Dr William Davis: Toxic Frankenwheat
On today’s episode of the Dr. Oz show, he is talking with Dr. William Davis, the author of the controversial best-seller Wheat Belly and a voice against wheat addiction. Dr. Davis believes we are victims of frankenwheat and that is poisoning each and every one of us because it is toxic and addictive. Are you addicted to wheat?
Dr. Davis believes that wheat is the biggest reason that Americans are the most overweight population and he says that wheat is making us sicker than ever, linking it to obesity, hypertension, autism, and many other health conditions. Dr. William Davis is a cardiologist who dedicates his life to helping people fight heart disease and he says that the wheat we are eating today is not the wheat that past generations have eaten. Rather than coming from an actual plant, much of today’s wheat comes from genetics research that is done in a lab, which is why he calls it frankenwheat. Dr. Davis says that no modern wheat is good for you because it is addictive, leaving you wanting more and more, which is leading to higher rates of obesity.
Dr Oz: Wheat Addiction
Dr. William Davis says that wheat is the number reason that America is the most overweight population in the world.
Dr. William Davis, author of the book Wheat Belly, believes that nobody should be eating anything with modern wheat because of its powerful impact on your health. Wheat contains a protein called gliadin that attaches to the opiate sensors in the brain, much like heroin and morphine, but rather than offer euphoria or relief from pain it stimulates hunger, which leads to consumption of 440 calories more per day, 365 days per year. Unfortunately, with wheat addiction you are not being stimulated to eat more salmon or asparagus, but instead you will want to eat more bad foods like donuts and potato chips.
Dr William Davis: Wheat Vs Cigarettes Toxicity
Dr. Oz says that he has always recommended whole wheat or whole grains as an important part of a healthy diet, but Dr. William Davis believes this may be flawed advice. He does agree that if you replace white flour with whole wheat flour or other whole grains there is a definite health benefit, but he says that we have to do more than just replace something bad with something that is less bad.
He uses the example of filter cigarettes and non-filter cigarettes. Just because those with a filter are not as bad for you it does not mean you should smoke them, so he proposes that we remove all of the bad wheat from our diets in order to see transformational health benefits.
Dr Oz: Gluten Free Foods Carbohydrates
Dr. Davis says that he is not talking about gluten, which is a problem for about 1 percent of Americans causing such ailments as Celiac Disease. He is focused on the other 99% of the population who have problems with things beyond the gluten. He believes that nobody escapes the effects of modern wheat. Dr. Davis also says that we should not be replacing one bad form of wheat with something gluten-free and filled with what he refers to as “junk carbohydrates,” ingredients like corn starch or rice starch.
Dr Oz: Gliadin Stimulates Hunger
Dr. William Davis firmly believes that wheat is the biggest reason we have become overweight as a country because no other food has that protein called gliadin, which stimulates those opiate receptors causing us to eat more unhealthy food.
Dr Oz: Wheat vs Non-Wheat Foods
Dr. Oz says that non-wheat foods, like whole potatoes, go into our body and cause a moderate spike in insulin, which you can then use to convert to energy for your body. He then explains that when we eat foods with wheat (even whole wheat) in them, our body does not immediately benefit because there is a drastic spike in insulin so we are not able to convert it to energy, which causes fat to begin to grow, especially in the belly area. Dr. Oz says that you keep eating more and more because of the addictive nature that Dr. William Davis spoke about earlier.
Dr Oz: Whole Grain Bread Vs Candy Bar Blood Sugar
Dr. William Davis says that you will actually have a higher spike of insulin from eating whole grain bread than from eating a candy bar. Dr. Oz decided to put Dr. Davis’s theory to the test, so he asked five women to participate in an experiment. He had a medical team check their blood sugar levels after eating whole grain bread, which is what Dr. Oz recommends as part of a healthy diet, and then he had them check their levels after they ate a candy bar.
Dr. Oz was shocked by the results, which revealed that three of the five women had a higher spike in insulin from eating the bread than they did from eating the candy bar. Dr. Oz says he truly would not have believed Dr. Davis’s theory if he had not seen these results for himself.
deb says
Thank you for this show. Wonderful !
Zans says
It has been known for a long time that some candy bars have a lower glycemic response than wheat bread. The structure of the food has a huge impact on how fast it is digested, and porous foods like bread, cereal ( wheat or non wheat based) are rapidly digested. Candy bars generally are dense and have a lot of fat in the chocolate, making it have a low glycemic response. The difference is glycemic load- the candy bar will keep your blood sugar elevated longer. It is worth the time to investigate these concepts.
It is not surprising that medical Drs are shocked by nutritional concepts since most do not recieve formal nutrition or dietetics training. If they did, food would be viewed as medicine instead of thowings drugs to cover up health issues with overconsumption of calories, lack of physical activity, and stress. This is where contemporary western medicine has it wrong.
I am so tired of the constant search for the ONE thing that is the root of all our health ills. I am sorry, but to me blaming wheat is another stumbling block on the enevitable path to realization that it is calries and activity. Do we crave certain dietary components? Absolutely. Brain scans of people consuming sugar will demonstrate that it is addictive. More for some than others.
Also, gliadin isn’t a new thing. It has been in wheat since humankind began to eat it. Davis makes it sound as though this stuff has been inserted into wheat. It hasn’t. It has been there all along.
Theresa says
I eliminated all wheat products from my diet for two months to see what would happen and I lost 27 pounds. I even ate dark chocolate to my hearts content! I never felt deprived because I ate everything else that wasn’t wheat related (or as best I could tell). I am a firm believer that wheat is fattening!!!!! Who would have guessed?
Karen Edwards says
My husband has problems with gluten, so I’ve been experimenting with wheat alternatives. I don’t if I buy into all of it, but I do believe wheat is addictive. I can go for months without eating a sweet wheat product, like a donut, but once I start, the cravings set in. But, I can leave bread and pasta alone, so maybe the wheat isn’t as much problem as the sugar or wheat in conjunction with the sugar?
Kay Wallace says
Regarding Dr. William Davis’ Wheat Belly:
1) I am a health conscious consumer with an IT degree, not nutrition. I was researching “modern” genetically modified wheat and read a casual comment on some health-related blog that Durum wheat cannot be genetically modified. Is this true?
2) Wouldn’t that mean it is OK to have products, such as 100% whole wheat pasta that is not derived from crops that have been genetically modified?
Kathy Wilson says
Please do a followup on the necessity of organic farming for our health. The use of nitrate sprays on wheat ups the level of gliadin in the grain; organic wheat is far healthier in every respect. Check out Britain’s Real Bread site. Many people who react to store-bought bread, made with the genetically modified & chemically sprayed grain, can eat organic sourdough bread without problems.