Gluten. Yes or no?
Gluten is a protein naturally found in some grains, including wheat, barley, and rye, but not oats. It acts as a binder, holding food together. It adds an elastic quality. Without gluten, the dough would rip easily.
Gluten is most often associated with wheat and wheat-containing foods. Gluten is probably not harmful to the general population.
Some believe the incidence of celiac disease has increased during the second half of the 20th Century. They blame the increased levels of gluten in products made from grain. It is partially true.
There are two opposing positions on gluten. One states that gluten is a problem only for those who can trace gut problems specifically to the protein. Celiac (a long-term autoimmune disorder affecting less than one percent of the population) is their primary indicator. All other reported problems with gluten are questionable.
How does a person decipher these different scenarios? If gluten is a cause of physical problems, it seems rational to avoid gluten in the diet. That’s the standard modern response. There’s a popular belief that grain, especially wheat, contains more gluten today than it did, say, 50 years ago. If there’s more gluten, it follows that there would be more celiac and related conditions. From this, the food industry has been offering gluten-free products.
A study in 2013 stated that the belief that there is more gluten in modern grains is a myth. Donald D. Kasarda, a USDA scientist wrote, “I have not found clear evidence of an increase in the gluten content of wheat in the United States during the 20th Century….”
Several sources support Dr. Kasarda’s report. That suggests that the increase in celiac-like symptoms is related to either an increased number of diagnoses of celiac disease or an unknown factor that causes more persons to become seriously sensitive to gluten.
Is the increased number of gluten-sensitive individuals due to the increased number of complaints, which lead to more real celiac? Although a common explanation for numerous health issues, evidence that doctors diagnose a problem more often is not supported by studies.
About that unknown factor.
There’s a strong correlation* between celiac symptoms and the rise in glyphosate (aka Round Up) usage on grain. Stephanie Seneff, Ph.D.**., a senior research scientist at MIT. writes details on the increase in glyphosate use since the mid-1970s. It’s not even enough to buy gluten-free or non-GMO products, because many of them have been shown to have some of the highest levels of glyphosate.
Oats, wheat, barley, and legumes such as chickpeas and lentils tend to be very high in glyphosate because these crops are sprayed with glyphosate right before harvest as a desiccant to speed the drying process.
If glyphosate is a true contributor, maybe the ultimate answer is to ban it. That seems impossible, given the wide dependence on it in all agriculture. An alternate strategy would be to buy certified organic or biodynamic food. Glyphosate is not permitted in organic agriculture, and even if contamination occurs, the levels are going to be far lower than that of conventional foods. Additionally, Dr. Seneff suggests that a glycine supplement and more sulfur-containing foods may be helpful (www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-sulfur).
One piece of good news is that Mexico is banning glyphosate and will phase it out entirely by 2024. There are fears Mexico may start banning U.S. imports found to be contaminated with glyphosate, which actually would work in everyone’s favor by shining a bright light on the matter.
*A strong correlation is not automatically causation.
** Recent book by Dr. Seneff, “Toxic Legacy: How the Weedkiller Glyphosate Is Destroying Our Health and the Environment”
Larry Frieders is a pharmacist in Aurora who had a book published, The Undruggist: Book One, A Tale of Modern Apothecary and Wellness. He can be reached at thecompounder.com/ask-larry or www.facebook.com/thecompounder.