4/8/2016
WHAT THIS
TALK WILL
COVER
ARE NEW WHEAT
VARIETIES REALLY
MAKING US FAT AND
SICK?
Julie Miller Jones, PhD, LN, CFS, CNS
Fellow ICC and AACCI
Professor Emerita
St. Catherine University
[email protected]
• Review claims that humans did not evolve
to eat grains and wheat.
• Review data on whether the wheat has
changed.
• Review claims that modern agricultural
processes cause toxic effects.
• Review claims suggesting that wheat
especially, new varieties, are toxic and
cause obesity, chronic disease and brain
disorders.
• Look at the controversy and grain and
carbohydrate (CHO) recommendations
• Discuss some aspects that have changed
• Highlight the contribution of grains to diet
quality vs potential dietary problems with
the omission of wheat, grains and other
carbohydrate staples in terms of nutrition,
cost and food supply issues.
March 19, 2016
We should be eating
like the cavemen –
bring on the
mastodon steaks.
Grains are not
needed
GMO crops and
modern plant
breeding is
killing us
Modern grains
are killing you.
Claim: Humans Did Not Evolve to Eat Grains
• Humans -eating grains >100,000 yrs
• Dental record evidence
• Hominids were and are omnivores
• Cooked grain DNA in dental calculus of
Paleolithic humans
• Cave and cooking evidence*
• Grains (sorghum, wild maize, others) found in
caves
• Grain DNA on stone tools and in cooking pots
indicate processing and cooking of grains.
*Caves in Iraq and the Low Countries; the Americas
Henry, A. et al. Ethology and Sociobiology 15 : 219–35.; Unger, P. The known, the unknown and the unknowable
DOI:10.1016/0162-3095(94)90015-9.
CLAIM:
HUMANS DID NOT
EVOLVE TO EAT
GRAINS
Claim: Humans Did Not Evolve to Eat Grains
• With the advent of agriculture
• Humans evolved to have 6 copies of amylase
• other primates - 2 copies
• Amylase & cooking of CHO enabled ready supply of glucose to the
brain
• Cooked CHO foods may have enabled evolution by
increasing the brain size of humans
http://news.sciencemag.org/evolution
/2012/10/raw-food-not-enough-feedbig-brains
news.nationalgeographic.com/.../121026
-human-cooking-e…- A surge in
human brain size about 1.8 million
years ago is linked to the innovation
of cooking
1
4/8/2016
What Was Life Like in the Paleo Period
• Average lifespan ~ 37 years
• Paleo people were 65-85% vegetarians; more meat in colder climates
• Our ancestors did eat grains and legumes.
• Early humans ate very much like modern pigs and bear - getting calories to
survive
CLAIM:
PALEO DIETS ARE
BETTER FOR YOU
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2878166/Scientists-slamcaveman-diet-say-early-humans-just-ate-could.html#ixzz42Kv1U4Ur
Recommendations for Carbohydrates (CHO)
and CHO Staples
• Dietary recommendations - most countries /health promotion orgs
• Food guidelines recommend grains as a food group
• CHO/ grain staples - Base of pyramid/ diet
• 45-65% of E (up to 75%of E)
CLAIM: GRAINS/
GLUTEN-CONTAINING
CARBOHYDRATE
STAPLES ARE BAD FOR
THE HUMAN DIET
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Australia / New Zealand Dietary Guidelines
European Food Safety Authority
UK Scientific advisory Committee on Nutrition
US Dietary Guidelines / US Institute of Medicine
Singapore Health Promotion Board
Indian Health
Health promotion bodies such as heart, cancer and diabetes associations
• World Health Organization/ Food & Agriculture Organization (WHO/FAO)
• “the macronutrient that humans need in the largest quantity.”
C et al Nutrition. 2015 ;31:908-915. Radhika G, et al Public Health Nutr. 2011
• Montagnese
;14:591-8;
http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/2638
Dietary Guidance - Central European Example
CLAIM: MODERN WHEAT
HAS BEEN BRED
(TRADITIONAL AND
GENETICALLY) TO
BECOME TOXIC AND
FATTENING
2
4/8/2016
Breeding Has Changed Everything Edible
Breeding Has Changed Everything Edible
http://www.foodinsight.org/foods-before-now-gmo-biotechnology
http://cdn.foodbeast.com.s3.amazonaws.com/content/wpcontent/uploads/2013/09/V8XnPeQ.jpg
Claim: Wheat Has Been
Changed to Be Problematic
Breeding Has Changed Everything Edible
• “Wheat we eat these days isn't the wheat
your grandma had… It’s an 18-inch tall plant
created by genetic research in the ’60s and
’70s.” Davis
• No significant changes
Kasarda, USDA Albany
2013
Chibbar, U. Saskatchewan 2015
HealthGrain EU
2013
So Jack, were these some seeds
Norman Borlaug sold you?
http://www.foodinsight.org/foods-before-now-gmo-biotechnology
16
Wheat Protein (Gluten) Levels Unchanged
• FACT: Triticum aestivum is found in many shapes / sizes.
