Read Grace’s incredible story of a life dissolving into the oblivion of weight gain and misery, transformed within days to an epiphany of life transformed . . . all by saying goodbye to wheat.
I haven”t had any lab/blood work done since I began eating ala Wheat Belly recommendations. When I do, I will post before and after stats. I have been told I have borderline high cholesterol and my fasting blood sugar fluctuates between normal and slightly high readings. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 6 years ago and am now taking 125 mcg of levothyroxine. I don”t know what my BP is because I was told I have ”white coat” syndrome. I”ve had reading as high as 190/110.
I”ve had chronic back pain (injury), joint pain pretty much all over my body, especially in my left hip (sciatica, congenital hip dysplasia). For about 20 years, I have had episodes of what I assume is hypoglycemia daily unless I eat a small mid-morning meal containing protein. Even then I will still often become extremely weak, shaky, clammy, dizzy, sometimes overwhelmingly tired. I could never do anything before eating in the morning without experiencing that response. Even showering would leave me shaking.
Immediately after breakfast (1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup fresh fruit, tbs yogurt, hempseeds), I would sneeze violently for 5 to 10 minutes, then get so sleepy I could barely stay awake for about 1/2 hour.
My energy levels have been very low for years. Losing weight seemed like an impossibility for me. I”d been walking 2-4 hours almost every day (which left me utterly exhausted) with no weight loss for 4 years. I was having overwhelming cravings for carbs in the evening between 7 and 10 PM. I”ve overcome addictions to smoking and alcohol with no trouble, but just could not control the desire for carbs. I”ve been steadily gaining weight since I took off about 40 lbs using the Ornish method of weight loss. Did not track my triglycerides, so don”t know if I had the same response mentioned in the Wheat Belly book, but suspect I did.
I”ve always eaten a healthful diet as far as mostly fresh veggies, salads, making everything from scratch, no processed foods, no sodas, no junk food, very little sugar, moderate consumption of eggs, cheese, butter, dark chocolate as a treat, goats’ milk yogurt, moderate amounts of meat–-usually fish and chicken, turkey, pork, occasional high quality beef.
When my FBS [fasting blood sugar] levels started showing diabetic tendencies, I changed to whole grains, and whole wheat, as all the official nutrition info told me to do. I”ve felt ill, tired and hopeless for years. Most doctors, if they don”t come right out and say this, at least imply it: “You”re getting old. Get used to it. There”s nothing you can do about it.” My most recent doc told me that diabetes was a degenerative disease, about which nothing really could be done and that I”d have to take medication for it eventually. I was determined to try, with diet and exercise to stay off medication. My FBS went from 7.2 [130 mg/dl] to 5.5 [99 mg/dl] but, after a long illness and inactivity, it was back over 7 [126 mg/dl] the last time it was checked.
A few years ago my doc ordered an ultrasound because I was having a lot of lower/right abdominal pain. I was sent to an internal medicine specialist who palpated my abdomen and declared that there was nothing wrong with me and that abdominal pain was ”common and often chronic.” The ultrasound showed only a fatty liver. My doctor said “Your liver would put a foie gras goose to shame.” and laughed. I was alarmed and asked to have the condition explained and for advice of what to do about it. “Nothing. It might go away if you lose some weight but, honestly, I”d be more concerned about breast cancer, if I were you.” Same doctor that ordered a mibby [technetium-99m MIBI scan] for me when I had classic thyroid symptoms. My physiotherapist suggested to me that my problems might be thyroid. Once it was confirmed and I was still experiencing major symptoms I asked about having my dosage increased. I was told that I should expect to wait two years before I began to feel somewhat normal again. The doctor told me I was lucky that my hair was falling out because I could save so much money at the beauty salon. I could tell you many more stories like this. I do have a very large ax to grind when it comes to the medical treatment (or lack thereof) I”ve received.
