Is Genetically Modified Wheat Common Now-Days Responsible For This Condition?

[UnhappyCoeliac]

I heard it in passing the other day, what we currently define as wheat is so far processed from the real thing that's it's caused an outbreak in this condition.

[Ksee]

Maybe, but no one knows why there has been such an increase in autoimmune and genetic diseases over the last fifty or so years. Other thoughts are:

Medical advances allow better recognition and distinction of related diseases.

Medical advances allow survival rates increasing time for diagnosis.

Ever increasing complexity of physical stresses by modern living is increases autoimmune and genetic disease rates.

 

The reasons in general probably will turn out to be a combination of things that could include all or none of the above. The reason for an individual to have a condition may be simpler. Sorry I can't be more helpful. I would caution against those claiming to have answers. Request supporting evidence.  

[Em314]

I do think wheat has been selectively bred for protein content, as well as othe properties, over time: (decent-looking article:  Open Original Shared Link )

 

I would imagine that could be flushing out more people who react to said protein (gluten) because even if we assumed wheat was at the same level in our diets (which I would assume isn't the case- I believe we're eating more of it than we used to), we'd potentially have more gluten in our diets, which means somepeople who wouldn't have had symptoms before (because the amount of gluten they consumed was below a tolerable threshhold) would now be symptomatic. 

 

Probably not all of it; probably is some of it.  Not exactly a giant conspiracy to torture celiacs; just a side effect of the way farming has progressed over time.

[captaincrab55]

The Internet allows us to find the cause of our health issues when Doctors miss it!!!       People get to use thisGreat Site to improve their health quicker than the medical field can in many cases.      IMO, there may be a connection to the GMOs out there that the FDA thinks are safe.       Life is better with the internet and my Doctor approves of it's use.

[Ksee]

Captain I hear you but I ask: where is this wheat being grown and sold? Transgenic wheat exists but it's not being grown for sale in the US because of fears that other countries won't buy it.  Other countries are not growing it for the same reasons.

It can not be causing increased celiac disease because it's not on the market. Please use a search engine to verify that. 

[nvsmom]

I have read that wheat is largely genetically modified. I can't remember the exact  numbers, but I believe wheat used to have about 8 chromosomes and now it is up to about 40. It has been quite modified. I would not be surprised if this has caused it to affect more people as it's not exactly natural anymore. but celiac has been around for a good thousand years.

 

As a general rule, I try to avoid GMO foods but it's hard to do as most everything has been modified.

[Ksee]

nvsmom could you post a link to that please?

[nvsmom]

I read it in Wheat Belly, by Davis (I think). his book is interesting, but not the most exactly researched out there by any means. He really gets into how wheat has been modified for ease of farming (like making the plants shorter and stronger so it is less likely to break with heavy grains on it).

 

Many foods are modified with good intentions to help food production and farming ease, but I doubt much of it is done with our health in mind.  Just a few months ago I remember reading a piece in the news about genetically modified tomatoes that where being grown with latex to protect against molds (I believe)... eww. They get a better crop and we get latex/tomatoes.  LOL Soy is another heavily modified food.

 

I don't think there is any denying that food is being genetically modified by people. Some of that is good, I doubt they would be able to feed the 7 billion people on earth if they hadn't, but some of it is not so good.

[Ksee]

You mean here?

Open Original Shared Link

[Adalaide]

It is hard to say if it has had any effect on the number of people who are genetically predisposed who go on to develop the disease. An interesting article though shows that people have been dying of celiac for thousands of years.

 

Open Original Shared Link

[nvsmom]

You mean here?

Open Original Shared Link

Huh... Yep.  I guess I had my terminology wrong. Wheat is not genetically modified but genetically manipulated in many many ways.  Either way, it's not natural. I consider wheat products (for non-celiacs) in the same category as any junk food treat - to be eaten in small amounts.

 

It is hard to say if it has had any effect on the number of people who are genetically predisposed who go on to develop the disease. An interesting article though shows that people have been dying of celiac for thousands of years.

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

Yes, I doubt celiac is caused by the "new wheat" since it seems to have been around for quite some time. I think it's possible that the new wheat could be responsible for more cases, but that is just me making a guess... based on no artitcles or proof.   

[psawyer]

Certainly, wheat has been selectively bred for a long time to make certain properties more prevalent. It is still all considered the sames genus, triticum. At least twenty species exist in that genus, all of which must be strictly avoided by anyone who has an intolerance to gluten.

