Interesting blog.  I have a question: would you be able to offer some comments on Dr. Ornish reversal programme and low fat vegan diets (in reversing CHD), based on your professional experience?

We are having a little discussion about various pros and cons of various therapies and dietary approaches on the Web MD forum:

http://boards.webmd.com/webx?14@1016.MAjDbu7Matv.0@.5987f44c

We would really welcome you and would greatly appreciate some professional comments.  Sincerely,
Stan Bleszynski (Heretic)

Super low-fat diets, while an improvement over a conventional modern American diet of high saturated fat and processed foods, seriously exagerrate the small LDL particle pattern that is among the most powerful causes known of heart disease. It also reduces HDL and raises triglycerides, sometimes substantially. Dr. Ornish would argue that these are inconsequential changes, since his patients regress. Unfortunately, the methods he uses to gauge regression of atherosclerotic plague are flawed: angiography and nuclear imaging. Both can be envisioned as measures of flow, not of atherosclerotic plaque. Only CT heart scans or intracoronary ultrasound actually measure artery plaque. I tell my patients that, if you want heart disease, follow the American Heart Association diet. If you want heart disease and diabetes, follow Dr. Ornish's diet.

I know several people who have gone for a "routine" check with a cardiologist, sent for an angio, and ended up with at least 1 stent. (NO symptoms prompted these visits, just "high cholesterol".

I also know a couple of people that have 9, 10, or more stents!

worrisome. with such a dramatic reaction to wheat, should he consider testing for celiac? Should he encourage his relatives to test for gluten sensitivity? should he make the effort to avoid even miniscule amounts of gluten, such as in OTC meds or supplements?

Wheat-free is the way to be! Before going wheat-free I was taking anti-histamines and decongestants several times a week and my sinuses would still be hurting. My doctor was no help, he would just blame it on allergies. Now that I'm wheat-free I can go for months without a sinus headache and when I do get one I can usually trace it to something that I ate.

I also haven't had a cold or flu in the 1 1/2 years that I've been wheat-free and the joint pain in my knees and fingers is gone along with my chronic cough. Now I'm just dealing with some linger thyroid issues.

I see so many people at my work that would benefit from going wheat free, but it's difficult to bring up the subject with them. I guess my New Year's resolution will be to convince at least one person that I know to go wheat-free for at least 4 weeks.

Are we to infer that the belly was from wheat and the sinus problem from onions?

I should have mentioned that the majority of people who show positive effects of wheat elimination  are negative for antibodies for celiac.

While somewhere around 1 in 100-133 Americans have celiac disease (and the Celiac Disease Foundation estimates that only 3% know it), I would estimate that many, many times that have some form of wheat intolerance.

Gluten is poison.

A good post by Dr. Harris
http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2009/12/28/avoid-poison-or-neutralize-it.html

"The biggest circle in the Venn diagram encompasses 83% of the population –all the smaller circles plus those who might show evidence of an innate response but in whom testing for antibodies may show nothing, and who therefore would never be known to have been damaged by gluten consumption, even if they had MS, schizophrenia, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Grave’s disease. Lupus, Type I diabetes, Sjogren disease, etc. or any other of the many diseases that travel with celiac as a consequence of leaky gut and ensuing molecular mimicry that occurs when you damage your gut with wheat."

Here is an interesting abstract from Science Daily on the possible cause of irritable bowel syndrome: Breakthrough on Causes of Inflammatory Bowel Disease http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091217094905.htm

""All the food that we eat is foreign to our body," Dr Eastaff-Leung says. "In healthy people the immune system has a mechanism to tolerate these foods and not react. But some people do not have enough of these regulatory cells and their body overreacts and goes into attack mode. That is where the inflammation occurs," she says."

One would think wheat causes varying degrees of inflammation as well.

Great post, Dr. Davis.  I reference your blog frequently to explain wheat's affects on health.  You are doing a great service to many people by promoting such a simple, yet transformational dietary change.

Thank you!

If your health improves from eliminating gluten grains, why even *bother* testing for celiac?  There's no treatment except to continue eating a clean diet, so what's the point of having an official diagnosis?

No one demands to see your celiac card to serve you a burger without a bun or a salad without croutons!

I had pretty random symptoms until I developed what turned out to be secondary lactose intolerance.  I had never had a problem with lactose, but I tried taking lactaid first...and that did absolutely nothing.  I researched why that would be, and I wound up eliminating gluten.  

In the rear-view mirror, it all makes sense now.  My mystery rash *was* dermatitis herpetiformis after all.  I always felt like a million bucks on Atkins induction and my digestion *improved* - this is not what most people report the first week they do Atkins.  I used to have tinnitus, and if I accidentally eat wheat, it comes back.  I had a very hard time controlling my weight, and now I know why.

I now only eat almost no grains at all, and I have no desire to go back to the bad old days of being bloated and crabby and experiencing a late-afternoon sleepy spell!