But, onto the good news: After 2 weeks of being wheat/gluten free and also free of any of the high GI carbs:
NO episodes of hypoglycemia. Period. I”ve even cut out the mid morning snack. I can walk several km [kilometers] before breakfast.
I”ve lost 20 lbs, never hungry. I have 0 cravings. I am naturally eating smaller portions and feeling full.
I have more energy than I can ever remember having as an adult.
All of my joint and back pain is greatly reduced. I keep laughing because I stand up prepared to feel like the sore, stiff, achy old person I have been for years…and I”m NOT!
My formerly tender abdomen…isn”t. The inflammation around my liver is diminished.
My mid section is reduced by inches.
The brain fog is lifted, my concentration and memory are improved. My outlook has gone from hopeless, depressed, grumpy to…well, downright bouncy.
A body-wide rash and the erythma nosodum (I think that”s what it is from the description in Wheat Belly. Doctors are always just mystified and prescribe cortisone creams.) on my shins is clearing up.
My hair has stopped falling out and my nails are stronger.
I keep pinching myself to make sure I”m not dreaming. Folks, I”m 61 years old and about 100 (now 80) pounds overweight. If I can feel this amazing after only two weeks, well, just imagine what this might do for you. I, too, was telling everyone who would listen, but quickly discerned that probably the best way to affect change is to let everyone see the positive difference in me and then explain, if they ask me, how this change came about.
Dr. Davis, thank you giving me the tools to get my life back.
Grace
Can I still eat 1/2 cup of oatmeal for breakfast?
Helen, I only have my own experience to answer that question. I was eating 1/2 cup of oatmeal every day for many years for its supposed ability to aid in the reduction of high cholesterol. Until I read Wheat Belly I did not realize that it was causing my blood sugar to spike and then crash dramatically, resulting in debilitating and dangerous episodes of hypoglycemia. I stopped eating oats for breakfast and I stopped having the blood sugar rise and drop. No more hypoglycemia. I also ate oats in the belief that I needed the fiber/roughage to keep my bowels functioning in good order. Turns out that eliminating wheat, eating plenty of healthful fats and drinking an adequate amount of water has resulted in an improved elimination process for me.
Congrats to everyone who has had success – even in such a short time!!
As of today, I have lost 30 pounds following Wheat Belly. My original goal was to lose 40 pounds, and someday that might happen. But what I realized along the way is that it’s more important to be “healthy” and today that has become a reality.
Last September I went to the doctor for my annual physical and realized that my weight put me at just shy of “obese”. I had been trying off and on for years to lose weight and the news that day couldn’t have been more depressing. I had been running three times a week for the previous five months, and instead of losing weight – I had gained.
Since an increase in exercise did nothing for me, I became obsessed with nutrition and trying to figure out the exact combination of foods and calories would lead to weight loss. I read a lot of books and studied the Food Pyramid. When I read “Wheat Belly”, it’s like a light bulb went off and I decided to give wheat-free eating a try.
I couldn’t believe the success I had right away. I thought for sure it wouldn’t last. I even weighed myself every day because it helped me to see the effects when I was eating right and when I wasn’t. Forget calories in/calories out…I finally knew how to lose weight.
Today’s milestone is a big one. I’m “healthy” according to several different measurements and I hope that I never have to worry about being in the “unhealthy” range ever again. I’m planning to start running again in the spring, but this time it will be for pleasure and not for exercise.
Ah, Jeanine, you encapsulate the entire Wheat Belly experience in your success!
I”d like to post your story as a blog post. It is, among many other things, a great illustration of how exercise is NOT the answer, but something that should be fun and, at best, facilitate health.
Grace, I thank you for the inspiration to begin my own journey back to health. For the first time in a long time, the future looks bright. It”s so bright, we GOTTA wear shades!
