Gluten Free and Weight Loss: The Gut Connection

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal suggests that for those who are not sensitive to gluten (a protein in wheat, rye and barley), giving it up, will not help with weight loss. The author’s point is that replacing gluten containing grains with “gluten-free” products will simply replace the empty calories that one would normally consume. She emphasizes that this can not only blunt any weight loss attempts, but can also lead to lower vitamin and mineral absorption, leaving people more significantly depleted.

The title of the article, “Giving Up Gluten to Lose Weight? Not So Fast”, is terribly misleading, as only the first paragraph mentions the excess in carbohydrates and replacing one bad food choice for another. Thus, despite overall good content, the title suggests that it is not necessary for people who do not have an allergy or sensitivity, and the only way to know is to get tested.

The truth of the matter is that giving up Gluten containing grains can be incredibly effective for weight loss, not only for celiac disease and wheat allergies, but for anybody. With an ever increasing body of research to suggest that more and more Americans are becoming increasingly sensitive to wheat containing foods (including rye and barley), it should become commonplace for people to eliminate not only gluten containing grains, but all grains. While gluten-free products, as the author points out, are beneficial for those that have an allergy or sensitivity they will not help with weight loss as people are still consuming excessive grains, gluten-free or otherwise. There are 2 problems with this:

1) GRAIN CONSUMPTION CAUSES UNSTABLE BLOOD SUGAR

People are consuming too many carbohydrates in the form of refine grains (bread, pasta, cereal, cookies, etc… This creates eradic blood sugar fluctuations, leading to insulin spikes, insulin resistance, excessive body fat storage, and eventually metabolic syndrome.

2) GRAIN CONSUMPTION IS PRO-INFLAMMATORY

Testing via blood and biopsy can only go so far. While the quality of the tests are improving and we are seeing the number of people who are “reactive” to gluten increase, they are not the only way to diagnose. It is my belief that all people are sensitive to gluten containing grains, and that no grains are necessary as part of a “healthy” diet. We cannot adequately digest grains, especially the highly processed grains of today. They are vastly different from those of our ancestors and wreak havoc in our digestive system. Inability to adequately digest foods creates inflammation (immune reaction) in our body. The symptoms vary from person to person, but can effect every cell, tissue, organ and body system. Inflammation in the gut leads to “leaky gut”, or immune reactions to other foods we eat because the “leak” through the intestinal wall because of a suppressed mucosal barrier. This leads to other symptoms, sickness, disease, weight gain, pain, etc…

THE WAY TO EFFECTIVELY LOSE WEIGHT IS TO HEAL THE GUT!

Time and time again, I consult with people that have tried every diet, killed themselves silly in the gym, restricted calories, taken supplements, and cannot get rid of that excess body fat. They are stressed, tired and eating crap food.

THE ANSWER? Get rid of the inflammatory foods: Gluten containing grains especially!!!! This WILL help you lose weight.

We simply do NOT need grains in our diet. Stick to meats, vegetables, nuts, seeds, healthy fats and some fruit. That’s it! Eat like a cave man and watch the pounds melt away. You will feel better, have more energy and heal your body.

Just because you’re “gluten-free” doesn’t mean you can go eat all the gluten free cookies and bread you want. This is not real food. The way to 1) Get Healthy, and 2) Lose Weight (IN THAT ORDER) is to eat real, whole, quality food that our ancestors ate. Keep that in mind next time you reach for that gluten free bagel, and maybe opt for an omelet instead.

Are you Getting your Vitamin D?

New Research now shows that 600,000 new cases of breast and colon cancer could be prevented worldwide each year simply by raising vitamin D blood levels. Here we spend literally BILLIONS of dollars on cancer drugs while just upping vitamin D levels could prevent 600,000 cases of cancer EACH YEAR.

Why is Vitamin D supplementation important?

Because meeting the necessary requirements for daily Vitamin D can provide protection from diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, depression, several autoimmune diseases, and cancers of the breast, prostate, and colon, and is really an integral part in maintaining optimal and therapeutic health!

How do we raise our Vitamin D levels?

There are 2 options for raising Vitamin D levels:

1) Exposure to ultraviolet light: We need our sunshine but unfortunately sunscreen blocks the majority of the UVB rays necessary for Vitamin D production. Also, this is not an option for many that live in colder/rainier climates, especially during the winter months. This can be challenging considering even those that live in sunny climates year round still tend to be deficient.

2) Oral supplementation: This seems to be the most practical option. One of the only major dietary sources of Vitamin D is cod-liver oil, but the amount needed to meet therapeutic doses would be impractical and expensive and could be harmful in the long run. Therefore, oral supplementation with “pure” vitamin D supplements allows the dose to be tailored to the individual needs of the patient.

How much do we need?

It’s always necessary to have your Vitamin D levels checked from a qualified health practitioner to identify a baseline level and determine how much supplementation is necessary and should be remeasured periodically. As a general recommendation based on the current literature:

Adults and Pregnant Women: 4000IU’s/day

Infants and Children: 1000IU’s/day as a minimum

How do I know what supplement to look for:

Look for Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and is best purchased from a trusted health practitioner rather than the local drugstore or costco.

For maximum benefit, supplementation should be continued for a minimum of 5-9 months and should be continually remeasured via blood tests from a qualified health practitioner.

If you think you may be Vitamin D deficient or are interested in a quality Vitamin D supplement to help you maintain optimal health, contact Body Systems to discuss your options.

A “Prescription” for Obesity

With three new prescription weight-loss drugs looming for FDA approval, I thought it was necessary to add my two cents about the increasing use of pills to treat people who are overweight or obese.

According to an article published in USA Today, clinical studies suggest these medications – coupled with “cutting calories” and exercising – facilitated a weight loss of anywhere between  5 to 15% of initial bodyweight over the course of one year. Additionally, the studies indicate that there were improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar control as well.

The article suggests that by using these medications, doctors could “reduce health care costs by managing the root cause.”

I find it necessary to point out that being overweight or obese is FAR from the root cause of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, poor blood sugar regulation, etc…. It, along with the previously named health conditions, is a SYMPTOM of an underlying hormonal imbalance.

There are several factors to consider when addressing why an individual is overweight or obese:

1. There is absolutely no scientific evidence for the belief that dietary fat is the driver of obesity.
2. Obesity is mostly a hormonal disorder, genetically influenced, in which insulin is a central player.
3. It’s not that people eat too much and don’t exercise because of some defect of will, or behavioral problem; it’s the behavior that is controlled by this hormonal imbalance.
4. Individuals are genetically predisposed to develop obesity if exposed to the kinds of foods that trigger these hormonal imbalances.

Excessive consumption of carbohydrates by a mother with a developing fetus will not only create blood sugar regulation issues in the mother, but it will genetically predispose the developing child to have a diminished ability to tolerate carbohydrate-rich foods. At the present, the level of carbohydrate consumption in the form of sugary drinks, snacks, highly processed grains, etc., are at an all time high and can potentially be seen as the cause of the epidemic of overweight and obese Americans.

The USA Today article suggests that multiple mechanisms are involved in the “biology of obesity” and that it may eventually be necessary for patients to take several medications to lose weight and keep it off.

The “biology of obesity” starts with the way we process the food that we take into our body, 3+ meals per day, 365 days per year. Prescription drugs are not aimed at addressing the “root cause,” but simply offer another allopathic way to treat the symptoms of a much more complex disorder. Until we recognize that real food cannot be manufactured in processing plants and have an extended shelf life, we are doomed to continue to promote a “this for that” health plan.