To understand variations within a species, here is an example. Canis lupus familiaris is a subspecies of canis lupis, the gray wolf. There has been much selective breeding here, too. Within that subspecies, we find Great Danes and toy poodles. Biologically they are of the same subspecies, but have very different traits. If you interbreed them, the offspring will be genetically viable and able to reproduce. What traits they will have is a mystery.

So, are you saying that toy poodles are not natural?

[Ksee]

LOL, nvsmom, hybridized and genetically modified does sound like the same thing, I know. Hybridization gave us long stemmed roses in colors of most of the rainbow, domestic livestock and most of our useful crops over thousands of years. One of the things that make us human is our tendency to improve things whether they need it or not.

Genetic modification gave us kitty cats that glow in the dark (no kidding) and I want one! Do you have any idea how upsetting it is to trip over the cat in the dark? The cat isn't happy about it either.

Actually they are trying really hard to change the gluten proteins our bodies react to and grow wheat we could all eat.

We all worry about messing around with DNA because we don't know if it's going to turn out as a mad scientist horror movie and we should worry enough to make sure it gets used right.

They said the world was flat, man was never meant to fly, no one could move faster than the speed of sound and if someone did they certainly couldn't live through it. 

I worry a lot more about the junk getting dumped into our air, rivers and oceans.

[Ollie's Mom]

I thought there was a study done where they screened blood samples from army recruits from the 1950's (preserved samples) and recruits from modern times. There was a statistically significant difference in the percentage of positive antibody results, something like the percentage of positive results today being twice that from 50 years ago. This implies that the rate of celiac disease has in fact increased.

(sorry, I'm on my phone and cannot easily search for or post a link to the abstract for this study).

As for being more afraid of environmental pollution than GMOs, those are two separate issues, both worthy of concern imo. Once you start messing with the natural balance of things, you are opening the door to unforeseen consequences. I always think about the decision to take feedlot herbivores, such as cow's, and forcing them to eat meat and other animal products. Food is food, right? Oops.... Mad cow disease. How could we have seen that coming? Feeding them grains (corn, not a normal part of their diet) is no problem, right? Oops... Man killing strains of e coli. How could we have seen that coming? Genetically modifying plants a la Monsanto method to make them stringer / higher yielding / "round up ready" / etc is no problem, right?

You get where I'm going with this.

Just my 2¢

[nvsmom]

So, are you saying that toy poodles are not natural?

 

LOL I had a miniature poodle once. I loved that dog. But if it had been about survival of the fittest and natural selection, he would never have existed. He wasn't natural.... Cute though! 

 

I'm not saying that people messing with nature is always bad. I grow lilies in my yard that aren't supposed to naturally occur in Alberta. I also (unhappily) grow dandelions which are not native to North America. I have an apple tree in my yard which has been bred to grow here when no apple trees should. I grow yukon gold potatoes because they do well in my yard, not because it was the first type of potato found by the natives.

 

On the other hand, I grow heirloom tomatoes beecause they taste better, but they look funny and take longer to grow - they are fussier so I can see why farmers grow hybridized or modified crops.

 

It's not all bad but it is far from the natural occurring state of things. I just don't think our eveolutionary processes can keep up with how quickly our food supply is changing. Maybe in a few 1000 years or so we'll be better made to handle today's diet.

 

I get my meat from my uncle's farm were the animals are free range. we do our own buttchering so I know I'm getting quality meat. When I was diagnosed with celiac disease about a year ago, I had my nutrient levels tested and it was all mid normal except B12 (exceeded range) and D (was in the bottom half of normal). I am pretty sure I have had celiac disease my entire life (based on symptoms) so I sometimes wonder if my good tests were a result of my food sources. I have no proof or evidence of this, but it makes me wonder if there is a correlation rather than just coincidence or good luck.

 

I can't do much to control the pollution and junk in our air and rivers, but i control what I can. The same goes for my food and products that i use. I try to stay as organic and non-GMO as possible. I avoid plastics when I can... stuff like that. It is a personal choice and I don't begrudge folks who choose to eat hybridized wheat products, or drink bottled water (or own poodles ); it is their choice.  My problem comes with the lack of education that many people have about their food and products so they are not neccessarily making informed decisions. Luckily those choices are not usually immediately health affecting or life threatening.

