The researchers in the Mayo Clinic journal article studied 309 men and women between January 1, 2000, and October 21, 2014, with an average age of just over 46. All had been tested and newly diagnosed with celiac.
Several micronutrients were low in each patient, but a zinc deficiency eclipsed them all. In fact, 59.4% of the patients were found to be zinc deficient, and to varying but lesser degrees, deficiencies in the other nutrients, including copper.
Zinc is the second most abundant trace mineral in our bodies. We don’t store it so we need to ingest zinc regularly. Zinc is needed for the proper function of more than 100 enzymes in your body. Zinc helps us digest food and synthesize proteins, vitamins, and other minerals.
Our study suggests that the presentation of celiac disease has changed from the classic weight loss, anemia and diarrhea, with increasing numbers of patients diagnosed with nonclassical symptoms. Micronutrient deficiencies remain common in adults, however, and should be assessed.” Assessment should include vitamin D, iron, folic acid, vitamin B12, zinc and copper.
Zinc deficiency was observed most frequently at diagnosis, the study says, with 59.4% of patients having a deficiency. Other deficiencies included iron, vitamin D, copper, vitamin B12 and folate.
Zinc is absorbed throughout the small intestine. Celiac disease damages the small intestinal. It is also very likely that zinc is needed for gluten digestion. If that’s true, a zinc deficiency would create a negative feedback loop with gluten digestion issues.
Vitamin D, copper, zinc, and iron are imperative for a healthy microbiome. And, gut bacteria play a key role in how we utilize copper, zinc, iron, and B vitamins. Smoking inhibits the uptake of minerals including the aforementioned while it reduces vitamin levels including vitamin D and B vitamins.
People who smoke alter their gut microbiomes substantially. Studies show smoking causes many vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Tobacco users do not digest food as well, and an inability to properly digest gluten is more likely in someone who smokes.
In my experience, people who are dealing with autoimmune disease cannot digest gluten well. Autoimmune disease is synonymous with an impaired gut microbiome.
Gluten Intolerance, Wheat Allergies, and Celiac Disease – It’s More Complicated Than You Think
Is “gluten free” a fad? No, it’s going to be a thing for as long as we are producing wheat and bread the way we’re doing it. A lot has changed in the bread industry – it’s not just one thing.
People often comment about how bread didn’t cause problems with our health before GMOs and Roundup were prevalent in our food supply. Our farming practices have changed, and fairly recently, wheat has started being sprayed with Roundup. The newest speculation is that wheat is not the problem – that the problem is glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. People also often suspect that wheat has been genetically modified. And, of course, there are those who believe the whole gluten-elimination thing is ridiculous and that most people are jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon because it’s trendy.
In my experience, if one suffers from a chronic illness of any kind, they must remove gluten from their diet in order to get well. I have yet to see an exception. So what’s the problem? Is it the glyphosate or the wheat or something else? The truth is it’s not just one thing. Everyone would already know this if most humans weren’t so bad at thinking in terms of systems. We tend to think linearly and look for singular cause and effects, but rarely if ever are complex problems solved by such simplistic thinking. There are multiple reasons one gets sick, with a cold or a chronic disease, just like there are multiple reasons why our planet’s ecosystem is changing. This is why you can’t blame the rise of autism on just glyphosate, or GMOs, or increased vaccinations, or diminishing food quality, or environmental degradation – they all correlate, it’s all of the above.
There is a very complex system that is causing the decline of American health, and it’s not just the bread. And yes, our health is in decline. If you doubt that…here, google it and take your pick. Our lifespan is actually decreasing.
What’s the difference between Gluten Intolerance, Wheat Allergies, and Celiac Disease
Conventional medicine states that celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity have a lot of symptoms in common but identifies a key difference. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is not a genetic disease and does not cause an autoimmune reaction, and celiac disease is a genetic autoimmune disease. A wheat allergy is an allergic reaction to any of the hundreds of proteins in wheat. Gluten intolerance used to be a catch-all phrase for any problem with eating gluten, but now it’s being relegated to mean Non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Non-celiac Gluten Sensitivity
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is believed to be the most prevalent of the gluten-related disorders, but it’s not as well defined as the other two. It’s not an autoimmune reaction nor is it an allergic reaction. There are no tests or biomarkers to identify this disorder. Other components of gluten-grains may be causing symptoms. In order for non-celiac gluten sensitivity to be diagnosed, a doctor will rule out celiac disease and wheat allergies or other possible causes of the symptoms first.