• Ancient/modern wheat – straw 12” t- 60” (USDA-National Small Grains Collection)
• Height genes do not code for glutens and gliadins
37 ancestral and modern varieties of wheat Red fife dating from 1860 to newest variety
tested 2007. Grown in 2013, and in 2014
Photo Credit: U Sask- Hucl et al
17
©Chibbar et al. 2015 over 150 yrs “Analysis of a variety of heritage and modern wheat
starch shows very little difference ….varied from 56 % (Apex 1937) to 69% (Superb 2001)
3
4/8/2016
Gliadin –A new protein
Gliadin –An opiate
Davis claim: Gliadin is a new toxic protein and opiate.
1745 studies of wheat proteins - Italy
1820 Gliadin - German chemists Osborne and Voorhees
1893 chemical constitution of gliadin and glutenin
1915 Osborne & Mendel gliadin maintains life but would not
promote growth without other plant proteins
• Food Proteins – NIH in vitro study 1979
• Proteins, digestive enzymes, acid – wheat
• milk, soy, rice, spinach
“everybody else is susceptible to the gliadin protein that is an opiate. This
thing binds into the opiate receptors in your brain and in most people
stimulates appetite, such that we consume 440 more calories per day, 365 days
per year.”
• 46 lbs/ yr
The chemistry of gliadin – Springer
.Springer Science+Business Media
by AL Patey - 1978
19
Claim: ‘Ancient Wheats’ less Immunogenic
• ‘Ancient’ Graziella Ra and Kamut vs
modern durum accessions Cappelli,
Flaminio, Grazia and Svevo1
20
Claim: Ancient Wheats Are More Nutritious
•
Total gliadin and α-gliadin determination by
indirect ELISA.1
• “…present results cannot confirm that
ancient durum wheats would be less
CD-toxic. In conclusion, we strongly
advice celiac patients from consuming
ancient wheats including…”3
Emmer (Triticum dicoccum) and einkorn (T. monococcum), T. timopheevi, T. palaeo-colchicum, T. macha compared to other wheats from the same region
The data do not support an overall superiority of primitive forms, but evidenced interesting, potentially
exploitable, between- and within-species variability.”
“
• Advantages Einkorn
• Rich in proteins and lipids (mostly unsaturated fatty acids)
• Fructans (+ prebiotic and –FODMAP)
• Zinc and iron - bioavailability?; Carotenoids and tocols;
conjugated polyphenols, alkylresorcinols and phytosterols
• Low β-amylase and lipoxygenase activities (less oxidation
during storage etc)
• not less allergenic by blot and pin prick
tests2
• Disadvantages
‘Ancient’
1Šuligoj
T, Gregorini A, Colomba M, Ellis HJ, Ciclitira
PJ. Evaluation of the safety of ancient strains of
wheat in coeliac disease reveals heterogeneous
small intestinal T cell responses suggestive of
coeliac toxicity. Clin Nutr. 2013 ;32:1043-9;.
2Simonato
B1, Pasini G, Giannattasio M, Curioni A.
Allergenic potential of Kamut wheat. Allergy. 2002
;57:653-4
3Colomba
MS, Gregorini A. Are ancient durum wheats
less toxic to celiac patients? A study of α-gliadin from
Graziella Ra and Kamut. ScientificWorldJournal.
2012;2012:837416
Food Allergies, Intolerances, and
Sensitivities Defined
• Food Allergy*: an IgE mediated
reaction to a food protein causing
histamine release
• Food Autoimmune: reaction caused
by the activation of a gene (celiac)
• Food Intolerance: reaction to a
metabolite or ingredient such as
lactose, caffeine, or tyramine (aged
cheeses and Asian fermented sauces)
• Food Sensitivity: reaction to food
component that is not an allergic,
chemical or autoimmune response
• Low dietary fiber
• Wheat 11.5-18.3% of dry matter (dm) vs Einkorn and emmer
wheats 7.2-12.8% of dm; durum and spelt wheats(10.7-15.5% of
dm
Hidalgo A 1 , Brandolini A. Nutritional properties of einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum L.). J Sci Food Agric. 2014 ;94:601-12; Benincasa P, Galieni A, Manetta
AC, Pace R, Guiducci M, Pisante M, Stagnari 2. Phenolic compounds in grains, sprouts and wheatgrass of hulled and non -hulled wheat species. J Sci Food Agric.