I am especially interested in hair growing back… that was the first thing I noticed, healthwise, 2 years ago (I”m 49). Hair falling out and now I have maybe half the hair on my head that I had 2 years ago. I could feel it falling. It seemed to be loose in the follicles. Well, it stopped falling out when I went paleo/primal about 8 weeks ago and have lost 8 pounds, I”ve had that altered state feeling too that Debra mentions, increased energy, I”m sleeping GREAT, my skin doesn”t itch anymore and I am not at all hungry between meals. Now I can run a brush through my hair and amazingly there are often no hairs there. I have been mostly wheat/grain free but with a few “cheats” including about one beer per week. I”m intending to quit wheat altogether, permanently, but I haven”t done so yet. I suppose it is too soon to notice whether my hair starts to grow back. I hope it does!!!
Stay the course, Elise!
Also, consider rice or sorghum beers. Green”s and Red Bridge are two gluten-free beers. While they do pose a potential carbohydrate challenge for some people, at least they will not trigger the immune response that leads to alopecia (hair loss).
Thank you for that suggestion, Dr. Davis! I have been noticing the explosion of gluten-free beers on the market, but I hadn”t ventured in that direction yet. I”ll give them a try (though I”m trying to cut back, too…).
One question… I notice that people posting on here seem to be mostly at least 30 years old, and a lot of us are a good bit older. I”m wondering, what is the data on the average age (or average time it takes) at which these wheat-induced problems show up, and what would you guess about the difference between someone, say, 50 years old, and someone who is about 20, with regard to my having grown up eating plenty of refined, processed grains and all sorts of conventional wisdom fats and “everything in moderation” yet I did not have any attention-getting problems appear until about age 47… and the appearance of the dwarf wheat on the market (in Eastern U.S.) and when I might have begun consuming that as opposed to the stuff grown previously… and the advice I need to be giving to my almost-20 year old children who I unfortunately raised on the “everything in moderation” SAD, not knowing any differently? I have (now that my eyes are opened) been telling them, “what you eat today may take 20 years to show up in health effects, but believe me, that day will come sooner than you think, and you will find that you care very much.” But do you think, Dr. Davis, that I am off in my estimate of it taking 2 decades for the effects to show up, especially with the new dwarf wheat? Is it likely that the health effects/damage will show up sooner — say, by their late 20s?
It”s tough to get this message across, because my kids are all slender, healthy, athletic, and they do not (at least not consciously) seem to experience ANY bad health effects from the wheat and from the sugar that they consume. But I know they are poisoning themselves.
Sorry to hijack this thread — Grace, I”m so glad for your story! It is very inspirational.
Good question, Elise.
I believe you are correct: Most problems with wheat are insidious and develop over many years. Among my fears: By the time some problems from wheat consumption surface, it may be a serious condition, even too late. It may lead to years of misery and misdiagnosis, since wheat consumption is so protean in its presentation.
I believe that, with grown children, you can only set the example and make them aware of the issue, since we cannot control what they put in their mouths day to day any longer.
No apologies necessary, Elise. It”s all related and relevant and I thought your question an excellent one. I didn”t start having serious health problems until my late 40”s. I hit menopause and everything seemed to go sideways at the same time–blood sugar, thyroid, depression. In my 20”s I weighed less than 120 lbs and I”m 5”8. I”ve been thinking about the fact that I started working as a baker/pastry chef around 1980 and that my weight has been going up ever since. I”d battle it back down to around 140 lbs and it would keep increasing the minute I consumed over 1500 calories per day. I have been pondering why some people seem to be much more susceptible or sensitive to the effects of gliadin and gluten.
After five month of being wheat free and low carb, my blood sugar is finally going DOWN. My FBS readings were in between 84-89 this week!!!
That is huge since I was usually in the range of 99-116. Thank you, Dr. Davis
Excellent, Martha!
Now, let”s spread the word to others and tell them that the “official” criticisms of Americans as fat, lazy, gluttons is inaccurate. It is the appetite-stimulating effect of the new gliadin in wheat that stimulates appetite and increases calorie intake 400 calories per day, raising blood sugar along with it.
Say goodbye to wheat, say goodbye to high blood sugars.
