Bad tasting gluten-free beer no longer a stumbling block for adopting a gluten-free diet.

Inability to drink beer is one of the great stumbling blocks for many of my patients with Celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Giving up beer has prevented more than one of my relatives from embacing a gluten-free diet despite evidence they have gluten sensitivity. My physician wife with Celiac disease used to love the beer Fat Tire. After her diagnosis she once purchased a gluten-free beer from Europe called Bard. Though I thought it had a very cool logo we both agreed it tasted like !@#%. Now, we can enjoy a great tasting and gluten-free beer.

Though I personally don't like beer that much, Anheuser-Busch's new gluten-free beer Red Bridge I actually like. See my blog www.The Gluten Free Food Report for more personal comments on this beer. Use of sorghum, a grass grain originating in Africa, for alcholic beverages dates back many centuries. However, beer brewed with sorghum usually contains barley malt and therefore is not safe for consumption by those with Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Commercial production on a large scale of a sorghum based gluten free beer had never been done until Anheuser-Busch responded to a growing demand for gluten-free products and in particular a gluten-free beer. Another brewery is producing a gluten-free beer, New Grist, but it appears to be much less available.

Sorghum gives Red Bridge a somewhat sweet taste without losing the flavor and character of beer. In my opinion, inability to give up beer should no longer be an argument against adopting a gluten-free diet, especially for those who must do so because of Celiac disease. In my experience many people who do not have Celiac disease respond dramatically to a gluten-free diet with improved energy, weight loss, loss of painful bloating and excess gas, improved concentration, better feeling joints and muscles, improved skin and neurological symptoms. If you haven't been tested for Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity I urge you to do so and then give a gluten-free diet a trial even if don't have Celiac disease. And now you have a great tasting beer to drink while you celebrate your decision. Also, check in on the Food Doc Twinkie Experiment to see how long it takes to see any deterioration or mold. So far, no signs after two weeks.

Copyright © 2007, The Food Doc, LLC, All Rights Reserved.
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Wheat and gluten as a cause of bloating death in cattle. Is there a parallel to wheat gluten's contribution to the obesity and gas-bloating in humans?

Wheat fed to cattle can kill them. Excess wheat or barley feed can result in a bloating disorder known as wheat pasture bloat, feedlot bloat, free-gas bloat or frothy bloat. Wheat and barley are fed to cattle because they are a cheap source of high protein grains that result in rapid weight gain for finishing cattle off for slaughter. However, if too much wheat or barley is fed to cattle, especially high gluten containing wheat, the cattle die. Their stomach, called the rumen, accumulates excessive gas putting pressure on the heart and lungs leading to death.

My physician wife with celiac disease grew up in rural Missouri and their family had a few head of cattle. When I asked her if she had ever heard of pasture bloat she described how she once tried to help the local vet save one of their cows that developed pasture bloat. The vet punctured the cow's "stomach" to let gas escape but the cow still died. I have patients who tell me they feel like they are dying from abdominal pain and bloating and they wish someone would puncture their stomach to let all the air out. Those who who try a gluten-free or wheat-free diet don't feel that way anymore. After only a few weeks of a gluten-free diet most say their bloating is gone. Many of the family members of my patients with celiac disease go on the diet in support of them and then note dramatic improvements in a number of symptoms associated with gluten and celiac disease though do not necessarily meet criteria for the disorder.

Many of people complain of being unable to lose weight. Yet a careful review of their diet reveals that, like most Americans, they getting more than 20% of their daily calories from carbohydrates containing gluten. If the cattle industry knows that wheat and barley grains rapidly fatten up cattle we shouldn't be surprised at the obesity epidemic in our grain and carbohydrate focused diet. Overweight and obese people who go on a gluten-free diet lose weight.

The low carbohydrate diet, by nature a low gluten diet, has been so successful, in my opinion, because not only do people lose weight but they feel better. They report their headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, brain fog and bloating are better. This along with their significant weight loss motivates them to stick with the diet. My specialty training in gastroenterology taught me to advise people, especially those with irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis, to eat lots of whole grains and to take fiber supplements. The U.S. government's official food pyramid also encourages this recommendation. I eventually stopped recommending fiber supplements and so much grain to my patients because most bitterly complained of increased bloating, gas and abdominal discomfort. Now that I have personal experience after my wife’s diagnosis of celiac and my diagnosis of gluten sensitivity and I have read hundreds of articles and counseled hundreds of patients my expert opinion is that such recommendations are not only unhelpful but harmful.

So, why do they give wheat, wheat gluten, and barley grain feeds to cattle when it has long been known that those grains as a sole source of nutrition are not only inadequate but toxic? Those grains are inexpensive. They produces very fast and dramatic weight gains in cattle for a favorable feed cost per pound of weight gained. However, great care must be exercised in using wheat or barley for fattening cattle because of the nutritional inadequacies and potential side effects. Supplements are required for several reasons. Wheat alone can result in low calcium levels that can cause grass tetany, a form of muscle spasms or paralysis. An exclusive or very high wheat diet can cause a ruminant acidosis (high levels of acid in the blood) that is also fatal to cattle. Excess wheat or barley intake or as a inappropriate proportion of the protein calories can result in fatal wheat pasture bloat or feedlot bloat.

