# Is Wheat Bad for You? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 4, 2013, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107 "2013-06-04T12:46:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/21 "2013-06-04T15:40:57Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > Let me rephrase without negations. > > Plants you can eat raw are good for you. Also, meat is good for you. > > Everything is else is less good for you to varying degrees. I was pretty sure that was what you were trying to say. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/22 "2013-06-04T15:58:17Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > ETA: just reread **Eonwe’s** post. It feels like it overlaps a bit with mine - hope that’s okay **Eonwe** … No worries. You managed to say it in about half as many words 🙂 > [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > a lot of wheat products can crowd out better choices. Does that make sense? > > I also keep crashing after breakfast in the mornings, which is making me think I’m eating too carb-heavy. I’ve been very tired, almost falling asleep on the commute to work tired - one day I actually had to pull over. So my standard breakfast of whole-grain waffle with peanut butter may not be the best option - I am trying different things, like flax seed and greek yogurt and eggs, to see if that helps. That makes total sense. Anecdote/minor hijack time: I too have moved to a carb light/free breakfast. Foods I eat regularly in the morning include: eggs, yogurt, sauteed green vegetable (spinach, kale, brussels sprouts, asparagus), banana, and occasionally sausage, a pork chop, or some other meat. There are also some higher protein grains (oats, quinoa) that I’ll have sometimes. I’ve found that, for me, those generally high-protein, high-nutrient foods for breakfast leave me feeling satisfied and energized for a long time, in a way that cereals do not. I’ll eat a sandwich at lunch (on bread), but if I’m going to have a carb-based meal, I always save that for dinner, where I can then experience any short-term energy dips while I’m asleep! 🙂 I think that one thing is certainly ‘true’ in an absolute sense about cutting wheat/carbs from one’s diet; often we don’t realize how our much our choice of foods effects how we feel and function until we successfully make changes to our diet. I never would have thought that my baseline for ‘feeling good’ was much lower than it could have been. Now I look back and wonder how it was that I didn’t realize that I was going through my day suffering from my own eating choices. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/23 "2013-06-04T16:10:43Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > Let me rephrase without negations. > > Plants you can eat raw are good for you. Also, meat is good for you. > > Everything is else is less good for you to varying degrees. Tapioca is good for you. Don’t try eating it direct from the plant, though. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/24 "2013-06-04T17:52:05Z")
I cut out wheat two years ago, and it has improved my health greatly. I found the first few weeks really difficult, with the same “withdrawal” symptoms you’re having. Like you, I had been eating what was considered a pretty darn healthy diet, very clean with minimal processed food for years before hand, so I wasn’t going from a SAD to this way of eating, but it was still very hard. I felt like crap for a while, and almost gave up. Once I got past that, many things changed. I did loose weight, which was great, although I wasn’t really overweight to start with. Some skin problems I’d had my whole life cleared up. I used to have very bad seasonal allergies, and don’t anymore. I used to get bloated: by the end of the day, I’d weigh 5 lbs more than when I woke up. No more. My digestion is improved. I used to get several colds a year, sometimes turning into chest infections that required antibiotics. I’ve not had so much as a sniffle since dropping wheat. I used to get food cravings, especially for things like cookies and bread. No more. I sleep better. My energy is much, much higher. I basically feel good all the time. If I “cheat” and eat a cookie or something, I break out for about a week afterwords, and feel just generally crummy for a while. I basically just don’t cheat anymore, it’s not worth it. I think there are a lot of people who can eat wheat and be healthy on it, but I think more people are sensitive to it than we like to admit. None of the problems I had before were anything all that unusual. It didn’t occur to me that they had anything to do with wheat until I stopped eating it. I do think it’s a worthwhile thing to try to cut from your diet, just to see. You might be one who can handle it, but if you’re not, going gluten free can really, really improve your health. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/25 "2013-06-04T19:53:48Z")
> [@Whitney\_Harper](#): > > In addition, cheese (which is basically condensed milk) can cause fatique, as it is very “thick” and very hard for the body to digest. I call Bullshit on the idea that. What, your body is working so hard on digesting it that it exhausts you? Silly assed idea. Maybe if you spend your days in a Hoveround and get tuckered out by breathing… ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/26 "2013-06-04T20:16:43Z")