 

I'm not anti-science. If not for scientific advances (creation of prednisone and gammaglobbulin) I would have died 20 years ago from a health crisis. I'm a science teacher. Science is a good thing. I do think that a lot of false assumptions are made though that can lead to damage to our health. I'm sure it is not done maliciously but it happens. I'm sure in a another 40 years my children will look back on my ideas and how we lived and shake their heads at our unhealthy choices, just like I have with my parents' (war babies) generation.

 

Ollie's mom - Those tests based on the old 1950's blood samples sounds familiar. I'm sure I've read something along those lines too.

[Ksee]

Yes, there is an increase in autoimmune and genetic diseases (scroll up). It may be from pollution and many people feel they don't have the ability to change anything. It has been found that our personal consumption is the single greatest contributor to global pollution. It's our personal waste, demands for energy, and single use products that then are thrown into the environment. It's the factories and energy producers trying to keep up with our demands that produce the pollution.   

One of the most frustrating things for health care workers to accept, is the ability of individuals to make their own choices. We can educate and advise but some people would prefer a shortened life full of the excesses and unhealthy practices. It's difficult for some of us to understand why anyone would give up living longer for the sake of unhealthy lifestyles and substances but we can only educate and allow people to make their own choices. Education only reaches those who want to learn. People with closed minds, unhealthy lifestyles, unwilling to change, are a dying breed quite literally. 

When it comes to new technology, once developed it will be used at some point. The fact that the world is being careful not to jump into gene manipulation as quickly as previous technologies like electricity or internal combustion is something I find encouraging. I think it means we have learned to be more cautious and forward thinking.  

No one believed there are glow in the dark kitties did they? They help fight AIDS.  Open Original Shared Link

[CommonTater]

I heard it in passing the other day, what we currently define as wheat is so far processed from the real thing that's it's caused an outbreak in this condition.

My Dr. is convinced there are many health issues today like Celiac and more Cancers because as he put it, "They are playing God with our foods, the wheat, corn etc... today is NOT the same wheat our grandparents ate." I agree with him. We eat clean meats and try to buy organic.

[shadowicewolf]

If you are going to pick on poodles then you have to pick on the whole dog breed as they are not 'natural' either. Selective breeding bred for certain traits and not others. You could also throw house cats and horses into this generalization as well, because they too have undergone it.

 

Could the cross breeding have caused more cases of celiac? Eh, I'm on the fence about that one. I think its more of a combination of factors (environment, food, genetics, better recognition of the condition, etc).

[Ksee]

You could also throw house cats

Good luck with that 

[shadowicewolf]

Good luck with that 

I didn't mean literally. Should i have used "place" instead?

[GFinDC]

Pretty sure poodles are from outer space Peotr...

 

I think the increase in celiac rates is related to the all around positive attributes of celiacs.  Funny, attractive, intelligent and know how to cook.  Therefore better mates.  So simple!

[shadowicewolf]

Pretty sure poodles are from outer space Peotr...

 

I think the increase in celiac rates is related to the all around positive attributes of celiacs.  Funny, attractive, intelligent and know how to cook.  Therefore better mates.  So simple!

Because they are smarter than your average dog?

 

[bartfull]

I think the prevelance of lot's of illnesses, not just celiac, is because the "normal" American diet no longer consists of food. Instead we are eating a lot of processed chemicals with a tiny bit of food mixed in. Here is a list of ingredients in a "three meat" frozen pizza. I used to eat a lot of this stuff!

 

