Gluten Hell

Wheat. It seems pretty innocuous. A tall grass, indigenous to most of North and South America. Humans have been consuming wheat and wheat related products for centuries if not millennia. Records from the earliest settled societies, such as the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Aztecs, show evidence of the consumption of wheat and other grains. In fact, they are possibly the first plants which were grown by mankind in order to eat, a clear fork in the road from the hunting and gathering that our ancestors used to do.

The main difference between grains like wheat and other plants that our ancestors might have been able to find is the need of processing. Most of the wheat grass is indigestible. The seeds of the plant are all that we can eat, but that requires a great deal of processing. Since processing requires technology, most processed foods are not what we are designed to eat.

This seems to go for wheat as well. The main problem with wheat is a protein called gluten. It is from a class of proteins called leptins. They are present in all grains including rice and corn, but the gluten from wheat is by far the worst.

When I was in medical school, they taught us about celiac disease. It was characterized as a very rare disease. I became much more interested in gluten in the past year or so. My new wife, and most likely my son, are gluten intolerant. Just a bit of wheat in bread, cookies, or many other products, gives them abdominal cramping, and in the case of my son, diarrhea.

Given my close connection to gluten intolerance, I did a bit of research. The gluten in wheat is rather toxic to the human body. It causes damage to the intestinal cells, allowing bacteria and other nasties to enter the system. It also interferes with the absorption of other nutrients, leading to the ironic phenomenon of being malnourished while still having plenty to eat. Gluten intolerance is a spectrum, and the degree of symptoms is determined by just how sensitive you are. Symptoms of gluten intolerance include: vomiting, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, weight loss, headaches, and weakness. Additionally, gluten intolerance has been linked to such auto-immune diseases such as Crohn's disease, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and certain forms of cancer, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

When I became aware of these findings, I decided to use myself as a guinea pig (I kind of like to do that). I cut gluten out of my own diet. I have occasionally had bouts of cramping abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fatigue, for which I didn't know the cause. Within a month of switching to a gluten free diet, those symptoms went completely away. I had more energy than ever. It even helped with my workouts, since I had more energy.

The interesting thing is how little I learned about this very dangerous nutrient in medical school. As such, if you have been to your doctor with chronic versions of the symptoms mentioned above, it is highly likely that your doctor will not recognize the diagnosis since they are not aware of all of this current research.

If you do suffer from any of these chronic ailments, I would encourage you to cut gluten from your diet (in addition to eating mostly fruits, vegetables, and seeds and nuts) for at least a month. I know it is hard, since wheat is in so many products. If you give it a try, I think you will feel much better and many of your symptoms will disappear, as mine did.

If this works (or even if it doesn't) please comment and share your experience with me. As always, if you want or need nutrition or exercise advice, feel free to contact me: drott@devolvehealth.com. Also, if you respond to this post, look at www.devolvehealth.com, or my facebook page, www.facebook.com/devolvehealth, I will be happy to offer any help I can.

M. Jacob Ott, MD