Ooooh Martha, I needed to hear that. Its been about 7 weeks since I returned to my wheat free ways (2 year hiatus) and I was thinking my BG was never going down. It hangs about where you said yours were. And I”m not losing any weight despite pretty much a Paleo diet. (protein,veggies,eggs,berries)
I”ve been very discouraged- thanks for sharing that.
And Grace- WAY TO GO!!!!!!! Congrats :-)
You have all encouraged me a great deal.
Don”t give up, Nancy! It will happen sooner or later. We are all so same and yet different. Just keep doing what you are doing and it WILL happen.
I need to lose 10 pounds. I only lost 1 lb per month and then stalled. Maybe with my blood sugar being normal, this will change too.
The bottom line is that I know I am doing the best thing for my health ever.
Grace:
Congratulations and stay the course. I too have experienced fantastic results after adopting the Wheat Belly approach almost 11 weeks ago now. Dr. Davis is aware on my story and posted it on a former blog. Several folks in my community have purchased the Wheat Belly book after hearing my personal story. I have received feedback from folks informing me that conditions such as GERD and joint pain have ceased. My wife has lost 15 pounds to date and the ache in her knees has stopped.
I have now lost 30 pounds. Last night I injected 10 units of 24 hour insulin ONLY and my morning glucose today was 4.3 mmol/L (77.5 mg/dl). My blood pressure was 124/68. NO injections with meals anymore. I was injecting 90 units of 24 hour insulin at bedtime before starting Wheat Belly and usually could not get a morning read below 7.0 mmol/L (126 mg/dl). Dr. Davis postulated that I may evetually cease the need for insulin and perhaps any diabtetes medication at all. It appears as if that prediction is unfolding positively. As you said Grace “pinch me to see if I”m awake.”
By the way Debra, the lifting of that “mental fog” is such a common testimony from those who drop wheat from the menu. For me, the change in cognition is nothing short of wonderful. And achieved by “washing my hands” of wheat.
Terry
Wow, Terry.
If you are down to a mere 10 units with a.m. blood sugars that low, I”d say you are darn close to getting off insulin–you may be there already.
Like you, my loss of mental “fog” was dramatic. Makes me wonder how we managed all those years with it!
Terry, I”m sending this post to the wife of a man who has recently started insulin injections. He has given up on life and I find I can”t sit by and watch. He is an amazing artist, very talented person in many ways. I”ve already asked his wife to tell him about the Wheat Belly book. She”s going to read it but says he won”t. I”m hoping maybe this kind of factual example will spur some interest in him to want to try to get his life back. Thank you for posting this information. ~Grace
That was very encouraging. Thank you!
Grace, congratulations! Your story is awesome.
When I was 60 I told my doctor how horrible I felt and his reply was “What do you expect, you are getting old.” I fired him that day and searched on the internet for an answer. I have been gluten free for 8+ yrs and, like you, have a long list of health improvements. Best wishes for continued healing.
Dear Dr. Davis and fellow wheat-shunners,
I”ve been eating relatively low carb for four years, having read Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. However, I still ate wheat products, just less than most people. I decided to give no-wheat a try after hearing about Wheat Belly. I”m 29, skinny and overall in good health, but I”m wondering if wheat could be responsible for my few mild but mysterious problems–moderate depression and anxiety, a 5 cm functional cyst hanging out on my ovary for three years, a uterine fibroid, adult acne and thinning hair.
I”m on day 6 of absolutely no wheat. I”ve been eating eggs, meat, non-starchy vegetables, some fruit, some dairy, a couple servings of beans and potatoes (over the entire period) and a few squares of 85% dark chocolate. My skin is almost clear, despite the dairy, which I thought triggered my outbreaks. I have lost a few pounds, which I didn”t actually need to lose (I am actually worried about getting too skinny on this). But the biggest difference I”m noticing now is mental.