2015;95:1795-803; Giambanelli E, Ferioli F, Koçaoglu B, Jorjadze M, Alexieva I, Darbinyan N, D'Antuono LF. A comparative study of bioactive compounds in
primitive wheat populations from Italy, Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria and Armenia . J Sci Food Agric. 2013;93:3490-501.: Gebruers K, Dornez E, Boros D, Fraś A,
Dynkowska W, Bedo Z, Rakszegi M, Delcour JA, Courtin C, Variation in the content of dietary fiber and components thereof in wheats in the HEALTHGRAIN
Diversity Screen. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 ;56:9740-9.
Digestion and Gut Health:
The First Point of Wellness
"Digestion, of all the bodily
functions, is the one which
exercises the greatest
influence on the mental state
of an individual.”
Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
(1755-1826)
*Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease not an allergy
4
4/8/2016
Digestion and Gut Health
• Human body has 10 trillion cells
• Microbes outnumber human cells 10:1
~1 - 3 % of body
200 lb. Adult has 2- 6 lbs bacteria
“We should start thinking
about diets not only from
the perspective of what we
should eat, but what we
should be feeding our entire
gut microbial systems….
The gut microbiome has been
linked to many diseases,
including obesity, cancer,
and inflammatory bowel
disease....”
~Jeff Leach, founder of the Human Food
Project and co-founder of American Gut.
Human Microbiome
A Vital Role in Human Health
• Influenced by
• Diet – esp. fiber vs readily available carbs (CHO)
• Fiber feeds the gut MO
• Phytochemicals used by MO
• Type of birth - Vaginal vs. Cesarean
• Breast fed or not
• Use of antibioitics and other drugs
• Greater diversity of types of MO assoc. with better health
• “ there is not just one way to be healthy, there doesn’t have to be one or two ‘just right’ gut
communities, but rather a range of ‘just fine’ communities”… As predictable, the gut flora is
probably dynamic and most influenced by the diet. As a matter of fact, the type of diet
(vegetarian or non-vegetarian) decides the percentage count of Bacteroides spp.,
Bifidobacterium spp., etc. in the gut flora.”
~Huse, a researcher in Human Microbiome Project (HMP)
Source: Huse, S. et al.2012 PLoS ONE, 7 (6) DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034242
Microbiome Diversity / Balance
• Assoc. with the Immune System
Gut Bacteria Through the Lifecycle
• Allergies & Asthma
• Crohn’s disease & Colitis
• Obesity & Diabetes
• Cancer risk
• Heart disease
• Poop transplants by changing microbes
• Rats changed susceptibility to heart attacks
• Lean rats became obese and vise versa
• Assoc. with Stress, Personality Germ-free mice & rats are more
vulnerable to stress
• Mice: Warm and friendly vs. aggressive and stand-offish strains
• Assoc. with Cognition and Behavior
• High fat/ high protein diets reduce memory acuity;
executive functioning
• Markers of inflammation  affect entire body incl. brain
Low Acid, Bacterial Overgrowth
Dietary Dysbiosis & Disease
Source: Ottman et al. Frontiers Cellular Infection Micro. 2012; 2:1-10
Gut Permeability: Opening the Door to
Many Health Problems
Low stomach acid allows:
1.
2.
3.
Pathogenic bacteria to
survive and populate the
gut dysbiosis
Contributes to weak tight
junctions  leaky gut
Proteins cross the gut 
trigger immune reactions
Dysbiosis: microbial imbalance
in the GI tract
5
4/8/2016
A
Intestinal Microbes and Allergy
LLERGIES, ANTACIDS,
MICROBES,CARBOHYDRATES &
WHEAT
Decreased
risk
Clostridia,
Enterobacteriaceae,
Staphylococci
Increased
Risk
Lactobacillus
Bifidobacterium
Source: Noval Rivas M et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 Jan;131:201-12
Top Food Allergens
Prevalence of Food Allergy
•
Children %
Adults %
Mast Cell:
• Up to 35% believe they
have food allergy
Milk
`2.5*
Eggs
1.5*
Peanuts 1.4 / Nuts 1.1
Wheat
0.4*
Soy
0.4*
Fish 0.1 & Shellfish 0.1
Sesame
0.1
• ~3.5% confirmed by oral
food challenge
• 10-fold lower prevalence
* 80% outgrow by teen years
Source: http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(07)00991-8/abstract; Rona RJ et al.
