Nonallergenic Wheat? What?!?!?!

[Guhlia]

Have you guys seen this? Specifically this exerpt, but also all of the other proposed uses for wheat...

www.wheatworld.org/pdf/NAWG%20New%20Improved%20Uses%20Report%20Final.pdf

DESCRIPTION:

NONALLERGENIC WHEAT

Celiac disease is a medical condition characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms. It affects one

out of every 150 to 250 people in the U.S. Exposure to gluten – specifically the gliadin

component of gluten – in wheat-based foods triggers damage to the villi in the intestines. The

main treatment for the disease is complete avoidance of gluten in the diet. It appears that

companies are actively working to research and develop wheat varieties that would not cause

“allergic” reactions in people with celiac disease. This is probably being done through both

biotechnology and nonbiotech breeding programs.

It is unknown how the removal or

modification of gliadin in wheat varieties will affect yields and end-use performance.

If nonallergenic wheat with good agronomic and end-use performance could be developed,

initially it would likely be handled in a “closed-loop” system selling food products directly to

people with celiac disease. There would be a spatial problem in baked good distribution,

assuming people with celiac disease are evenly distributed around the country. One practicable

scenario would be for nonallergenic varieties to be contract-grown for a modest premium, milled

in a facility that was thoroughly cleaned of residue and baked near a limited number of large

metropolitan areas. Nonperishable food products could be sold through the Internet.

Over time, it is likely that the initial technology for developing nonallergenic wheat varieties

would become more widely licensed or additional methods would be developed. Eventually,

millers and other processors may require that varieties they purchase from farmers be

nonallergenic. At this point, the market volume will become very large, but any producer

premium will disappear.

Sounds fishy to me... I don't think I'd ever trust any kind of wheat at all. I don't even really miss it.

[Ursa Major]

Actually, that sounds great. The reason we're so intolerant to wheat is, that they have bred several varieties together, selecting for a high gluten content, to make factory baking more efficient. Bread used to be a lot less 'gluey', due to less gluten.

So, if they manage to reverse the process and breed the gluten back out of it, good for them (of course, who knows if they'll succeed). The gluten-free variety might end up not being any worse for celiac disease people than millet or sorghum. That would be nice!

[AndreaB]

I would be suspect of any bioengineered less gluten wheat product, or hypoallergenic.

What celiacs would they test out this wheat on to see if it does any damage, etc.

[Nantzie]

Actually, that sounds great. The reason we're so intolerant to wheat is, that they have bred several varieties together, selecting for a high gluten content, to make factory baking more efficient. Bread used to be a lot less 'gluey', due to less gluten.

I never knew that Ursula! I've been wondering about why it is that so much of civilization is based on agriculture and wheat when it makes such a huge part of the population sick. Makes much more sense now.

The thing with all of these things is it makes me wonder if it will help all types of symptoms, or just the intestinal damage. I'm guessing probably not. It would be nice not to have to worry about the digestive symptoms if this type of thing becomes reality, but the main thing that keeps me on the straight and narrow is avoiding the nightmares, depression, anxiety and exhaustion.

Nancy