Common Symptoms for Non-celiac Gluten Sensitivity
Fatigue
Mental fatigue, aka “brain fog”
Headaches
Migraines
Bone or joint pain
Gastrointestinal distress
Gas
Bloating
Cramping
Indigestion
Abdominal pain
Diarrhea
Constipation
It’s said that individuals with gluten sensitivity do not experience damage to the small intestine or develop tissue transglutaminase antibodies like they do with celiac disease. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity has been linked to a variety of health problems including, diabetes, allergies, autism spectrum disorders, and much more.
Gastroenterologists looking for celiac disease typically test for a few specific antibodies, and if found, they do an intestinal biopsy to determine if tissue damage is present. Chris Kresser addresses the issue with this kind of testing in 3 Reasons Gluten Intolerance May Be More Serious Than Celiac Disease, which I highly recommend reading. He states:
According to some estimates, for every diagnosed case of celiac disease (CD), there are 6.4 undiagnosed cases that remain undiagnosed—the majority of which are atypical or “silent” forms with no damage to the gut. (1) This silent form of CD is far from harmless; it is associated with a nearly fourfold increase in the risk of death. (2)
I believe that patients with NCGS are even more likely than patients with CD to go undiagnosed. Most gastroenterologists today know how to screen for celiac disease. They will typically test for antibodies to antibodies to alpha gliadin, transglutaminase-2, deamidated gliadin, and endomysium, and if positive do a biopsy to determine if tissue damage is present.
However, we now know that people can (and do) react to several other components of wheat above and beyond alpha gliadin, the component that is implicated in CD. These include other epitopes of gliadin (beta, gamma, omega), glutenin, wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), gluteomorphin, and deamidated gliadin. What’s more, people can react to other types of tissue transglutaminase, including type 3—primarily found in the skin—and type 6—primarily found in the brain. (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is considered a genetic, autoimmune disorder. Ninety-eight percent of people with celiac disease carry one or both of two very specific genes, HLA DQ2 and DQ8. On the other hand, so does up to 25-30% of the general population. Carrying one or both of these genes does not mean you have celiac disease nor does it mean you will develop it. Doctors often use gene testing to rule out celiac disease, but there are some cases where people who do not have either of the genes still tested out to have celiac disease.
Though celiac disease is said to be genetic, genes cause predispositions and our diet and environment adjust our genes. Environment can alter gene activity without changing the DNA sequence. This is called gene expression. I also believe that the environment and diet can actually alter the DNA sequence, but from what I’m seeing, current science doesn’t agree with me on this. Regardless, how your genes affect you is altered by our diet and our environment, and those traits can be passed down to our offspring as well. In other words, a predisposition to celiac disease may be hereditary, but whether or not we have celiac disease could depend on our genetic health, which depends on our overall health, which depends on our lifestyle. And this can all be traced to gut health – you cannot have a healthy gut without a healthy lifestyle, and our gut health is something most of us have complete control over.
Doctors believe that in order to develop the disease, a person needs to have the genetic predisposition while they are consuming gluten and to subsequently have the disease activated. Activation triggers are said to potentially be stress, trauma, and viral infections. I contend that vaccines and antibiotics are the two most common triggers for the disease. Damaging the gut is what leads to problems with wheat, but we’ll get more into that below.
Wheat Allergies
Celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity have many symptoms in common, but wheat allergies are often much more distinctive. Symptoms include itching, hives, or anaphylaxis which is a life-threatening reaction. A wheat allergy is an immune reaction to any of the hundreds of proteins in wheat. It is possible for a person to be allergic to wheat and to have non-celiac gluten sensitivity or celiac disease at the same time.
What About Roundup?
Monsanto introduced glyphosate under the trade name Roundup in 1974 shortly after DDT was banned. It wasn’t used very much until the late 1990s when Monsanto genetically engineered seeds to withstand high doses of Roundup, and the product took off. Eager to sell more of its flagship herbicide, Monsanto has encouraged farmers to use their glyphosate as a desiccant. Wheat can be harvested quicker and easier if you dry it all out ahead of time with Roundup. It’s also used in this way on wheat, barley, oats, canola, flax, peas, lentils, soybeans, dry beans, and sugar cane.