Is your diet consisting of large amounts of calories being derived from wheat and gluten containing carbohydrates? Are you overweight and of constantly feeling bloated, experiencing unexplained muscle cramps and aches, headaches, balance difficulties, and abdominal pain? Maybe we should learn from the cattle industry since the government and the medical establishment is not telling us the whole truth about the dangers of a grain-based diet. Any questions see my previous posts and online articles. Also look at the latest photo of the Food Doc Twinkies Experiment now two weeks old and showing no signs of mold or deterioration.

Copyright © 2007, The Food Doc, LLC, All Rights Reserved.
www.thefooddoc.com

References:
“A review of bloat in feedlot cattle” Cheng KJ et al. J Anim. Sci 1998. 76:299-308.

Wheat gluten found to be toxic to dogs and cattle proven almost a hundred years ago failed to prevent the birth of the non-decaying Twinkie.

Wheat gluten has been suspected as a possible cause of the recent epidemic of kidney failure and death of dogs and cats from pet food. I will highlight just two of numerous publications dating to the early 1900’s published on wheat gluten toxicity in cattle and dogs. A 1948 American Journal of Physiology article documents experiments trying to prevent seizures in dogs fed wheat gluten. This research was prompted by a twenty-five year history of theories about the cause of a condition called “canine hysteria” or “running fits”. Death, blindness, seizures and ataxic neurological symptoms are described in dogs fed meal made with wheat gluten. The symptoms are eerily similar to what have been described recenlty in dogs and cats eating pet food containing wheat gluten. Many of the symptoms are also identical to those experienced by humans with untreated celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.

Dating back to the early 1900’s adverse health were known to occur from the nutritional deficiencies of cattle feed exclusively containing wheat but not corn. In 1924, researchers from University of Wisconsin published their experience dating back to 1907 of the adverse affects of wheat gluten fed heifer cows. Without added supplementation of cod liver oil, bone meal and common salt, heifer cows had delayed or failed onset of menstrual cycle, pregnancy difficulties, miscarriages, premature births, calves that died shortly after birth, growth failure, neuromuscular impairment including difficulty walking, blindness and death. I am amazed and shocked to see problems related to wheat gluten recognized in veterinary medicine just like I see and hear about daily as a gastroenterologist in those suffering from undiagnosed or delayed diagnosed celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.

Over fifty years ago, toxicity of wheat gluten was reported in dogs, around the same time Dr. Dicke was making the link of gluten to celiac disease in children.
Now fast-forward to the current pet food related deaths and look at the photos showing no visible sign of decay or mold on two Twinkies after five days into the Food Doc Twinkie Experiment. One was placed wet in a sealed Ziploc bag and has been kept in a cool dark closet in my basement. The other is out in the open on a cabinet in light in my home office. Add an article from 2006 describing research indicating feasibility of using wheat gluten to create protein fibers for clothing. The introduction notes that wheat gluten is widely available and sells for 50 cents a pound while wool and silk cost between $5-14 per pound. Should we be eating a plant protein proven over 50-80 years ago to cause neurological problems including ataxia and seizures; blindness, reproductive problems and death in cattle and dogs? If you have any doubts start looking into the illnesses linked to gluten and the health benefits of a gluten-free diet. Also, follow along my photos of the Twinkies. Maybe we really shouldn't be eating foods containing a protein that may be preventing Twinkies and bread from molding but lethal to insects and pets and resistant enough to water and digestive enzymes to make clothing? Based on my personal and professional experience I choose and frequently adocate a gluten free diet despite tests that are negative for celiac disease. Certainly, my wife and patients with celiac disease and many others without celiac disease I see weekly with similar symptoms are responding to a gluten free diet. This reinforces my belief that wheat gluten is likely toxic to most humans and animals. What do you think? Let me know by commenting on this post.
Copyright © 2007, The Food Doc, LLC, All Rights Reserved.
www.thefooddoc.com

References:

“New observations and a reinterpretation of old observations on the nutritive value of the wheat plant.” Hart EB and Steenbock H. The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 1924. 315-322.

“Effect of administering agenized amino acids and wheat gluten to dogs.” Newell, GW et al. American Journal of Physiology. 1948; 152 (3):637-644.

“Novel protein fibers from wheat gluten”. Reddy N and Yang Y. Biomacromolecules 2007; 8:638-643.

Washingtonpost.com: Twinkies, 75 years and counting. Candy Sagon. Wednesday, April 13, 2005. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46062-2005Apr12.html

Is it Gluten That Prevents Bread Mold But Makes Us Ill? The Food Doc Twinkie Experiment.

Recently, our daughter’s teacher told us the story of her son's initially failed science project. After a week of no mold on moist sandwich bread left out in a cool dark closet they had to use gluten-free bread to get the experiment to work. This came as no surprise to my wife and I since in our gluten-free household we routinely freeze any gluten-free baked goods that we don’t expect to eat within a couple of days to avoid wasting the food due to mold.