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS: ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, SHREDDED LOW-MOISTURE PART-SKIM MOZZARELLA CHEESE (PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), TOMATO PASTE, COOKED SEASONED PIZZA TOPPING (PORK, WATER, MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN, TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN [sOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, CARAMEL COLOR], SPICES, SALT, SUGAR, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, PAPRIKA, PORK FLAVOR [MODIFIED CORN STARCH, PORK FAT, NATURAL FLAVORS, PORK STOCK, GELATIN, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, THIAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE, SUNFLOWER OIL, PROPYL GALLATE], CARAMEL COLOR, SPICE EXTRACTIVES, BHA, BHT, CITRIC ACID. COOKED IN PORK FAT OR BEEF FAT OR VEGETABLE OIL), PEPPERONI MADE WITH PORK, CHICKEN AND BEEF (PORK, MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN, BEEF, SALT, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF PORK STOCK, SPICES, DEXTROSE, LACTIC ACID STARTER CULTURE, PAPRIKA, NATURAL SMOKE FLAVOR, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA, SODIUM ASCORBATE, SODIUM NITRITE, FLAVORING, BHA, BHT, CITRIC ACID), COOKED BEEF PIZZA TOPPING (BEEF, WATER, TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN [sOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, CARAMEL COLOR], DEHYDRATED POTATOES WITH SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, HYDROLYZED CORN PROTEIN, SOY PROTEIN AND WHEAT PROTEIN, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, MALTODEXTRIN, SPICE, GRILL FLAVOR [FROM PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND COTTONSEED OIL], GARLIC POWDER, MODIFIED CORN STARCH. COOKED IN PORK FAT OR BEEF FAT OR VEGETABLE OIL), SUGAR, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF WHEAT GLUTEN, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN OIL AND/OR CORN OIL), WHITE CORN MEAL, SALT, YELLOW CORN MEAL, BAKING POWDER (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE), YEAST, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, DATEM, FLAVOR, SPICE, DRIED GARLIC, ASCORBIC ACID.

CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK, SOY.

[nvsmom]

I think the increase in celiac rates is related to the all around positive attributes of celiacs.  Funny, attractive, intelligent and know how to cook.  Therefore better mates.  So simple!

 

I like the way you think, Paul!    

 

 

 

 

I think the prevelance of lot's of illnesses, not just celiac, is because the "normal" American diet no longer consists of food. Instead we are eating a lot of processed chemicals with a tiny bit of food mixed in. Here is a list of ingredients in a "three meat" frozen pizza. I used to eat a lot of this stuff!

 

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS: ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, SHREDDED LOW-MOISTURE PART-SKIM MOZZARELLA CHEESE (PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), TOMATO PASTE, COOKED SEASONED PIZZA TOPPING (PORK, WATER, MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN, TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN [sOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, CARAMEL COLOR], SPICES, SALT, SUGAR, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, PAPRIKA, PORK FLAVOR [MODIFIED CORN STARCH, PORK FAT, NATURAL FLAVORS, PORK STOCK, GELATIN, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, THIAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE, SUNFLOWER OIL, PROPYL GALLATE], CARAMEL COLOR, SPICE EXTRACTIVES, BHA, BHT, CITRIC ACID. COOKED IN PORK FAT OR BEEF FAT OR VEGETABLE OIL), PEPPERONI MADE WITH PORK, CHICKEN AND BEEF (PORK, MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN, BEEF, SALT, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF PORK STOCK, SPICES, DEXTROSE, LACTIC ACID STARTER CULTURE, PAPRIKA, NATURAL SMOKE FLAVOR, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA, SODIUM ASCORBATE, SODIUM NITRITE, FLAVORING, BHA, BHT, CITRIC ACID), COOKED BEEF PIZZA TOPPING (BEEF, WATER, TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN [sOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, CARAMEL COLOR], DEHYDRATED POTATOES WITH SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, HYDROLYZED CORN PROTEIN, SOY PROTEIN AND WHEAT PROTEIN, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, MALTODEXTRIN, SPICE, GRILL FLAVOR [FROM PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND COTTONSEED OIL], GARLIC POWDER, MODIFIED CORN STARCH. COOKED IN PORK FAT OR BEEF FAT OR VEGETABLE OIL), SUGAR, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF WHEAT GLUTEN, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN OIL AND/OR CORN OIL), WHITE CORN MEAL, SALT, YELLOW CORN MEAL, BAKING POWDER (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE), YEAST, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, DATEM, FLAVOR, SPICE, DRIED GARLIC, ASCORBIC ACID.

CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK, SOY.

 

 

I read a book a few years ago (Eat Clean Diet) which really stressed that if we can't recognize an ingredient as food, we shouldn't eat it... It's really disturbing when you put the whole ingredient list on there, Bartfull. I used to eat that stuff too... and still eat some junk on occassion... Okay, more than I should really.

[captaincrab55]

Captain I hear you but I ask: where is this wheat being grown and sold? Transgenic wheat exists but it's not being grown for sale in the US because of fears that other countries won't buy it.  Other countries are not growing it for the same reasons.

It can not be causing increased celiac disease because it's not on the market. Please use a search engine to verify that. 

It's being grown!!!     

Open Original Shared Link