200 Clinically Confirmed Reasons Not To Eat Wheat We discovered an article goes into a lot of detail, citing research from many clinical trials and reports to give a really clear picture of the evidence to date – and it’s true that wheat has been associated by scientific research with over 200 different medical conditions! At first glance, we might think that this is a ridiculous conclusion because so many people eat wheat every day; perhaps it will help to remember that, relatively speaking, the appearance of wheat in our evolutionary history is very recent. Wheat was first domesticated around 10,000 years ago and grew quickly in popularity after a wild variety produced a spontaneous natural mutation, resulting in what is now called “Einkorn” wheat. This mutation caused the ripened grains to remain attached to the plant stem rather than falling to the ground, enabling it to be much more easily harvested by humans. This one fact is widely credited for the beginnings of agriculture and the change in lifestyle of our ancestors from hunter-gatherer societies to farming communities and hence the start of civilization as we know it! Over the millennia there have been countless different strains of wheat, and further development of hybrid and then GMO varieties to increase profitability and attempt to reduce susceptibility to disease and pests. There has been a lot of talk in recent years about the possible adverse effects of eating wheat and it’s now quite common to hear someone say that they have “wheat intolerance”. Wheat and its derived products form a very large part of the modern diet with the widespread consumption of bread, pasta, cakes and pastries to name just a few! The main cause of ill health from eating wheat is commonly regarded to be from gluten intolerance but this could be far less widespread in reality – it has also been recommended that anyone with a wheat intolerance should eat ancient forms of wheat such as Spelt, Emmer or Einkorn as modern wheat is higher in gluten but these ancient varieties are still not entirely gluten free. Eating ancient wheat is not considered safe for celiacs although some people with the disease have found it acceptable. Health problems from gluten are not restricted to sufferers of celiac disease (for whom gluten is toxic) and there is a lot of positive evidence of the benefits of a general reduction in gluten intake. There is new evidence that the presence of a lectin called ‘wheat germ agglutinin’ (WGA), found in wholewheat as well as refined wheat products, is the most likely cause of many health problems linked to wheat – this affects everyone because WGA has been shown to cause direct damage to body tissues. WGA is reported to encourage inflammation and the trouble is compounded if the digestive system is already under stress from bacterial infection or another cause of sensitivity or inflammation. Many western diets are so dependent on wheat that it is difficult to imagine the radical change needed to revolutionize the range of products that fill supermarket shelves, but as this news spreads, hopefully there will be a gradual shift in the right direction. We now know that reducing our intake of wheat in favour of a more varied diet could be one of the most important decisions we take for better health. Reducing your overall intake of cereals and including a wider range of different grains looks like the best way forward.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 10:49:45 +0000
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