My first opportunity to try my own experiment was a few weeks ago when I asked one our houseguests to leave a slice of the regular bread we had bought for them on a paper plate as an experiment. After about five days of only crumbling bread without mold was exposing our household to unwanted gluten, my wife, who has Celiac disease, threw it out.

Remembering an urban legend about 30-year old Twinkies, I did some research. I found a quote from Dr. Steven Masley describing foods containing trans fats being like "embalming fluid" and he told a group of family doctors at a meeting that he asks his patients "why do you think that a Twinkie lasts 20 years?" I recall as a child in the early 60’s bread that had already molded within a day or two after purchase despite Mom’s Tupperware breadbox. In contrast, our modern highly processed food can be left out for days uncovered without any mold. Quoting a local oak furniture store advertisement “that’s not natural”. I purchased Twinkies today to start my own experiment.

Modern day wheat is largely due to the work of Norman Borlaug, acclaimed as the “father of the Green Revolution” and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize who introduced hybrid dwarf wheat with high gluten content to Mexico about 40 years ago where it could survive drought and pests. Since that time we have seen the exponential growth of autoimmune diseases and the recognition that Celiac disease is not rare but an epidemic affecting one in a hundred people worldwide. Not only is this curious but it is not unreasonable to wonder if modern day wheat is to blame.

As a doctor who specializes in gastrointestinal diseases, I see patients every day who report a dramatic improvement of a wide variety of symptoms after trying a gluten-free diet even when they fail to meet strict criteria for the diagnosis of Celiac disease. Some are family members of patients I have diagnosed with Celiac disease. Others have symptoms of Celiac disease but their blood tests and intestinal biopsy are normal or inconclusive. However, we know gluten is a natural insecticide toxic to some of the pests that normally would have destroyed wheat before it was "improved" with higher gluten content. Fortunately, modern day wheat hasn't killed us, immediately any way, but is it what's making you ill?

The company that makes Twinkies admits they have a shelf life of twenty-five days “because Twinkies contain no dairy-based ingredients that could quickly go bad. Twinkies are basically flour, sugar (three kinds of it), oil, eggs and chemicals (mainly preservatives and stabilizers)…” However, Roger Bennatti, a science teacher at George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill, Maine, kept one the chalkboard in front of his class for 30 years and was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that it’s “rather brittle, but if you dusted it off, it's probably still edible.” His Twinkie “experiment” is likely the source what has become an urban legend that there are Twinkies being sold that are 30 years old. Follow along me as I examine the gluten conspiracy and I’ll periodically post photos of the Food Doc Twinkie experiment.

Copyright © 2007, The Food Doc, LLC, All Rights Reserved.
www.thefooddoc.com

References:
Washingtonpost.com: Twinkies, 75 years and counting. Candy Sagon. Wednesday, April 13, 2005. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46062-2005Apr12.html

Masley SS. Cardiovascular disease treatment with evidence-based nutritional and lifestyle changes. Program and abstracts of the American Academy of Family

Allergic or Eosinophilic Esophagitis and GERD differentiated by biopsies though some people have both

GERD causes symptoms of heartburn and food sticking but so can an allergic condition of the esophagus known as eosinophilic esophagitis (EE). EE is characterized by the presence of an abnormal number of allergic type cells called eosinophils in the esophagus. In many patients and the number of eosinophils may not be high enough to separate EE from GERD, however a new study found another allergy cell, the mast cell, may help differentiate allergic esophagitis from acid reflux esophagitis. This study also provides further support that some people have both acid reflux and allergy.

Eosinophils are not normally present in the esophagus but are seen in small numbers under the microscope in biopsies of esophagus due to acid reflux. A count of more than 15-20 eosinophils per high power field (HPF or 40x) is the usual range considered diagnostic of EE though some pathologists use 24 or more. In reflux, up to 7 eosinophils per HPF is considered typical.

This study found significantly higher eosinophils (on average 55/HPF) in EE along with the presence of mast cells compared with reflux. However, though 96% of the EE biopsies showed IgE on cells so did 41% of those with GERD. This is consistent with some earlier studies that have suggested some people with reflux, especially those with more than 7 eosinophils per HPF, also have an allergic component. This also may explain the failure of acid blocking medications alone to relieve the symptoms in some people with reflux. The study also highlights the importance of biopsies even when the gut appears normal. Recent studies have also confirmed the presence of mast cells in the intestine of people previously labeled as irritable bowel syndrome. Microscopic signs of allergy, food intolerance or inflammation may be present in a normal appearing digestive tract but won't be discovered if a biopsy is not done. One could argue that biopsies should be done on all who have symptoms regardless of the appearance visually.

Copyright © 2007, The Food Doc, LLC, All Rights Reserved.
www.thefooddoc.com

Reference: Activated mucosal mast cells differentiate eosinophilic (allergic) esophagitis from gastroesophageal reflux disease. Kirsch R et al. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition 2007;44:20-26.