Can wheat cause diabetes?
Posted on 16 September 2009
Published September 16, 2009 . Filed under: Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome, Healthy Eating, Specific conditions, Unhealthy Eating!
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An excellent topic, John.
At risk of seeming to be posting off-topic but really not, honest, has anyone followed or caught airtime given over to colony collapse disorder (CCD) in honey bees? Bee colonies, particularly those commercial ones and in the USA, have been suffering from high mortality which threatens honey production and also crop pollination.
Researchers are leveling concern at colony infestation by the parasitic varroa mite which spreads an RNA virus to which the bees are vulnerable. But most interesting is a growing realisation that other factors may be involved. Colonies can tolerate the mite and virus without suffering collapse.
Theories are emerging that a number of external factors act as ‘stressors’ which degrade the bees immune ability below a threshold and whereby they can no longer defend against the virus. Such ‘stressors’ as postulated can be grouped as pertaining to bee ‘habitat’ and change therein. The commercial bees are forced to live an itinerant lifestyle being transported from south to north to follow the need for crop pollination, they are forced to feed from monocultures resultant from modern agricultural methods and lacking in fringe diversity from say, hedgerows, then, of course, pesticide or herbicide use is under scrutiny. It is the resultant stress from these factors, perhaps with others, that tips the balance. The factors have something in common; they are change imposed by human intervention and departure from natural systems.
To return to the topic my point is that perhaps CCD is an excellent illustration of something that even with insight as to a mechanism in ill-health, there may be merit in looking for ( even to the point of expectation) a supporting cast of additional factors. This is an observation in full support of what you say.
Through assisting my son complete a school project recently, I learned that coral reefs are sensitive indicators of planetary change by virtue of be being ecosystems in delicate balance. Perhaps through their being sensitive indicators the bees have something to teach us about another delicate ecosystem – ourselves. Sadly, myself included, by the time many of us become concerned considerable harm has been done.
‘Pancreatic exhaustion’ is a helpful phrase in discussion but is limiting in systemic comprehension. Reduced pancreatic function could arise from a number of things, are ‘they’ any nearer to narrowing it down?
September 16, 2009 @ 10:39 am
Richard Johnson’s research on pigs showed that you can give pigs diabetes by feeding them sugar, wheat doesn’t have the same effect. (No need for readers to say pigs aren’t people, I have noticed that myself.) Makes me think it might not be wheat.
Also, it’s interesting that in the past the Japanese ate rice all day long and hardly ever got diabetes. Makes me think maybe it is wheat.
September 16, 2009 @ 4:45 pm
As a type 1 diabetic I am always interested in the theories that may contribute or cause it;s development. Usually research is focused on type II diabetes (especially diabetes UK).
I read about a study not long ago that links type 1 with an intolerance to gluten, obviously found in significant proportions in wheat based products. This would then add significance to the above findings.
I find wheat and dairy products both difficult to digest. I can no longer tolerate full fat dairy products and I have totally elminiated products containg gluten. My blood sugar control seems better for it too. Together with my opinion now and that of a great nutritionist that generally I should eat low carb.
Has anyone else also read about the possibility of gluten playing a role in type 1 diabetes?
Great blog post John, some more along these lines, please.
September 18, 2009 @ 10:47 am
Interesting. I’ve long wondered if
- the method now used to mill wheat (which I believe is steel rollers, which break down the grain more and in the process heat it more than previous methods), and
- the widespread use of homogenization of milk (thus, I suppose breaking down the fat molecules more)
has something to do with the problems pealpe appear to have with wheat and dairy.
September 18, 2009 @ 11:03 am
So many people seem to have problems with wheat, especially in bread, these days that I agree that new strains of wheat may be causing a problem.
I also wonder whether the way we make bread commercially makes a difference. The process is much faster than traditional breadmaking, meaning the wheat/gluten is not going through the fermentation process for as long. Could this make the gluten harder to tolerate?
(Apologies for the ‘unscientific’ nature of my comments!)
September 18, 2009 @ 11:11 am
John, do you think there might be a wheat ‘link’ with other autoimmune diseases? Am thinking of thyroid disorders specifically, they are so common. This is me nagging you to post something about thyroids and wheat!! (There seems to be a little evidence gathering on this, from what I can gather, and I know there are lots of us who would appreciate your evaluation of it, if you think it’s valid.)
September 18, 2009 @ 12:01 pm
Jo, There is evidence that this is the case. In his book ‘Dangerous Grains’ Braly argues that wheat can cause inflammtion in the intestines and a permeable gut lining which allows molecules into the bloodtream that should not be there. The body sets up an immine response to these. He argues that people with thyroid problems could be sensitive to wheat, also typt 2 diabetes. Hilda Glickman Nutritionist
September 20, 2009 @ 2:33 am
Hilda, thanks for that – I haven’t read this!
September 23, 2009 @ 11:28 am
Wheat Germ Agglutinin
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-toxic-is-wheat-well-first-point-is.html
Both Peter and Stephan
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/07/grains-and-human-evolution.html
have dug up some excellent research on dietary lectins expecially from wheat, including this
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6823/5/10
September 29, 2009 @ 8:20 pm