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2007, 120:638-646
Shellfish
2.0
Peanut
0.6
Tree nuts
0.5
Wheat
0.5
Fish
0.4
Sesame
0.1
Fruit / vegetable est.
0.1 - 4.3
Wheat allergy in entire
population under 0.5%
Source: Waserman S & Watson W. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2011;7 Suppl 1:S7;
Sicherer & Sampson, 2010; Chafen et al, JAMA. 2010;303:1848-56.
Wheat Allergy – What Is It?
34
Wheat Allergy Symptoms
• IgE Immunoglobulin response
• Mast cells release histamine after binding with IgE
• Eczema & hives, swelling
• Asthma & hay fever-like symptoms, cough
• Tiredness
• GI symptoms
• A classic allergy, usually to the seed storage proteins
–27 wheat proteins have been identified
• Glutenins (wheat glutelin): most frequent allergens
• Gliadins: most severe allergens
– γ-gliadin
– ω-5 gliadin - Wheat dependent exercise induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA)
• Albumins and maybe some globulins and enzymes
– α-amylase/trypsin inhibitor family in wheat, barley and rye flour
• Rare: anaphylactic shock
– Neurological
– Joint/muscle pains  arthritis
– Other IBS
Source: Mills et al Plant Food Allergens
2007 Blackwell
35
Source: Holloway et al. Practitioner. 2011;255(1741):19-22
36
6
4/8/2016
Allergy & Acid Suppression
Antacids and anti-ulcer drugs:
• stomach
acid leads to  protein digestion and
potential allergic reaction
• Promote IgE formation by dietary protein fragments
 Milk, potato, celery, carrots, apple, orange,
wheat, rye
Acid Suppression & Allergy
• Acid suppression while In utero associated in offspring (Swedish
cohort>29,000)
– Allergy (OR 1.43)
– Childhood asthma (OR 1.51)
 Sensitivities lingered > 3+ mo. after antacid use
Sources:
C
Untersmayr et al FASEB J. 2005 Apr;19(6):656-8
Dehlink E, et al. Clin Exp Allergy. 2009;39:246-53;
Diesner et al Wien Med Wochenschr. 2012 Dec;162(23-24):513-8
McCarthy DM Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2010 Nov;26(6):624-31
Source: Dehlink E et al. Clin Exp Allergy. 2009;39:246-53; Diesner et al. Wien Med
Wochenschr. 2012;162:513-8
Causal Factors for Celiac Symptoms
ELIAC, GLUTEN SENSITIVITY, LEAKY
GUT AND DYSBIOSIS
1. Gluten
2. Genetics (>97%)
– HLA-DQ-2
– HLA-DQ-8
3. Trigger - stress, trauma
–
–
Surgeries, pregnancy, etc.
Viral infections
4. Intestinal Permeability
– Emerging Factor
– “Leaky Gut”
Celiac Incidence
• US Average (healthy people): 1 in 133; only 1: 4700
diagnosed
–Higher if Scandinavian, Irish, parts of Middle East: 1 in 50-60
–Est. African, Hispanic- and Asian-Americans: 1 in 236
• In people with related gut symptoms: 1 in 56
–1st-degree relatives : 1 in 22
–2nd-degree relatives (aunt, cousin) : 1 in 39
• Incidence is increasing: 2 to 5x higher
Based on the presence of tissue trans-glutaminase antibodies
– No continuous data relating to the incidence of celiac disease in the
U.S. population on a year-by-year basis
Sources: Fasano, www.uchospitals.edu/pdf/uch_007937.pdf
Alberto Rubio-Tapia, Amer J Gastro, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/ajg.2012.219; Riddle et al Am J
Gastroenterol. 2012 Aug;107(8):1248-55
• Abdominal pain
(IBS)
• Eczema, rash
• Headache
• “Foggy mind”
68%
40%
35%
34%
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Depression 22%
• Numbness in
extremities
• Joint pains
33%
33%
20%
11%
Source: Center for Celiac Research in Baltimore- Dr. Alessio Fasano 2004-2010;
347/5896 patients- 6% fulfilled criteria for GS
No validated or agreed upon test for non-celiac gluten sensitivity..