I had a coworker who was a “Wheat is Poison” preacher. She also claimed that our tooth enamel is full of toxins that can only be purged with activated charcoal. She made a few other pronouncements, but I’ve managed to blank them from my memory. She was a flake. I know that different people may react in different ways to certain foods, but blanket statements about any food or food group generally get my eyes to rolling. And jumping on the the latest dietary fads as they come and go gets the same reaction. I swear, some people are worse than religious fanatics when they start preaching their dietary beliefs. Eat this, don’t eat that, I don’t care. Just shut up about it! :mad: Sorry, didn’t mean to rant there. Or maybe I did. Must be the artificial sweeteners in my lemonade. 😛 Seems to me that balance, moderation, and avoiding foods that mess with you is a smart course of action, regardless of the food fad du jour. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/27 "2013-06-04T20:43:17Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > I cut out wheat two years ago, and it has improved my health greatly. I’ll posit that anyone who starts paying close attention to their diet for any reason is going to see a mix of real and imagined improvements. I’ll start giving credence to the gluten-free crowd when the number of medically validated cases of gluten intolerance get within a continental landmass of the number of people who claim they have it. (Or are selling gluten-free products.) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/28 "2013-06-04T20:54:50Z")
Dr. Steven Bratman’s book [Health Food Junkies](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63751.Health_Food_Junkies) is an excellent read about people obsessed with the dangers of everyday food and eating “healthy.” He relate a conversation with a woman who claims that she can’t eat bread because “it makes my stomach hurt.” Bratman: On a scale of 1 to 10, how severe is the pain? Patient: About an 8. Bratman: So it keeps you awake at night? Patient: No. Maybe it’s about a 5. Bratman: So it keeps you from being able to work Patient: No. But if I press my stomach really hard after eating bread, it hurts! He also talks about the woman who claims her daughter yelled at her best friend after eating chocolate, and how she yelled at her sister after drinking a diet soda! ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/29 "2013-06-04T21:02:54Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I’ll posit that anyone who starts paying close attention to their diet for any reason is going to see a mix of real and imagined improvements. Trust me, I was paying very close attention to my diet long before I dropped wheat. You’re free to believe that I’m imagining that I no longer get sick, or bloated, or have allergies, or have to worry about my weight, I guess. I’ll continue to eat in a way that makes me feel excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/30 "2013-06-04T21:12:43Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > Trust me, I was paying very close attention to my diet long before I dropped wheat. You’re free to believe that I’m imagining that I no longer get sick, or bloated, or have allergies, or have to worry about my weight, I guess. I’ll continue to eat in a way that makes me feel excellent. I never said you should do otherwise. But anecdotal is anecdotal. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/31 "2013-06-04T21:15:36Z")
The OP was asking for people’s experiences. I’ve offered mine. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/32 "2013-06-04T21:20:48Z")
Here’s a jolly and vague anecdote. I have chronic inflammation and pain issues, and different foods affect it, even though I hate to admit it, because they’re often foods I like very much. I managed to cut out wheat for a few months last year, eating otherwise about the same as I had done, and felt better than I’d felt in years. I wish it weren’t so hard to cut out wheat. It’s the sandwiches I miss. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/33 "2013-06-04T21:25:52Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Bratman: On a scale of 1 to 10, how severe is the pain? > Patient: About an 8. > Bratman: So it keeps you awake at night? > Patient: No. Maybe it’s about a 5. > Bratman: So it keeps you from being able to work > Patient: No. But if I press my stomach really hard after eating bread, it hurts! Good lord. My wife ended up in the hospital a few years ago for surgery, and because of administrivia, she ended up in the Children’s Wing, with pediatric nurses. Their “10” meant “I’m crying”. 6 meant “I might cry.” They didn’t explain this to her before asking what her pain level was, and when she said about an 8", they didn’t understand that meant “I’m trying not to scream, because if I start, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop. MORPHINE NOW.” re: wheat: while you’re researching the above-purported woo and deciding whether or not wheat works for you, something other people who are wheat detractors are not liking is the yeast used in most wheat products. Also, since you say you’re just about falling asleep an hour after eating… are you diabetic? Unless you’re eating a full-on Thanksgiving dinner, a post-meal coma sounds more like hypoglycemia or diabetes, which are not to be messed around with. ---