Studies have concluded that chronically ill people have higher levels of glyphosate in their bodies. Glyphosate has been attributed to an increased prevalence of most of our common chronic conditions including, but not limited to ADHD, Alzheimer’s, birth defects, autism, cancer, kidney disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, depression, diabetes, heart disease, thyroid disorders, liver disorders, multiple sclerosis, reproductive issues, adrenal failure, obesity, asthma, and of course, celiac disease.
It’s not hard to understand why. Glyphosate is poison and so are the other ingredients in Roundup. People have to wear protective gear to apply the product. It is designed to kill. It kills plants by preventing them from making certain proteins. Just imagine what that does to one’s gut ecology.
How Wheat Has Changed
The wheat we have now is very different from what our ancestors consumed. Modern dwarf wheat is hybridized. That isn’t a GMO, but the genes of our wheat plant have certainly been modified to grow faster, and to be more resilient. We used to eat wheat called einkorn, which was actually one of the very first grains we humans cultivated more than 10,000 years ago. When you read in the Bible about how we should eat bread, this is the wheat it refers to.
There is a lot more gluten in modern wheat than there is in einkorn, and the gluten that einkorn wheat does contain is different. Einkorn also has 15 percent less starch and 30 percent more protein. Modern wheat has a lower nutrient content and a different protein structure. In fact, many with celiac and gluten intolerance report being able to eat einkorn without issue.
Also, that blood sugar spike experienced after eating bread does not happen with einkorn.
So I conducted a simple experiment on myself. On an empty stomach, I ate 4 oz of einkorn bread. On another occasion I ate 4 oz of bread that dietitian, Margaret Pfeiffer, made with whole wheat flour bought at the grocery store. Both flours were finely ground and nothing was added beyond water, yeast, olive oil, and a touch of salt.” – Einkorn and blood sugar
“Ancient wheat diets caused a downregulation of key regulatory genes involved in glucose and fat metabolism, equivalent to a prevention or delay of diabetes development. Spelt and rye induced a low acute glycemic response compared to wheat.” – NCBI
How Bread Making Has Changed
Most commercial bread contains bromides, added starches, refined sugars, added gluten (vital wheat gluten), preservatives, artificial flavorings, leveling agents, and stabilizers. Potassium bromate is an additive used in commercial bread and baked goods that make the products lighter and fluffier. Bromines are part of the halide family, a group of elements that includes fluorine, chlorine, and iodine, which are all endocrine disruptors that cause digestive issues and a host of other health problems.
Baking Soda, baking powder, and cream of tartar are often used in place of yeast or in addition to rapid rise yeast to make the bread rise quickly and more uniformly. Modern bread rises for a couple of hours or less, whereas homemade bread traditionally takes at least 12 hours to rise. I got curious about the difference between baking soda and baking powder, and I thought you might be as well, hence the video below.
Traditional bread recipes typically utilized a few common ingredients including flour, yeast, salt, water, a sweetener, and some spices or herbs.
Refined flours started to be widely used around 1880 which caused worldwide epidemics of pellagra and beriberi. Refining the flours removes bran and germ which increases shelf life. It also removed the B vitamins. Previous iterations of bread did use bolted or sifted flour which did refine the wheat somewhat, but it didn’t remove all of the bran, germ, and endosperm, and that flour was never bleached.
Bread with Whole Grains that are gently stone ground just before mixing the dough and then allowed to ferment slowly and naturally, in other words — authentic sourdough. That’s how the Egyptians made it 6,000 years ago.”
Bread was fundamentally redesigned. Refined flours, large quantities of commercial yeast, and a combination of additives and intense energy created the modern industrial bread. Fast mixing, fast rise, fast baking. Industrial bread is made far too fast.” – Mario Repetto
How Our Gut Biology Has Changed
We keep eating more and more sugar. In the early 1700s, the average sugar consumption was about 4 pounds a year. By 1800 we were at 18 pounds a year. By 1900 we were up to 60 pounds of sugar a year. Today the average American consumes between 130 and 150 pounds of sugar every year.
Sugar feeds pathogens. Our healthiest gut bacteria like the healthiest foods: vegetables and herbs. Nature wouldn’t work any other way; how could it? You’re probably thinking, “What about fruit?” We don’t eat the fruit we used to eat. Like wheat, our fruit has been radically altered through hybridization. But that’s another article (I’m working on it). For now, just Google “wild banana” or “what watermelon used to look like“.