42
7
4/8/2016
Theories about Increasing
Prevalence of Celiac/ Autoimmunes
Theories about Increasing
Prevalence of Celiac
5. Infant & Early Feeding Practices
1. Increased awareness, better diagnostics
• Gradual introduction of gluten - 4 and 7 mo  risk
• Recognition of gluten sensitivity; controversial
• Celiac disease
• Gluten allergies
• Type 1 diabetes (another auto-immune disease)
2. Bacterial overgrowth: medications, age
3. Salt intake1
4. Increased autoimmune diseases overall
Introducing gluten while breastfeeding appears to be
protective in some studies, not all
33% of babies born by Caesarian
• Clean theory or hygiene hypothesis2
1Wu
et al., Nature, doi:10.1038/nature11984, 2013; Kleinewietfeld M. Nature,
doi:10.1038/nature11868, 2013; Yosef N et al., Nature,
doi:10.1038/nature11981, 2013.
6. Foodborne infections and viruses: trigger
autoimmune diseases
2Fumagalli
et al. J Exp Med. 2009;206(6):1395-408; Brooks et al Curr Opin
Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 Feb;13(1):70-7; Frei et al Allergy. 2012;67(4):451-61;
Laci and Penagos. Nestle Nutr Workshop Ser Pediatr Program. 2011;68:169-83.
Sources: Silva et al. Acta Médica Portuguesa, 2011 December; 24 Suppl 4:1035-40.
“Diversification in the first year of food life.”; Laci and Penagos. Nestle Nutr Workshop
Ser Pediatr Program. 2011;68:169-83
44
Theories about Increasing
Prevalence of Celiac
7.
Short fermentations for bread vs sourdough:
breakdown the offending peptides; free gluten
additive
8. Agronomic practices: fertilizers, growing conditions,
specific varieties
9. Poor diets overall: low fiber, folate, vitamins, too
many calories
10. Change in the gut microbiome: may increase
autoimmune diseases
CLAIM: WHEAT,
GRAINS AND CARBS
CAUSE OBESITY AND
CHRONIC DISEASE
Sources: Million et al. Int J Obes (Lond). 2013 Mar 5; Sung et al Neurogastroenterol
Motil. 2013 Mar 22. Ceseviciene 2012; Grove 2009; Katz 2011, Rizzello 2007; Belz 2012
45
Obesity, CHO/Grains Alleged as Culprits
Prevalence of Obesity
60
15
Obesity, CHO/Grains Alleged as Culprits
Dietary Fat
CHO
50
40
10
30
20
5
10
0
0
1963
-1965
1971
-1974
1976
-1980
1988 1999
-1994 -2000
Ogden et al.JAMA 2002, 288: 1728
1965
1977
1989 1994
-1991 -1996
Cavadini et al.Arch Dis Child 2000; 83:18
47
48
8
4/8/2016
Wheat Consumption Trends Do Not Follow
Obesity Trends
1830-2010
Source: Kasarda DD J Agric Food Chem. 2013 Feb 13;61(6):1155-9.
Available Calories Have Increased
~ 600 Kcal more overall, ~200 calories more each from fat and CHO; 50 cal
more from sweeteners
Grain Intake Is Flat or Decreasing as Obesity
Climbs
http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/ac911e/ac911e05.htm
‘Make Half Your Grains Whole’
Lowest Visceral Abdominal Fat
52
Claim: No Gluten/ Grain (Paleo) Diet Reduces
Diabetes/ Metabolic Syndrome
• Systematic review- 16 cohorts Type 2 Diabetes
(T2DM) Risk
• 3 sv/d (minimum 48g) whole grain (WG)
Relative risk (RR) = 0.68
• Inverse associations
• WG including WG bread
• Bran
• Refined grains
RR= 0.95
• >3000 children / adolescents in Tehran
• No association with
• low CHO diet score and incidence of MetS
• MetS components
• risk from energy dense snacks
Eslamian et al Arch Iran Med. 2014;17:417-22; Aune, D. et al. Eur J Epidemiol. 2013;
28:845-58.