**Author:** ![Deegeea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Deegeea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deegeea)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/34 "2013-06-04T21:28:44Z")
I’m anecdotal too, but I tried avoiding peanuts first - peanut oil, small amount of peanut in anything. It was not really any easier than avoiding wheat, but it had no noticeable health effects. I’ve also tried dropping all dairy products for a month. No effect noticed on that either. I expected dropping wheat to be similarly ineffective, but it actually made me feel much better very quickly. My incidence of digestive issues (a cycle of painful constipation, vomiting, diarrhea) has gone from about once a week to about once a year. I did lose weight due to not having as much junk food to eat, but I’ve added junk food back in (chocolate, macaroons, ice cream, potato chips, tortilla chips) and gained the weight back, and the digestive issues are still in abeyance. So I’m pretty sure I have some kind of wheat intolerance, yeah. My doctor is unsure and said to diagnose me for sure I’d have to do challenges - eat wheat again, see if the symptom comes back. I see little reason to do that (“for science”? I guess I’d do it for science if I was part of a double blind research project - eat this mystery stuff that may or may not have wheat, see what your symptoms are, with a control and all. Otherwise not worth it) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/35 "2013-06-04T21:30:00Z")
I’m going to try to clarify a few things if I can… > [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > The book cites peer-reviewed studies, and talks quite a bit about general scientific research on nutrition, but I feel like the exact conditions of those studies aren’t always clear, and often the science is too far beyond me to properly evaluate. For example, ‘‘when served a gluten-free diet, one group…’’ But what does that even mean? Was the control group eating chips and cake or more healthy wheat products? **Olives** , _all wheat contains gluten_. So does all rye and barley. While there are probably ways to somehow remove the gluten from these grains I doubt very much such processes are either cheap or practical. So, for such research, it wouldn’t be one group fed regular gluten-containing wheat products and the other group eating “more healthy wheat products” because ALL wheat products contain gluten. More likely, one group is fed food that normally doesn’t contain gluten with gluten mixed in, and the other is fed the food without the gluten additive. You can purchase pure gluten. It is often added to bread products to give them more structure and protein. It’s actually the protein in bread that allow it to achieve the classic, somewhat-but-not-too-spongy texture we associate with bread products. Rye contains less gluten than wheat, which is why pure rye breads are often perceived as “dense”, and wheat flour and/or additional gluten may be added to rye breads to make them “lighter” in that sense (not lighter in calories, although it may also make them lighter in color). > [@](#): > > Also, it’s difficult for me to evaluate the studies on wheat intolerance markers in diabetic populations because I don’t know anything about blood tests for wheat intolerance or how chemical markers work. The classic test of celiac/gluten _intolerance_ is intestinal biopsy. Additionally, a list of symptoms with a food diary comparing symptoms to food eaten can _indicate_ (but not prove conclusively) that gluten intolerance exists, which is the point at which intestinal biopsies are considered. Wheat _allergy_ is different from celiac and that _can_ be detected by a blood test looking for wheat-specifi IgE antibodies. One can be diabetic and _niether_ celiac nor allergic. One can be _either_ celiac or allergic without being diabetic. They are three different conditions. Some people are probably unfortunate enough to suffer from more than one at the same time, but the existence of one such disorder in a person does not mean that person suffers from all of them. > [@](#): > > There’s also a lot of, ‘‘This hasn’t been studied yet, but if it were, I think…’’ :rolleyes: That’s called “speculation” and may be a sign of whoo or bias that has no place in a scientific discussion. > [@](#): > > The impression that I get from reading the book is that wheat hasn’t really been studied all that much, other than within the context of celiac disease. Wheat has been a dietary staple for thousands of years in many cultures. Literally _billions_ of people have consumed wheat on a regular basis. The vast majority have not and are not showing indications of suffering health problems from that so