole wheat is simply ignored, despite being listed at the top of all tables of glycemic index.

3) The lectins of wheat may underlie the increase in multiple autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in Americans, especially rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis, Crohn's).

In other words, if someone is not gluten-sensitive, they may still remain sensitive to the many non-gluten aspects of modern high-yield semi-dwarf wheat, such as appetite-stimulation and mental "fog," joint pains in the hands, leg edema, or the many rashes and skin disorders. This represents one of the most important examples of the widespread unintended effects of modern agricultural genetics and agribusiness.

William Davis, MD
Author: Wheat Belly: Lose the wheat, lose the weight and find your path back to health