Dr. Mercola says the Bulk of Us Do NOT Benefit from Wheat

“Due to the fact that celiac disease was considered rare in this country, it often went undiagnosed or misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome or lactose intolerance. My experience is that the true incidence is probably much higher still, perhaps on the order of 1 in 10 people. The bulk of us however, do NOT benefit from foods with wheat and gluten.”

Is Acne Fed by the Western Diet?

Dec. 19, 2002 -- The scourge of teenaged life -- acne -- may result from the very diet that feeds it, suggests a new study that flies in the face of three decades worth of conventional thinking on the cause of facial blemishes.

And this time, it's not just isolated items such as chocolate or pizza being implicated. It's the entire typical western diet, a gamut of highly refined starchy and sugary foods that not only includes those "junk" foods but also the very breads, cereals, and carbohydrates that are the cornerstone of the USDA Food Pyramid.

My comment: What people with acne have been telling their dermatologists all along may be true: that diet affects it. Scientists have found that acne is extremely rare among people who eat a traditional hunter-gatherer diet their whole lives.

Paleo Diet may help with Rheumatoid Arthritis and other Autoimmune Diseases

From: The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. of Colorado State University, pp. 91-92

"Autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 (juvenile) diabetes develop when the body's immune system can't tell the difference between its own tissues and those of foreign invaders. The result: The body attacks itself. The type of disease depends on the nature of the body's assault: When the immune system invades and destroys nerve tissue, multiple sclerosis develops. When the pancreas is the target, type 1 diabetes occurs. When joint tissues are attacked and destroyed, the result is rheumatoid arthritis.

All autoimmune diseases develop because of interactions between the genes and one or more environmental factors, such as a viral or bacterial infection or exposure to a certain food. Sadly, no one knows exactly how viruses, bacteria, and foods can spark the disease in genetically susceptible people.

Many environmental agents have been suspected in the development of autoimmune diseases. But only one of these types has proved capable of causing a disease. Cereal grains-such as wheat, rye, barley, and oats-are responsible for celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis. In celiac disease, the immune system attacks and destroys cells in the intestine, leading to diarrhea and many nutritional problems. In dermatitis herpetiformis, the skin is attacked.

Withdrawal of all gluten-containing cereals causes complete remission of both diseases. Cereal grains, dairy products, and legumes are suspected in other autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. To date, no dietary intervention studies have been conducted to see whether Paleo diets-free of grains, dairy products, and legumes-can reduce the symptoms of these diseases.

My comment: Dr. Cordain and his team are in the process of studying the effects of Paleo diets on autoimmune diseases at Colorado State University.

Preventing Type 1 Diabetes

Article Description:
"Scientists have identified a way to prevent Type I diabetes in rats that are genetically prone to develop the disease. The discovery could one day lead to the prevention, and possibly to the treatment, of autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes."

The study was headed by Alessio Fasano, M.D., professor of pediatrics, medicine and physiology and director of the University of Maryland Mucosal Biology Research Center, who said:

"With autoimmune diseases, the body mistakes its own tissues as foreign, resulting in an attack and destruction by the body’s own immune system. These diseases are all characterized by an extremely permeable intestinal wall. We already knew that there was a distinct connection between an increase in zonulin levels and an increased permeability of the intestines. With this study, we’ve been able to identify a way to prevent zonulin from causing leakage from the intestines as it does in people with these autoimmune diseases."

By preventing the "leaky gut syndrome" that is apparently shared by Type 1 Diabetes, celiac disease and other autoimmune "diseases of civilization," these scientists have been able to prevent Type 1 Diabetes from occuring in susceptible rats. The underlying trigger for most or all autoimmune diseases is the consumption of modern foods by genetically susceptible individuals.

First Post: Hello!

At the suggestion of a friend I am starting this blog which will focus on the ancestral (Paleo) lifestyle, including subject areas like diet, nutrition/supplements, lifestyle/exercise, etc.