research dollars are probably going to other issues. > [@](#): > > To make a really good study I think you would have to only provide the ‘‘healthy whole grains’’ kind of wheat that is touted by many nutritional organizations. “Healthy whole grains” wheat is loaded with gluten. ALL wheat has gluten in it. It has _always_ had gluten whether its spelt, durum, emmer, or einkorn wheat. All rye contains gluten. All barley contains gluten. It’s present in all domestic forms of these grains and in all their wild ancestors. It’s not something people added to these grains. Admittedly, some strains have been bred for increased gluten content (especially “bread flour” types) but, again, it’s not something we gene-spliced into it yesterday. Bottom line: - Some people are allergic to wheat proteins, which may or may not be gluten. These people should avoid wheat and wheat products. - Some people have something called celiac, where gluten in food leads to intestinal damage due to immune system reactions. These people should avoid not only wheat but also rye and barley because they need to avoid gluten to stay healthy - Everyone else can eat wheat or not as they choose. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/36 "2013-06-04T22:33:02Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Tapioca is good for you. My wife agrees 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/37 "2013-06-04T22:42:36Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I’m going to try to clarify a few things if I can… > > Bottom line: > > - Some people are allergic to wheat proteins, which may or may not be gluten. These people should avoid wheat and wheat products. > > - Some people have something called celiac, where gluten in food leads to intestinal damage due to immune system reactions. These people should avoid not only wheat but also rye and barley because they need to avoid gluten to stay healthy > > - Everyone else can eat wheat or not as they choose. Thanks. I want to clarify that this doctor claims that wheat is damaging to _most_ people, not just those with celiac and/or wheat intolerance and he says wheat ingestion is the primary cause of obesity and contributes to diabetes, premature aging, psychological disorders, arthritis and osteoporosis. In some comparison studies he isn’t looking at the effects of wheat gluten per se, but rather using the elimination of wheat to explain weight loss or something else. So I think in those cases, it does matter if the control group was eating ‘‘anything goes’’ wheat or only presumably ‘‘healthy’’ wheat products. If the control group was eating ‘‘anything goes’’ wheat than the weight loss of the experimental group could be attributed to overall caloric intake vs. wheat gluten. I am skeptical of these claims (though there is definitely a link between diabetes and celiac, as you said you can have one without the other, but people with celiac are more likely to also suffer from diabetes.) Regarding myself, personally, I have both had the blood tests for wheat intolerance and the intestinal biopsy for celiac and both were negative. My OBGYN believed that my IBS was caused by presumed endometriosis, and I gotta admit once I started on continuous BC the problem almost vanished. (Except this month, for some reason.) [QUOTE=Ethilrist] Also, since you say you’re just about falling asleep an hour after eating… are you diabetic? Unless you’re eating a full-on Thanksgiving dinner, a post-meal coma sounds more like hypoglycemia or diabetes, which are not to be messed around with. [/QUOTE] As for falling asleep after eating, it’s a problem I’ve had for years but seems to be getting worse. A couple of years ago I was getting these fatigue/dizzy spells and had blood work done to find out what was wrong. I had to test my blood sugar several times a day for a few weeks and bring the results back to my doctor - no problems detected. If I’m suddenly developing pre-diabetes or something I am going to be righteously pissed because I’ve been exercising daily at high intensity for six months, taking fish oil as directed and eating clean for three months. I know it will be my own damned fault, but still. I’d rather the Diabetes Fairy go pick on someone who isn’t being aggressively proactive about their health. I have been plagued by health problems like this all my life so it would be great if I could find a magic bean like eliminating wheat gluten to make it all go away. Either way, sounds like I’m due for a check-up. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/38 "2013-06-04T23:38:09Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I know of a few folks who have done the same - some have seen results and made the switch off of wheat for good. Others saw no difference and after a month or two, went back to eating wheat. Whatever works… One more anecdote: I recently went off all grains for a month-long reduction diet. I did not feel any different for not eating grain/gluten. When I resumed eating wheat, I still didn’t feel any different. Maybe I’m just genetically lucky for digesting. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/39 "2013-06-05T10:19:19Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I’ll posit that anyone who starts paying close attention to their diet for any reason is going to see a mix of real and imagined improvements. > > I’ll start giving credence to the gluten-free crowd when the number of medically validated cases of gluten intolerance get within a continental landmass of the number of people who claim they have it. (Or are selling gluten-free products.) The thing is, **Renee** ’s problems with wheat don’t have to be actual celiac to be real. Some of the symptoms she gives can also be seen with food allergies (not all food allergies are suddenly-stop-breathing-and-die, they can manifest as chronic, annoying, but not life-threatening symptoms). Some people demonstrably don’t tolerate a food even if they don’t fit a “classic” or discrete syndrome. As a general rule, if you eliminate something from your diet and you become healthier, and “cheating” results in a return of the problem(s) as she describes, you’re better off avoiding that food. While this can (like so many other things) be taken to excess, the type of elimination and food “challenge” **Renee** describes is actually how many food intolerances are diagnosed. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107/40 "2013-06-05T10:41:35Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > I am skeptical of these claims (though there is definitely a link between diabetes and celiac, as you said you can have one without the other, but people with celiac are more likely to also suffer from diabetes.) People with untreated celiac are more likely to suffer from stunted growth, various anemias, osteporosis, autoimmune disorders (celiac is an autoimmune disorder), Type 1 diabetes (which is an autoimmune disorder), a form of liver cirrhosis, and so on, so there’s a “link” between those and celiac, too - basically, a messed up digestive tract is bad for you and leads to problems. Generally, if people with celiac eliminate gluten from their diet (totally eliminate it) the health problems tend to go away. If the diagnosis comes late there may be permanent damage to various organs, but it’s not so much that wheat is causing the diabetes as the immune system that is attacking the body is slowly destroying vital organs. > [@](#): > > Regarding myself, personally, I have both had the blood tests for wheat intolerance and the intestinal biopsy for celiac and both were negative. My OBGYN believed that my IBS was caused by presumed endometriosis, and I gotta admit once I started on continuous BC the problem almost vanished. (Except this month, for some reason.) …and that’s an illustration of why you should consult doctors and not the internet. Would be a shame if you had continued to try elimination diets if the problem wasn’t what you were eating but rather endometriosis, which needs a different treatment. > [@](#): > > As for falling asleep after eating, it’s a problem I’ve had for years but seems to be getting worse. A couple of years ago I was getting these fatigue/dizzy spells and had blood work done to find out what was wrong. I had to test my blood sugar several times a day for a few weeks and bring the results back to my doctor - no problems detected. This reminds me of about 15 years ago when I was suffering repeated skin infections and a doctor was _insisting_ it HAD to be diabetes. After all the tests came back negative for diabetes (including all those nasty fasting tests), negative for pre-diabetes, negative for any blood sugar problem he said the tests MUST be wrong and wanted them all done over. I wanted another doctor, because it was pretty clear the probably _wasn’t_ diabetes, it was something else and other alternatives needed to be looked into. Some amateur will always be willing to diagnose you, nevermind that even trained doctors utilizing actual tests sometimes get it wrong. There are other reasons you could have fatigue/dizzy spells than diabetes or blood sugar problems. > [@](#): > > If I’m suddenly developing pre-diabetes or something I am going to be righteously pissed because I’ve been exercising daily at high intensity for six months, taking fish oil as directed and eating clean for three months. I know it will be my own damned fault, but still. I’d rather the Diabetes Fairy go pick on someone who isn’t being aggressively proactive about their health. Diabetes is NOT a moral failing! If you really have been that diligent about your health and you develop diabetes it is NOT your fault! At most, you can reduce your risk but the fact is that some people, due to genetics, are going to get diabetes if they live long enough Then there are folks like my spouse who are diabetic due to injury to their pancreas - what’s left functions perfectly well, the problem is that there physically isn’t enough working tissue left to do the job unaided. I have been plagued by health problems like this all my life so it would be great if I could find a magic bean like eliminating wheat gluten to make it all go away. Either way, sounds like I’m due for a check-up. [/QUOTE] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wheat-bad-for-you/660107.md?page=3)