McKeown et al. Am J Clin Nutr 2010; 92:1165-71
Framingham Heart
Study (n=2834)
53
9
4/8/2016
Whole Grain: Coronary Heart Disease
Iowa Women’s Health N=35,000
36% risk – 1 sv/d
ARIC Men/ Women N~16,000
Nurses’ Health Study N~75,000
Elderly N=3500
25% - 28%  risk
3 sv. ~ 50 g WG/d
2015 meta analysis
– 15 cohorts, 3 case-control n> 400,000
22%  risk – 3 sv/d
Tang G et al Am J Cardiol. 2015;115(5):625-9.Jacobs et al, 1999,
Liu, et al., 1999; Steffan et al, 2003; Mozaffarian et al. JAMA. 2003Tang et al
55
Claim: Fibers from All Sources Have the Same
Impact
Claim :“Grain Fiber Unnecessary”
• DF & Small Intestinal Cancer RR
• Davis & Paleo : other fibers will do the same job.
•Total Dietary Fiber
•Grain Fiber
•Whole Grain foods
NIH-AARP Diet & Health Study 367,442 older Americans
• High cereal fiber intake 19% lower risk of all-cause mortality
• 15–34% lower risk of disease-specific mortality
“Dietary fiber from grains, but not from other
sources, was significantly inversely related to total
and cause-specific death in both men and women.”
0.79
0.51
0.59
ns
P < 0.01
P < 0.06
NIH AARP N> 500,000
Schatzkin et al Gastroenterology 2009 135:1163-7;
Gonzalez CA, Riboli E. Eur J Cancer. 2010;46:2555-62; AMA Park Y et al. Archives of internal medicine.
2011;171:1061-1068; Huang T et al. BMC Medicine. 2015;13:59.
Image:http://i0.wp.com/www.lowfodmapdiets.com/wpcontent/uploads/2014/10/Caveman-Paleo-Diete1412900015791.jpg?resize=400%2C289
57
Claim: Vegetable Fibers Will Do the Job
Low-carb diets; Higher all-cause mortality
FIBER
LAXATION
per g fiber fed
Meta-analysis - 17 studies - 272,216 people in
4 cohort studies
Wheat bran
Psyllium
Oats
Corn
Legumes
Pectin
RS2 resistant starch
Inulin
5.4
4.0
3.4
3.3
2.2
1.2
1.1
1.0
• All-cause mortality - high low-carb
score RR = 1.31
• Similar for low carb/high protein
• Low-carb diets were associated
with a significantly higher risk of
all-cause mortality.
• limited observational studies
• long-term outcomes are needed
Noto H et al PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e55030.
Cummings JH. 1993. CRC Handbook of Dietary Fiber in Human Nutrition
59
10
4/8/2016
Affordability and Nutritional Quality of No Grain/
Gluten Free/ Paleo
• Gluten - free diets – can cost 242% more
Grains and the World
Food Supply
• May be less nutritious and may not be fortified and are more
costly
• Paleo and Grain –free diets - meats, seafood, fruits,
vegetables, and nuts
• USDA data 9.3%  income needed for Paleolithic diet that meets all
daily recommended intakes
• Inadequate Ca++or and cereal / legume fiber
•  USDA “not feasible for low-income consumers”
Metzgar M et al. Nutr Res. 2011;31:444-51.
Crop Yields – Wheat vs Ancient Grains
• Wheat
50 bu/acre
3000 lbs of grain
• Spelt 2400 lbs naked
grain
• Emmer Farro 1900 lbs
Einkorn 1500 lbs
Durum
Nutritional
Contribution of
Grains
Traditional Grains
• >1000 kcal
per square
meter
• >400 kg
protein/ ha
Hunger Math: World Hunger by
the Numbers. Conte, R. 2013
Protein (g) /Unit Area by Crop
Grains /
carbohydrate
staples deliver
much
needed
protein
With permission
Einkorn
Cereal/Pseudoc Calories/ m2
ereal
Protein (kg/ha)
Maize (corn)
1,847
415
Oats
1,508
384
Rice (paddy)
1,482
307
Triticale
1,256
470
Amaranth
1,133
418
Wheat
1,083
423
Rye
914
271
Teff
605
226
Sorghum
529
165
Millet
345
105
Quinoa
275
109
Soybean
1,029
870
Lentils
322
244
Green Beans
229
127
Conclusions
• We did evolve to eat grains
• Wheat has not changed but we have. Many possibilities including
aspects that cause changes in the microbiome increase all
autoimmune diseases.
• Around 5% of the population should avoid wheat and or gluten
• Grains and grain fiber are unique and protective to health
• Diets without gluten and grains may be inadequate. Need careful
planning and may lack cereal fiber.
• Elimination of grains bodes problems for 2050 in terms of the world
food supply
Non-grain
11