It”s hard to describe. I have periods where I feel more energetic and cheerful than I have for some time, and am able to tackle tasks I”ve long put off. Other times I feel kind of light-headed and weak. Sometimes, like now, I feel practically stoned. Things look and feel DIFFERENT. More vivid, yet somehow further away at the same time?! My brain seems preoccupied with the different-ness. It”s not unpleasant. but it”s kind of freaky. I can”t seem to shake it and concentrate on anything else.
Has anyone experienced this? Did it go away, or did you get used to it? Could it be wheat withdrawal? Is the change in metabolism affecting my brain? ANY insights would be welcome. I”m basically looking for reassurance.
Debra, I too noticed that my vision is more vivid since dropping wheat(gluten). Colors are amazing. Also my lifelong depression lifted. I did not even know I was depressed as that is how I always felt. Now I know how I could have felt had it not been for evil wheat. I have been gluten free for almost 9 years and the effects are still there. If I get the slightest amount of gluten (by accident as I have never wanted to cheat), vision dulls and depression returns along with some other symptoms.
Be reassured, Debra, that you are experiencing the effects of removing this opiate from your brain. It changes your perspective, clears your mind, removing the mood- and perception-altering effects of the opiate gliadin.
Be patient and I believe that you will be rewarded!
“I feel practically stoned”
I get these feelings from time to time myself. In fact, my dreams are far more colorful and vibrant. I had a wonderful dream in my second week of my wheat-free experiment where everything around me was an animated cartoon.
I”ve always had problems with attention span, but now I”m more easily able to remain focused. It”s as if I was living in a semi-conscious bare existence and awareness from my childhood until I went WF a few weeks ago.
I”m reminded of that movie “Limitless” where the main character is able to vastly improve his mental capacity with the aid of a pill. I actually sometimes feel like I have an unfair advantage over others who are not wheat-free.
Great analogy, Hit!
Interesting thing: Ask any schoolteacher older than 50 what they”ve observed in kids” behavior over their career. They”ll tell you that something happened in the 1980s, when behavior and attention went sour.
This is so true! As I watch the difference between my children (born bt 1977 and 1982) and my grandchildren, there is definitely a difference. I”ve read Wheat Belly and agree wholeheartedly…this is most likely what is creating some of the most disruptive, horrific behavior in classrooms today. Thank you, Dr Davis! I”ve been spreading the word for months now!
Congratulations! For several years I used to control my weight by eating less than 25 grams of fat a day, lots of “healthy” whole grains, and exercising an hour and a half a day!
Then, when it hit my forties, IT STOPPED WORKING.
I was frantic and desperate until I discovered Atkins, then Dr. Davis” work on Track Your Plaque; which convinced me to give gluten-free a go over a year ago. And I was pretty happy after 7 years of low carbing; going gluten free was worth it!
One of the many and most exciting results of being gluten/wheat free is that I have new hair growing in. The hair sytlist was amazed, impressed, and curious as to why. It takes longer than a minute to blow dry my hair!! This is a major accomplishment in my family. It may be the one thing that convinced my sister to try a gluten free approach to life. The fact that her thinking is clearer and her hands don”t hurt so much keep her on track too.
Grace, I am so happy for you. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Debbie. I enjoyed reading about the benefits you”re experiencing, too. The regrowth of hair is just wonderful. Look forward to hearing more about how your health improves. ~Grace
Hi Grace,
In addition to the new hair, I have also enjoyed freedom from headaches, anxiety, muscle pain, wildly fluxuating TSH levels, patchy, dry, itchy skin, and about 40 pounds. It is kind of funny that one of the things that tickles me the most is the hair. It is just such a shock. I may have a new one too. I am severely allergic to cats. We went to a friend”s house last night. They have 3 kittens and we were there for 4 -4 1/2 hours. I had absolutely no problem. It was great. I do have celiac, so I think it may be part of healing and strengthening my systems over all. Best wishes.