Oh, and after eight weeks off gluten, the lactose intolerance completely disappeared.

elanecu - the problem with the onions is they were probably coated in wheat.

Scientists and doctors try to discovery how to change genes and manipulate the immune system, but the real answer to many chronic diseases may be as close as the food on our dinner plate.

I'm going to try going 100% wheat-free, thanks! But it's easier said than done, as it's everywhere. I seem to have a very different reaction to grains depending largely on what I eat. Often (occasional) piece of bread is OK, but cereals are not. Bloating and periods on excess and unlogical hunger may follow.

I hate to always talk about how things are here in Finland, but we also have that stupid "eat grains 6-9 times a day" dogma that americans have. Yet I think we have, on average, a bit more choice as rice, oat, barley and rye are just as popular here as wheat. But wheat still exists in so many foods, because gluten is so versatile in food processing and baking.

If you have an access I beg you to check out this study in GUT on gluten if you haven't yet:

http://gut.bmj.com/content/56/6/889.extract


If a staggering 83% of the population might show evidence of an innate response to gluten, how can we know who is safe from ravages of wheat consumption ?

elanecu - I am Michael B.'s wife - the problem with the onion rings was that they had been battered (with a wheat-flour based batter) and fried.

I have been on this wheat-free diet along with Michael. The changes that I have experienced are minuscule in comparison to his, but I have experienced an increase in energy and better hydration. As Dr. Davis has pointed out, not everyone will experience such drastic changes. But I have seen first-hand that it DOES work wonders for some people, and even though I haven't experienced any drastic changes, I do plan to continue eating wheat-free along with Michael. And I would like to add my thanks to you, Dr. Davis!

I wonder about flourless bread made from sprouted wheat, quite popular here in Portland, OR.  It doesn't seem to budge my blood glucose much at all.  If it doesn't raise my blood glucose is it unlikely to be raising small LDL?

I too thought gluten was fine with me -- right up until I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and no matter how many drugs they threw at me I didn't improve AT ALL until I eliminated wheat. It took a year for me to figure this out, and I'm so glad I did, because my doctors never mentioned it as a possibility.

I now eat no grains, potatoes, soy, corn, or sugar and I've experienced a dramatic improvement in my condition.

Neonomid,
Wheat, barley, rye all contain gluten. Oats are frequently cross contaminated by gluten grains.
Some celiacs also have trouble with avenin, the gluten in oats.

Flowerdew Onehundred,

If you have a formal diagnosis of DH, you are considered to have celiac. Getting a biopsy for DH is the easiest way to go for sure, compared to imperfect blood tests, endoscopys, and pathology reports.

Any one individual may not consider a formal diagnosis worthwhile in the short run, but the health care system is set up differently. Good luck with the pharmacy and the insurance, if you should ever need a gluten free medication. And best wishes should you ever be hospitalized and need a special diet.  

It can also help family members get the proper screening. All first degree relatives of celiacs should be screened periodically, even if asymptomatic.

For years I was using two inhalers to deal with severe seasonal allergies. When I went on the Atkins diet, I noticed that I didn't need the inhalers, and, in fact, didn't have so much as a runny nose. Through trial and error, I discovered it was the wheat that was triggering the allergies. I haven't used an inhaler in more than 10 years now, and I definitely don't eat wheat, or any other grain for that matter.

"Britons May Be Avoiding Wheat Unnecessarily, UK" - http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/176895.php

I had a similar reaction to wheat, but genetic testing was negative for celiac disease, putting me in the more common camp of "gluten intolerant".

I was wondering about the spelt flour used in some health food store breads. Is that wheat free? Or is there an acceptable brand of bread available? I noticed at a yoga center my sinuses were much better due to absence of eggs, meat and I believe also wheat products.

I always try to take cake myself by I just want to know which could be the perfect diet to be healthier. I'm diabetic.

Personally, I previously experienced many of the same symptoms that Michael suffered, all gone with wheat elimination.

I also follow Dr. Scot Lewey, a GI, who posted this:
Gluten Proven to Cause Digestive Symptoms and Fatigue in Non-Celiacs

My GP tested my blood for celiac, even though I told him I hadn't eaten any wheat in many weeks, but he looked it up in a lab book which didn't say being wheat free was necessary (I suspect that lab book might have been outdated, but forgot to ask at that time). I was negative.

Although eventually my 3rd GI figured out I'm most likely intolerant to food additives (which ones are up to me to figure out via my own rule out diets - figured 3 out, but either there's more, or I haven't figured out all the names for the same food additives).

Well anyway, I went back on wheat since white wheat didn't trigger my "gut attacks" (extreme inflammation), and noticed my sinus problems returned.

Also, I was able to go much longer without hypoglycemic symptoms (not diabetic, but quite familiar with low blood sugar symptoms).

So now I "mostly" avoid wheat, and can still tell if I've overdone it (more than 1-2 times a week with a moderate amount). My sinuses act up, and once I had a few days of shakes and light-headedness until I stayed off wheat for a few more weeks.