Is Wheat Really Evil? Mitigating Wheat and Gluten Intolerance

I have been ruminating over this post for a couple of months.  There is so much emotion and controversy around wheat and gluten, and so little hard science that I've been a bit reluctant to wade into the morass, but here goes.  Let me start by saying I believe in wheat as a key staple food for humanity.  It's full of nutritional value.  Whole wheat is low in fat, full of complex carbohydrates (sometimes called "slow-burn" carbs because the body has to work to digest them), rich in B vitamins and minerals, as well as dietary fiber.  I was raised on whole wheat bread and cracked wheat cereal and I have no sensitivity to gluten or wheat.  I keep a stock of homemade whole-wheat bread in our freezer and we eat it every day.  We are all "healthy as horses".  Suffice it to say--I'm a fan of whole wheat.

Having said that, I'm keenly aware that more and more people are experiencing wheat and gluten sensitivities ranging from mild allergic reactions to full-blown Celiac Disease.  The consequence has been a flurry of commercial products touting their lack of wheat ("gluten-free" is one of the hottest marketing slogans out there), and a spate of popular diets and literature demonizing grains in general and wheat in particular.  Wheat was made a dietary black sheep by Dr. Robert Atkins (who promoted a low-carb-diet) and millions of others who jumped onto similar dietary bandwagons.  Now even more people are hesitating about eating wheat after reading the claims made by William Davis, M.D., a cardiologist and author of the bestseller "Wheat Belly", which is subtitled “Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health.”  He claims that:

• Through selective breeding wheat has become a “Frankengrain” loaded with amylopectin A (a starch unique to wheat), which is “worse than table sugar”.
  Counterpoint: There is no clinical evidence that differences between today’s grains and older varieties have adverse effects on our health, in fact ancient Kamut grains were found in the pyramids in Egypt which had never been genetically modified and yet people with gluten intolerance still had problems with it.
• Wheat is the main culprit behind the obesity epidemic
  Counterpoint: Wheat is a staple in most parts of the world but there is no correlation between regional intakes and rates of obesity.  US wheat consumption has dropped since 2000 but obesity rates continue to grow.
• Wheat is primarily responsible for surging rates of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic disorders.
  Counterpoint: There no evidence that wheat bears special blame for these.  While blood sugar does rise after eating grains (more so with refined grains) that's true of all carbohydrates including gluten-free breads, pastas etc. 
• Whole wheat isn’t much better than refined wheat, so overweight people and those with chronic diseases should avoid it as well
  Counterpoint: There are numerous well-run studies that show strong correlations between whole-grain diets and a reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke, as well as improvements in blood cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar control. Other studies have found that whole wheat can help people control their weight and/or lose body fat.

Wouldn't it be nice to find a single culprit for the world's dietary and health woes?  Just stop eating wheat and all our troubles disappear!  Unfortunately it's not so simple.  Dr. Davis' claims are based on supposition and anecdotes with very little rigorous clinical evidence to back them up.  However they do add to the anti-gluten feeding frenzy that's making a lot of consumer products companies and a few authors rich.

What is demonstrably true, however, is that wheat and gluten sensitivities have become more common in the past 30 years.  Solid scientific evidence related to the causes of that phenomenon is largely absent so theories like Dr. Davis' appear to fill the information-void.  

Since science has not yet provided solid answers and we are left to speculative conjecture I'd like to rush in where angels fear to tread and posit an alternative explanation as to the root causes of wheat sensitivity.  This theory is at least as plausible (the elements of it are borne out by scientific research) and perhaps more practical (you may be able to mitigate the intolerance and still get the goodness of wheat).  

I first ran across the basis of this theory during a seminar I attended a couple of months ago where one of the workshops was titled "Overcoming Gluten Intolerance". It was taught by a Chiropractor named Dr. Kyle Christensen.  He has been practicing since 1985 and (so you understand his frame of reference) he is a naturopath and an herbalist who strongly advocates living close to the earth and having a diet focused on whole natural foods.  As you can probably tell by my blog I'm a strange blend of curiosity, skepticism, and pragmatism.  My curiosity seems to be innate because I can't remember not being thirsty to know.   I am skeptical by nature and upbringing (my dad taught us by example to "take everything with a grain of salt"--and I've carried my "salt-shaker" with me throughout my life challenging dogmatism from religion to popular culture).  My pragmatism is born of experimentation...I want to know what works.  My curiosity drew me into Dr. Christensen's seminar but with my skepticism fully engaged.  He has developed a regimen which he says he has used to help cure many people of wheat and gluten sensitivities including Celiac Disease.  The regimen takes several months because it includes reestablishing good gut flora which takes time.  After absorbing his ideas I've gone on to do research of my own and my pragmatic self has been experimenting with the ideas.  For me, at least, a number of the principles seem to me to be both true and useful.

The theory - what are root causes and mitigation strategies for our society's increasing wheat and gluten intolerance?

