Interesting Article On The Correlation Between Wheat Consumption And Heart Disease

[ItchyAbby]

I am still re-reading and digesting this info but thought I'd share and get your thoughts.

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[IrishHeart]

Abby,

Yowzers...That's quite an article! Sadly for me, it's full of math and calculations and my brain goes into freeze mode when that starts.

I have to read articles like that maybe 3 times before I can converse intelligently on it.

 

She says there are so many variables to studies such as this one that she thinks it makes it difficult to weigh the data.

I slugged through it and I found myself yelling "hell ya!" at the laptop when she said this::

 

(This also a stellar example of why it’s important to read full-text articles instead of just abstracts, which often don’t tell you diddly about the stuff you want to know.)

 

All too often, I see people post abstracts on here and on blog sites citing the title as "proof" of something they are trying to claim is true. Or they highlight a few sentences out of context to support their case. After I read the entire article, I discover that the conclusion of the study is that the science does not support what was proposed in the overview of the abstract. Or the conclusion is that "further study is warranted". After reading some of the studies and their conclusions, I sometimes feel like this author--seeing the confounders that make the study results questionable. (of course, peer review is one way to decrease the incidences of this occurring)

 

Anyway, I find using these abstracts as "evidence"  deceptive and maddening. When I question the person who posted it, they get mad and/or stop talking to me.   ah well.

 

But back to this article: I have to read it a few times before commenting further. Let me drink some coffee.....a few cups perhaps...  

 

She states "So my goal here isn’t to prove anything about wheat. Mostly, I want to see if I can find a confounder that’s creating a false association between wheat and heart disease in the China Study data.

 

So, she is taking on a huge task. I also notice it's only "part 1". 

[GF Lover]

So many variables my head is spinning.  The main point I'm getting from this is it's going to be really hard to nail down specific conclusions to prove/disprove associations.  The data from the China study may be inherently flawed as it is a questionnaire.  I think she may actually find many confounders, not just one. 

 

Thank for the link Abby.  I'll look forward to Part 2.

 

Colleen

[ItchyAbby]

Goodness, that is a meaty article. I am enjoying it but really don't know how to talk about this stuff much yet. I am in the "sponge" stage - soaking up as much info as i can!

 

IrishHeart - question away, if you wish! I'll still talk to you.    I enjoy a good dialogue and some healthy skepticism. I have no personal attachment to this study at all.

[IrishHeart]

Goodness, that is a meaty article. I am enjoying it but really don't know how to talk about this stuff much yet. I am in the "sponge" stage - soaking up as much info as i can!

 

IrishHeart - question away, if you wish! I'll still talk to you.    I enjoy a good dialogue and some healthy skepticism. I have no personal attachment to this study at all.

 

Oh no, Abby!

 

My comments were not directed at you at all. I was just speaking hypothetically and agreeing with what the author said in the article about people in general, who do not read the entire Pub Med article.. 

 

You have posted something for discussion.That's a good thing.

 

You did not come on and say "eating musk melon causes some celiacs to have villous atrophy"

and then post a link to some whacko website making dubious claims based on  well, nothing..

 

There's a huge difference. Hope I clarified my meaning.

 

Cheers!!

[Gemini]

While I don't pay much attention to studies like this, it is a well known fact that carbs will raise blood sugar and elevated blood sugar, over time, can clog your arteries. In the US, doctors tell people to stay away from bacon and eggs, yet its the carbs that do way more harm to your heart.  My brother is a Type 1 diabetic and he was not very vigilant about his blood sugar levels and keeping them low.  At the age of 49, he had to have 2 stents placed in his arteries because he had a 95% blockage...a heart attack waiting to happen.

Consumption of red meat is down from 20-30 years ago yet carb intake has skyrocketed.  Wheat is a highly consumed carb and is in everything, as we know. I think there is merit to the idea that wheat can cause heart disease in some people.