We get way more sugar than our ancestors got even if we cut out refined foods. This causes an abundance of Candida. I believe Candida is prevalent in every single person with chronic illness. Everyone has yeast but when yeast is left unchecked they turn into pathogenic fungi. Tests for Candida aren’t accurate. Candida, when in it’s in the virulent fungal form, will make the gut more permeable. When this happens food proteins are absorbed into the body before they are digested. This causes allergies. This is one of the main causes of allergies, but there are others at play as well. In my experience, every single person who has cut refined sugar out of their lives and decreased their body’s Candida was able to rid themselves of seasonal, environmental, and food allergies. Every single time!
In addition to that, a study published in The Lancet showed that the candida protein HWP-1 is similar in structure to gluten.
A candida infection in the gut can cause an immune system reaction to HWP-1, which then stimulates an allergic reaction to the gluten in wheat and other grains and may trigger celiac disease in genetically susceptible people.” – Leyla Muedin, RD
Wheat proteins can also cause an immune response against the thyroid.
An obvious explanation is that the initial attack on the thyroid by anti-tTG autoantibodies of celiac leads to thyroid inflammation and presentation of TPO, with a second round of autoantibodies produced to TPO resulting in Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.” – Dr. Art Ayers
Celiac disease and hypothyroidism beget more chronic autoimmune issues. Allergies lead to autoimmune disease. Allergies lead to chronic health issues. Medical science has established this. Medical science is just starting to understand the fact that a permeable gut causes allergies. Science also has established that an abundance of Candida causes a permeable gut. What they haven’t figured out yet is just how prevalent the permeable gut issue really is. But the bottom line is that our poor diet leads to allergies and almost all that commonly ails us.
Suggestions
If you have a healthy gut, make your own sourdough bread using heirloom wheat and the old-school practices. If you have any chronic illness, then you do not have a healthy gut. Here’s how you fix it. If you’re not well, wait until you get well before consuming any kind of bread. And don’t think of old-fashioned bread as healthy. Vegetables are healthy. Bread is at its best a neutral food with some health benefits and easy calories that can help sustain life like brown rice and millet. Vegetables and herbs heal the body.
Obviously, stay the heck away from poisons! Glyphosate is a cocktail of poisons. Science has firmly established this. And avoid GMOs as well. They weren’t designed with our health in mind, they were designed for profit, and in most cases, to sell more Roundup.
The hard truth is that letting companies cook your food for you leads to poor health. People often ask me, “If you can cure cancer why aren’t you rich?” If I could cure cancer and figure out how to do it while still eating refined, prepackaged, and processed foods that we humans have grown accustomed to, I would be rich. But people would rather die for convenience food than give it up. Obviously. We see this everywhere.
Being well long-term means preparing all your own food yourself the right way, or being rich and hiring someone else to do it. There is no shortcut. Certainly not with bread.
Zonulin Research and Gluten Free Awareness Marches Forward
We’ve all met one. The person loudly proclaiming that gluten-sensitivity isn’t a real thing and that all those hipsters paying a ridiculous amount of money for their special gluten free products need to sit down, shut up, and have a sandwich with real bread. As frustrating as hearing that sentiment can be for those who suffer from unpleasant symptoms like stomach pain or diarrhea after consuming gluten, the lack of a definitive, concrete test for gluten sensitivity makes it easier to treat that sensitivity as an imagined condition. Nearly half of American consumers see gluten free as a fad based solely on anecdotal evidence, rather than the complex diet and gut issue that it is. Now, researchers may have found a more effective way to diagnose gluten sensitivity – a protein molecule called zonulin.
Not Your Average Space Invader
Most people have never heard of zonulin. In fact, it sounds more like a bad guy from a movie or show set in space than a molecule responsible for regulating the opening and closing of junctions in the lining in the intestinal tract. But like the public’s awareness of gluten free issues, zonulin is a relatively new discovery, as it was discovered in 2000. Zonulin reacts to harmful bacteria like salmonella entering the gut, opening the digestive lining’s junctions to induce diarrhea and flush out bad guys. Once the bacteria
Zonulin reacts to harmful bacteria like salmonella by opening the digestive lining’s junctions to induce diarrhea and flush out bad guys. Once the bacteria is gone, the digestive junctions close up, and zonulin levels return to normal. A smoothly functioning digestive system is the basis of health, as the lining of your intestinal tract determines how vulnerable you are to potentially harmful bacteria like Candida.