Wow, Debbie, it sounds like your immune system is making a come-back. I”m curious to know if you have had to do anything about the wildly fluctuating TSH. I”ve been wondering about my own and whether I may need to consider reducing the dose of levothyroxine. I”ve had days where I feel…I hesitate to use the word ”wired” because there isn”t anything edgy about it, but SO energetic. I”ve tried to read all the WB blogs to see if anyone else has experienced lower TSH after removing wheat from their diets. I”ve never come across anything to indicate that a diseased thyroid is capable of regeneration. Has your doctor said anything to you in this regard? Thanks ~Grace
The story is an amazing turnaround. I stumbled upon Wheat Belly almost by accident–I”ve been searching the web frantically for any nutrition advice that could help me with my painful psoriatic arthritis. I”ve read about diets like Pagano, Bullet Proof, Acid vs Alkaline and I found them to be far too extreme. But one thing I found in common with all of them is that they tell you to avoid wheat. And remembering the Macleans” magazine article on wheat and Dr. Davis, I decided to seriously go wheat-free.
While my psoriatic arthritis has improved, it is not cleared just yet and I still get the occasional bad day. But I”ve gotten multitudes of side benefits that I enjoy experiencing nonetheless.
Stick with it. Psoriatic arthritis, if it is worsened by wheat consumption, seems to recede slowly.
But how many strategies come with weight loss, lifting of mind “fog,” reductions in blood sugar, improvements in mood, etc. etc.? So patience will pay!
I”ve felt tangibly better for the past two days (as opposed to wishful thinking), actually vis-a-vis P. arthritis. I only have a slight tingle in my fingers and the only really noticeable painful area is my foot now. My right knee is so much better.
Every week I ask myself if I feel better than the previous, so the answer is yes. I really look forward to the day where I can just stop injecting myself with methotrexate.
Which begs the question: how will my rheumatologist and dermatologist react when I tell them that I alleviated much of my autoimmune disorders by just cutting wheat?
So, thank you in all that you do. I”ve tried telling others I know of my success, but the idea of giving up bread or donuts seems to be too radical an idea for them. But I see my friends and family have health problems of their own (most notably, diabetes) and I wish I could force them to go wheat-free just for a week to make them see what it”s like.
I should buy your book soon, as I only really followed the going wheat-free part based on instinct and as a shot in the dark. But it”s already been a very successful journey so far that”s paid off huge dividends.
I woke up today with a very good sleep. In fact, my psoriatic arthritic symptoms were much better.
This video about movie star Ryan Reynolds has a funny ”wheat belly” anecdote at the end of it:
http://diet-fitness.healthguru.com/video/ryan-reynolds-workout-diet?mode=cycle
What I find mystifying about the video is that his personal trainer makes him go through 500-1000 situps. That is pure torture, and is completely unnecessary and leads to gross overtraining.
In fact, much of the exercise advice being touted nowadays in mainstream publications is pure BS. Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer pretty much unlocked the secrets of building muscle mass in exercise sessions that last mere minutes. Muscle growth isn”t stimulated by endless reps with a 2 pound pink dumbbell. It”s by lifting very heavy weights to the point of failure. Brief intense sessions is all that”s needed to build muscle.
http://arthurjonesexercise.com/Bulletin1/Bulletin1.html
http://arthurjonesexercise.com/Bulletin2/Bulletin2.html
http://www.mikementzer.com/howbrief.html
I”ve reached strength levels in the top percentile VS the rest of the general population whereas I used to be weaker than the average person. My weightlifting workout is so brief (one set of dumbbell presses + one set of bent-over rows on Monday and one set of dumbbell presses + one set of deadlifts on Thursday) that completely flies in the face of convention.
I discovered HIT (high intensity training) almost ten years ago, and now that I”ve discovered Wheat Belly, I feel the same way about it as I do about HIT. In fact, both will prove to be a very powerful combination.