• Phytic Acids & Saponins - Plants (especially grasses and legumes) create a number of compounds that act as defense mechanisms designed to protect the plants from consumption by microbes and insects (e.g. saponins).  Other compounds (e.g. phytic acids) keep their seeds in stasis (dormancy) until conditions are right for sprouting and plant growth.  These substances are non-digestible by most mammals (ruminants like cows are the exception because their stomachs contain enzymes to break them down and digest them) and in some cases are actually anti-nutrients (i.e. they bind to other nutrients and make them unavailable for absorption).  
• Risks to Humans - These compounds exist in wheat and its gluten and unless they are mitigated they impact the digestibility of wheat products for all of us and, especially in people who already have genetic predispositions or compromised digestive systems, can lead to a spectrum of disorders (including celiac disease, wheat allergy, leaky gut syndrome, and irritable bowel syndrome) in which gluten has an adverse effect on the body. Symptoms include bloating, abdominal discomfort or pain, diarrhea, muscular disturbances and bone or joint pain.
• Mitigation Strategies - The non-digestible compounds can be broken down in advance (e.g. by soaking, sprouting, fermentation etc.) and/or mitigated by good gut flora during the digestive process.

Why Now?  Is It Fleischmann's Fault?

Wheat has a very long history of successfully providing nutrients to humans, so why the relatively recent rise in wheat intolerances?  While some portion of the population may have always been a genetic predisposition for gluten intolerance, the timing of the recent rise in wheat and gluten sensitivities suggests that there has been some significant change in environmental factors in the last 30 years that has aggravated these predispositions.  

Up until the mid 1800s bread in America was made the way it had been for thousands of years--with home-brewed sourdough starters and leaveners.  Then in 1868 two Austro-Hungarian immigrant brothers, Charles and Max Fleischmann built a yeast plant in Cincinnati, Ohio where they produced and patented a high quality standardized compressed yeast cake that revolutionized home and commercial baking in the United States. They introduced dry yeast during World War II, and then in 1984 (about 30 years ago) they developed RapidRise™ Yeast. This highly active, finer grain of dry yeast raises dough as much as 50% faster than regular active dry yeast. This RapidRise yeast was adopted almost universally by commercial bakers because it saved time and increased their throughput and profits.  Shortened leavening times also meant that the enzymatic pre-digestion of wheat's natural anti-nutrients was curtailed.  These compounds stayed in the baked goods and were consumed by the bakeries' customers.  Most home bakers adopted RapidRise yeast as well.  Those with genetic predispositions to gluten intolerance as well as those with compromised digestive tracts (see my post on Good Gut Flora for some root causes) had to deal with higher levels of saponins and phytic acids than ever, and prolonged exposure exacerbated the incidence of wheat and gluten sensitivities.

Can Wheat and Gluten Sensitivities Be Mitigated?

An interesting study was done by some scientist/bakers in Italy who tested how much gluten was in the bread they were making with sourdough.  They tested the dough immediately and there was 75,000 ppm of gluten.  Then they let it sit for 8 hours and it dropped to 12 ppm ("gluten-free" is anything under 20 ppm).  Here's the link to the study on the NIH's website.  Basically you can still will light wheat bread while virtually eliminating the gluten by using sourdough and a long fermentation process.

Dr. Christensen's regimen for minimizing and eliminating wheat and gluten sensitivities involves restoring the digestive tract so it's able to do it's proper function and digest the wheat you eat, and predigesting your wheat by going back to traditional methods of making your own bread using sprouted wheat or sourdough.  Here are my notes from his seminar:

Start by restoring your gut and then slowly add back sourdough bread (stay away from gluten and other inflammatory foods until you've restored your gut)--

• Bone broth is like the compost- water, bones, sea salt, vinegar (up to 5 cups / day)

• Eat fermented pre-digested foods (fermented milk such as kefir or yogurt and lacto-fermented vegetables)

• When you're feeling pretty good reintroduce wheat as whole grain sourdough bread a little at a time until you build up your capability to digest it

Please check out my related posts regarding good gut flora, sprouted wheat bread, how to make and use kefir, how to make your own yogurt, how to ferment vegetables, and various posts on how to make sourdough bread (use the search box on my blog and look for sourdough).  In the mean-time I want to share how I've been moving away from RapidRise yeast and making our everyday whole-wheat pan bread using sourdough starter.  The method I've developed doesn't have that San Francisco Sourdough Bread tang (tastes great with sweet as well as savory toppings).  The secret for me is to double the amount of sourdough starter used.  This gives you more yeast to begin with and raises the bread before it gets too sour.  It takes longer than using commercial yeast but is more flavorful and nutritious, and is more easily digested.

How to make yummy whole wheat loaves without RapidRise yeast:

• 4 cups Sourdough Starter
• 4 cups Warm Water
• ¾ cups sugar (you can use honey if you prefer)
• 3 tablespoons salt
• ¾ cup of vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl or a mixer, then add whole wheat flour until it is the proper consistency (springs back when you poke it) usually 10 to 14 cups.  Knead dough for 5 to 10 minutes and let it raise until doubled in size (around 3 hours).  Punch dough down and form loaves (roll them in a spiral like you see in the collage) and place them in greased pans.  Let the dough raise until they about double in size (may be another 3 hours) and then bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool on a rack.

This recipe makes 5-6 one-and-one-half pound loaves.  The recipe can easily be cut into a third or half of the amount.  For pizza dough, bread sticks, or french bread leave out the oil as this will make it more chewy.