The Gluten Effect
So what does that mean for people with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity? According to a recent study, undigested gluten triggers zonulin in people with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and digestive conditions like irritable bowel syndrome. People with these issues have been shown to have higher levels of zonulin. High zonulin levels correspond to open junctions in the gut, which increases the likelihood of harmful particles damaging the gut lining itself and triggering immune responses in other areas of the body. This leaves the gut unable to heal itself which can spiral into serious autoimmune conditions (see Leaky Gut Syndromes, and Autoimmune Diseases) like hypothyroidism and multiple sclerosis (and, of course, many others).
Shut it Down
Zonulin itself is a valuable molecule in the body, and recent information suggests that it could also have an important role in determining people who are at risk for celiac disease. As research into how gluten affects people continues, dismissing gluten-free diets as a fad will become more and more difficult. Learning about the gut ecosystem and it’s massive effect on your health is one of the smartest things you do. Don’t wait for someone to hand you your health on a platter.
Gluten, found in many staple foods, is a substance that gives elasticity to dough. Until recently, a strict gluten-free diet was only of interest to people with celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in which proteins from grains (such as wheat, rye and barley) damage the small intestine. However, more people are now finding that they feel better on a gluten-free diet. So, is this a psychological “placebo effect”, or do people actually benefit physically from a gluten-free diet?
Research has now confirmed that gluten sensitivity does exist. Some experts say that gluten sensitivity is much more common than celiac disease. In celiac disease, the intestine is damaged, but in gluten sensitivity, it is not. Symptoms for both can be similar (including stomach aches and pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, IBS) so it is important to get tested. Symptoms of gluten sensitivity can affect any organ or tissue in your body, and can include muscular and joint pain, fatigue, anaemia, and tingling in hands and feet.
Why are more people now reacting to gluten when we have been eating grains for 10,000 years? First of all, to make those lovely fluffy white breads, modern grain has been cultivated so that it contains much more gluten than it did in the past. Secondly, our diets have changed significantly in the past few decades. We now eat gluten in most meals, unlike in the past. Wheat flour is used in a vast range of modern, mass-produced “ready-made” meals and sauces. (Even your mustard can have it). So we are consuming far greater quantities of gluten, more frequently, than our ancestors.
When our bodies digest gluten, the lining of the intestine is temporarily damaged. This makes it permeable to gluten proteins (hence ‘leaky gut’), which is the mechanism behind both gluten sensitivity and celiac disease. For most people this inflammation is healed relatively quickly after eating but for some it takes much longer. Other aggravating factors include modern additions from the food chain, including pesticides and GMO foods, which have been linked to ‘leaky gut’. To ensure there are no pesticide residues or genetically modified substances, which may affect your gut health, choose organic food.
If you feel that you suffer from symptoms that may be caused by gluten, get tested for celiac disease. Then you can try going gluten free for a minimum of 4 weeks, then reintroduce gluten to see the difference in how you feel. Take good care of your general gut health, as the gut is the basis for your overall health. Feed the good bacteria in your intestine by eating plenty of organic vegetables and fruit every day. Also, introduce fermented foods, such as sauerkraut and probiotic yogurts. Avoid damaging your intestinal lining with unnecessary antibiotics, drugs or alcohol.
Author: Marika Walker graduated in Nutritional Therapy from CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine) the UK’s largest training provider in natural therapies.
If you have celiac disease, gluten will damage your body. Even a tiny crouton will set off a chain reaction causing your immune system to go into defensive mode and start damaging the small intestine. According to Holly Strawbridge of Harvard Health, this reaction can “…interfere with the absorption of nutrients from the food, cause a host of symptoms, and lead to other problems like osteoporosis, infertility, nerve damage, and seizures.”
Many people don’t know they are sensitive to gluten or that their health problems are directly related to gluten consumption. The world’s #1 tennis player, Novak Djokovic, changed his entire diet during his career. By eliminating gluten, he experienced a drastic physical and mental change. His energy and concentration skyrocketed, which influenced his abilities on the court, helping him reach the top of his game.
So what are the symptoms and signs of gluten intolerance?
Depression and anxiety. Symptoms include a feeling of hopelessness, loss of appetite, anger, sleep deprivation, lack of interest and energy, inability to relax, heart racing, chest pains and other psychosomatic symptoms. Medication is sometimes required to fight off the persistent imbalances, but once gluten is removed from the diet, this mental condition may be resolved.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This disorder affects both kids and adults. When on a gluten-free diet, you’ll get your kid focused and sitting in one place much easier than before.