The Ryan Reynolds link I supplied was looped to another video. To see the original one I was referring to, click here: http://diet-fitness.healthguru.com/video/ryan-reynolds-workout
Oh my, there”s so much bad advice in these videos it”s not even funny. One of the videos says: “Instead of training six times a week, he know only trains 4-5 days a week!”. And his nutritionist is making him eat all kinds of grains on top of that.
The general population will see that and then think they need to exercise for several hours a day because that”s what the TV tells them they need to do.
Mike Mentzer (who trained about 30 minutes three times a week, which is very brief and infrequent compared to other world class bodybuilders) used to tease and insult his competitors at Gold”s Gym in Venice Beach by eating ice cream on his off days in front of them as they tortuously worked out for endless marathon workouts.
I am digressing somewhat from the point of this blog, but I think it is related and similar because there is not just disinformation, idiotic memes, and bad conventional wisdom in regards to nutrition. Arnold Schwarzenegger says that he works out for 3 hours, six days a week and if one wants to be like him, one has to do what he does, right? Completely wrong. Arnold succeeded _in spite of_ his horrific overtraining, not because of it.
———————————————————–
When my FBS [fasting blood sugar] levels started showing diabetic tendencies, I changed to whole grains, and whole wheat, as all the official nutrition info told me to do ……My FBS went from 7.2 [130 mg/dl]…..
…..The ultrasound showed only a fatty liver. My doctor said “Your liver would put a foie gras goose to shame.” and laughed…..
……After 2 weeks of being wheat/gluten free and also free of any of the high GI carbs:
NO episodes of hypoglycemia. Period…….
———————————————————–
I started this journey with 2 realizations:
1. That somehow excess elemental nitrogen is entering cells.
2. That endorphin mimesis causes insulin release, and insulin release plays a roll in metabolic failure.
There is no mechanism for gluten exorphin opioids to directly cause cells to resist insulin. There is a gluten opioid pathway which, when combined with gluten permeability and its pathways, causes insulin resistance and circulatory glucose buildup.
* Loss of control over iron ……iron absorption, lectin -RBC agglutination, haptoglobin 2 -hemoglobin agglutination, oxygen deprivation, intracellular radical buildup, and inflammation.
* Influx and actions of gluten facilitated antigens in the bloodstream.
* Destruction of the extracellular matrix and freeing of glutamine.
* Endorphin mimesis directly causes insulin release.
* Endorphin mimesis causes insulin resistance and blood sugar buildup.
* Blood sugar causes more insulin release.
Metabolic failure is going to hinge on the as-yet undefined pump at the cellular membrane. The pump joins cytosol GLUT transporters with intercellular insulin. The lynchpin will turn out to be that the pump must consume an O2 via ATP buildup and phosphoryl breakdown. Excess nitrogen from glutamine combines through the glucose-alanine cycle with oxygen starvation to render the membrane glucose pump useless. Only then does circulatory glucose buildup start ramping up glucose-facilitated insulin, the second form of insulin release.
Huh?
I got hooked on Dr. Davis”s work before Wheat Belly, when Dr. Davis pointed out that low dose naltrexone (LDN) causes weight loss. LDN is also known as a treatment for metabolic syndrome ……overweight, type 2 diabetes, “high cholesterol” and high blood pressure.
Dr. Davis mostly confines his claims to provable pathways, that wheat opioids addict people to wheat, and its associated sugar load. There”s lots of fat cell stuffing and cytokine release in this pathway, and it accounts for the symptoms of lots of people.
Dr. Davis correctly points fingers of accusation at wheat opioids for causing horrible mental disturbances ……seizures, autism, depression and schizophrenia. Dr. Davis acknowledges the people with autoimmune diseases caused by wheat opioids. You name the autoimmune disease. You”ll find wheat opioids as a cause.
But LDN is also an effective treatment for autoimmune disease. I think there is a large portion of people with metabolic syndrome whose bodies respond to wheat opioids with more visceral responses. In these people insulin release is a primary response, and insulin resistance is a secondary response. It”s pretty certain that there is no single pathway, because fat cells have no endorphin receptors. But pancreas nerves do have endorphin receptors. In the presence of wheat opioids, they cause the pancreas to release insulin. The result is reactive hypoglycemia.
The pancreas insulin response to endorphin is normally used to induce anabolism for reversal of catabolism. In other words, insulin arrests the fat cell-to-muscle cell energy flow. Reactive hypoglycemia represents insulin release with insufficient blood glucose. Somehow in this metabolic disorder reactive hypoglycemia causes fat cell insulin resistance. I contend that reactive hypoglycemia is responsible for a large portion of the uncontrollable hunger which Dr. Davis correctly connects with wheat ingestion.
So the remaining question in this syndrome is, what goes on inside fat cells? What chemistry allows fat cells to stuff themselves while resisting insulin and glucose? ……and in the process cause an absolute storm of inflammation.
For the answer, one must consider the full range of gut permeability, antigen attack and immune response caused by wheat ingestion. You end up with iron behaving badly, oxygen deprivation, and cells which constantly feed on glutamine instead of fat or glucose.
Okay, I actually understood that. These questions make me wish I knew more about biochemistry.
Interesting notions, Uncle!
Your proposal that exorphins actually lead to cellular insulin resistance is a fascinating idea!
I am so happy for you! I am glad you are getting results so quickly. Keep on keeping on. I am looking forward to any new recipes you develop.
Thank you, Emily for your kind words. I don”t know if I managed to convey how happy I am about the changes I”m experiencing–I am over the moon. I hope I didn”t sound to whiny. And congratulations to you on regaining your health and youthfulness!
I forgot to mention that, before I retired, I was a (pardon my ego) world class baker and pastry chef. Even after retiring I still LOVED to bake and considered it one of my major accomplishments in life. My success was such that it is/was a big part of my identity. At one point I had five separate sour dough cultures (Russian, Bahrainian, San Francisco, French, and La Brea). Needless to say I baked a lot of bread. I felt a ton of empathy for the fellow described in Wheat Belly who owns a bakery. I mention this simply to illustrate how reading Wheat Belly affected me. I did not think twice about it. I know I will never eat wheat again (intentionally) for as long as I live. And, I”m looking forward to developing new recipes that utilize almond flour, flax meal flour and some of the other low GI ingredients I”ve been reading about. (I made the Wheat Belly scones with sun-dried tomatoes for lunch today. They are delicious…but I could only eat 1/2 of mine!) I will post any successes I have with recipe development, so stay tuned…
Grateful Grace
Thanks, again, Grace, for posting your story.
Given your impressive baking experience, I”d like to invite you to provide your feedback on the recipes here. I am certainly no gourmet chef, so any improvements you can suggest are appreciated.
I would be most honored and happy to contribute my 2 cents. My husband and I have spent many hours reading recipes on websites that feature gluten-free recipes since we read your Wheat Belly book. I”ve already created a broccoli/cauliflower side dish that we enjoyed. Today I got ingredients to make a gluten-free moussaka. I”m also going to see if I can create a wheat-free soufflé. Though gluten-free recipes now abound, most of them do not utilize the lower GI flours and starches, so that will be my focus. The Wheat Belly recipes I”ve tried, so far, have all been wonderful. ~Grace
Thanks for the feedback, Grace!
Dear Grace,
I hope that you can feel the hug I”m sending your way. I totally understand. I”ve lost 50 pounds in the last year and have another 50 to go. I”m 56 and feel much like I did 25 years ago. I only lose about a pound a week, but the losses do add up. This way of life is so easy to do.
Most people, including the medical profession are extremely prejudiced against those who are overweight. They think the reasons for the weight are laziness, lack of effort, stupidity and constantly eating junk foods. We know that nothing could be further from the truth!
Congratulation on being your own best health advocate. You can do it! Keep up the great work! I wish you the best in all your efforts!
Sincerely,
Emily