Fatigue and brain fog. It can be quite debilitating not to be able to think straight, but not every sense of disconnection originates from the head. A 2002 study in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry found that there may be significant cross reactivity of IgG (immunoglobulin G) antibodies to gluten and other different antibodies that could result in mental fogginess.
Autoimmune diseases. Gluten sensitivity can contribute to development of other diseases such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, lupus, psoriasis, scleroderma or multiple sclerosis among many other.
Digestive issues. Gas, bloating, diarrhea and constipation are usually the culprits. Also, constipation may occur in children after gluten consumption, an obvious indication that they cannot tolerate it.
Low immunity. Our bodies have IgA, a class of antibodies that are found in our saliva, tears, and sometimes in our blood and gastrointestinal tract. These antibodies are the first line of defense against any disease, but gluten can diminish their level and consequently make you prone to other illnesses. If you want to stay healthy, stay away from gluten.
Hormone imbalance. This protein can cause menstrual irregularities, weight gain or loss, low energy, hot flashes and more. Once women with gluten sensitivity reach pre-menopause, the ovarian output of sex hormones (progesterone and estrogen) drops and serious problems start to reveal themselves. The adrenal gland starts working like crazy causing unstable blood sugar, gastrointestinal tract inflammation, increase in fatigue, as well as body fat and unstable mood swings.
Migraine headaches. Millions of people around the world suffer from this condition. Not all causes are linked to gluten; however, if you free yourself of this protein, you may find it was the cause of yours.
Body issues. Your teeth, bones, skin, joints and muscles can also be affected by gluten sensitivity and Celiac disease. As soon as you do an elimination diet, you can determine if gluten is the main cause of such ailments. It may take some time, but once you have the diagnosis, you can immediately start treating yourself and discover other delicious dishes that help heal and restore balance to your body and mind.
If you have a gluten sensitivity, do your research. You will need to be vigilant in avoiding obvious as well as hidden sources of gluten. Although this will cut many grains and many processed foods out of your diet, gluten free foods are becoming more popular.
5 Things Everyone Should Know About Wheat & Gluten
Although wheat is a staple food in the human diet, gluten proteins are associated with three well-known pathologies that affect a significant portion of the human population: gluten allergy, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and celiac disease. More and more people are having trouble digesting wheat. Today, approximately one in every 133 Americans have celiac disease, the least common of the three gluten-related pathologies. Let’s look at a few likely reasons as to why.
Wheat Has Changed
The wheat we have now is very different from what our ancestors consumed. Modern dwarf wheat is hybridized. That isn’t a GMO, but the genes of our wheat plant have been modified to grow faster and to be more resilient. Nearly all of the wheat consumed today is dwarf wheat, which has shorter stems and offers greater yield.
We used to eat a wheat variety called einkorn, which was actually one of the first grains that humans cultivated more than 10,000 years ago. When the Bible tells us to eat bread, einkorn is the wheat it refers to. Einkorn is lower in starch and higher in protein, essential fatty acids, phosphorous, potassium, pyridoxine, and beta-carotene.
More & Different Gluten
Modern wheat has much more gluten than einkorn. Modern wheat has a different gluten-protein structure. Einkorn has 14 chromosomes, and modern wheat has 42 chromosomes.
Gluten is actually not a single protein, it is a family of different proteins. One of the gluten proteins that scientists believe is causing much of the problems is called Glia-α9. A study found that Glia-α9 is significantly higher in modern wheat.
Wheat Processing Has Changed
Modern techniques in grain processing make it possible to create massive amounts of refined wheat for much lower cost than before. These modern processing techniques separate the nutritious bran and germ from the starchy endosperm. This process increases the shelf life of wheat but removes B vitamins and other nutrients.
These more refined flours started to be widely used around 1880. Soon after the world experienced epidemics of pellagra and beriberi.
Bread Making Has Changed
Most commercial bread contains bromides, added starches, refined sugars, added gluten (vital wheat gluten), preservatives, artificial flavorings, leveling agents, and stabilizers. Baking Soda, baking powder, and cream of tartar are often used in place of yeast or in addition to rapid rise yeast to make the bread rise quickly and more uniformly. Modern bread rises for a couple of hours or less, whereas homemade bread traditionally takes at least 12 hours to rise.
RoundUp
Eager to sell more of its flagship herbicide, Monsanto has encouraged farmers to use their glyphosate as a desiccant. Wheat can be harvested quicker and easier if you dry it all out ahead of time with Roundup. It’s also used in this way on barley, oats, canola, flax, peas, lentils, soybeans, dry beans, and sugar cane.
My Two Cents
I believe that much of our problems with wheat digestion stem from the changes in our gut bacteria due to the increase in antibiotic usages, antimicrobial toxins chemicals (from pesticides to hand sanitizers), increased vaccines, and most importantly, our ever-increasing consumption of refined sugars. The result is a gut full of candida with little beneficial bacteria to help properly digest food, and this leads to a body full of fungus, parasites, and other pathogens.
An abundance of candida in the gut will cause the gut lining to be more permeable which allows for gluten proteins to pass into the bloodstream undigested. I believe this is a major cause of the increase in food allergies and digestive issues and gluten problems we are experiencing today. For more on that, I urge you to check out Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections. It’s a must-read for anyone with chronic illness.
Gluten & Neurological Disorders – Understanding the Connection
Gluten is the common protein molecule found in wheat, barley, rye, kamut, and spelt. Gluten is a sticky, storage protein that binds to the small intestinal wall where it often causes digestive and immune system disorders. The most common condition associated with a gluten sensitivity is celiac disease where the small intestinal villi are flattened. However, the immune reaction that takes place with gluten sensitivity can affect many different tissues, and when it does, it is termed non-celiac, gluten sensitivity (NCGS).
NCGS is an epidemic that is a major factor in inflammatory disorders of the brain and nervous system. Studies have found associations between gluten sensitivity and disorders in every part of the neurological system including the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. 1
Gluten and Major Neuropathic Disorders
Gluten is a significant trigger in psychiatric disorders, movement disorders, sensory ganglionapathy, ataxia, neuromyelitis, multiple sclerosis, cerebellar disease, cognitive impairment, dementia, restless leg syndrome, migraines, apraxia, neuropathy, myoclonus, hearing loss, and virtually every other neurological disorder. 2,3,4,5,6
For many individuals, their immune system gets so overworked from gluten sensitivity and other environmental challenges such as toxins, parasites, vitamin D3 deficiencies, and trauma they can have severe immune reactions that last months after one provoked exposure. This means that consuming gluten on one day can cause an inflammatory assault that could last for 2-3 months. 5 This is why it is so critical to be as strict as possible when avoiding gluten and other inflammatory irritants.
The Complexity of Gluten Sensitivity
Gluten is made up of a sticky portion called glutenin and a protein portion called gliadin. Gliadin can be broken down into alpha, omega, and gamma gliadins. Most lab tests only look at alpha gliadin antibodies but this is only a very small component of the total molecule. Often times this lab comes back negative, but the individual is reacting to some of the other components of the gluten molecule.
Glutenin gives wheat dough strength and elasticity and is very commonly used in the baking process due to these desirable characteristics. Many people have severe reactions to this molecule, but it never shows up on the basic gliadin antibody testing.6
The food processing industry very often deamidates the gladin molecule to make it water soluble. Deamidated gliadin has been shown to trigger severe immune responses in many individuals. This never tests out for gliadin antibodies.7
Gluten Based Opioids
When the body metabolizes gluten, it creates opoids in the form of gluteomorphin. One can have a blood test to see if the body produces antibodies to gluteomorphin and the building block prodynorphin.8
When someone has an opioid sensitivity, going gluten free can cause severe withdrawal symptoms that are similar to coming off of opioid drugs such as heroin. These symptoms include depression, crazy mood swings, nausea, and vomiting, as well as abnormal bowel activity. This can last anywhere from several days to weeks.
Cross-Reactivity Immunology & Nervous System Dysfunction
Immune cross-reactivity happens when the immune system mistakes one protein for another. The gluten protein is similar to protein structures in the nervous system and the thyroid tissue. When the body creates antibodies for gluten, it may also produce antibodies to the body’s own nervous tissue or thyroid.9 This cross-reactive effect leads to damage to the brain, thyroid, and other neurological tissue when the individual consumes anything with even the slightest bit of gluten.
The most common area of cross-reactivity is through a family of proteins located on neurons called synapsin. These proteins help to regulate neurotransmitter release. This is most common in the cerebellum, which can cause problems with vertigo, motor control, balance, and anxiety.10