Milling & Baking News - September 18, 2012 - 36

Bread Industry Perspective 

William Davis’ wheat indictments analyzed by Julie Miller Jones
Continued from Page 1

the obesity and diabetes crisis in this country.” Speaking recently with Milling & Baking News, Dr. Jones said she was largely but not completely unimpressed by Dr. Davis’ work. “I found his book ludicrous to the extreme on some points,” Dr. Jones said. “But we need to look at some of the points I wouldn’t have actually known if I hadn’t done some digging. I’m not raising red ﬂags of alarm, I think he does bring up points that may be cause for concern. “There are points we’ve only begun to understand. I used to teach celiac affected 1 in 3,000 people. We’ve now shown that’s not true. There has been a lot of research about celiac and gluten sensitivity. “And it’s fair to ask questions about breeding, not just in wheat. When we have a tomato that tastes like a hockey puck it’s fair to ask whether that’s the only problem with the tomato.” In the summary of her Cereal Foods World article, titled “Wheat Belly—An

signiﬁcant. The totality of evidence shows that consumption of up to 50% of all grain foods as reﬁned-grain foods (without high levels of added fat, sugar or sodium) is not associated with any increased disease risk.” She adds that the review afﬁrms that eating more whole grains is an important health recommendation. Dr. Jones breaks down the 59 points in “Wheat Belly” into 7 key categories: 1 – Obesity and weight loss 2 – Glycemic indexes and starches 3 – Addiction and mental function 4 – Wheat breeding and genetics 5 – Celiac disease 6 – Other diseases and allergens 7 – Nutritional considerations The following is a condensed presentation of Dr. Jones’ analysis, summarizing for readers the points made in “Wheat Belly” and what Dr. Jones says existing research shows: Obesity and weight loss Dr. Davis cites data about the increased prevalence of obesity since the 1950s, and “Wheat Belly” claims that

‘I found his book ludicrous to the extreme on some points. But we need to look at some of the points I wouldn't have actually known if I hadn't done some digging.’
— Julie Miller Jones, professor emeriti at the College of St. Catherine
Analysis of Selected Statements and Basic Theses from the Book,” Dr. Jones says “provocative” books such as “Wheat Belly” underscore the importance that grain-based foods be ready to address charges about its products with “sound science and unbiased critical reasoning.” She completes her paper on a positive note, citing another recently published scientiﬁc review that looked at 116 studies of reﬁned grains. “The great majority found no associations between the intake of reﬁned grain foods and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight gain or overall mortality,” she says. “A few studies found that very high intake might be associated with some types of cancers, but at moderate levels of consumption the risks were not
36 / September 18, 2012 Milling & Baking News

elimination of wheat from the diet is “the Holy Grail” of weight loss, that the proliferation of wheat products parallels rising obesity and that wheat consumption leads to obesity and a range of related health conditions. Dr. Davis says wheat elimination will cure or mitigate disease. Dr. Jones takes issue even with the manner in which Dr. Davis characterizes the proliferation of obesity. He notes that women in the 1950s, when obesity rates were lower, rarely were seen jogging or engaged in organized exercise programs, suggesting women today exercise more than in the past. Dr. Jones says this analysis ignores the degrees to which lifestyles of the time were more active with more walking and fewer labor saving conveniences, requiring women to lift garage doors, open cans,

hanging and wringing clothes, ironing, shoveling snow, cooking and doing dishes. Other such differences are “too numerous to list,” she says. Dr. Jones’ analysis of the other “Wheat Belly” claims with regard to obesity includes the following points: 1 — Adherence to any weight loss program, not just wheat elimination, generates rapid short-term weight loss. Similarly, dieters often report a feeling of increased energy. While low-carbohydrate diets have been shown to prompt faster weight loss than other diets “they do not result in greater weight loss over time and result in more dropouts,” Dr. Jones says. 2 — Dr. Davis’ assertion that “disease mitigation is associated with wheat removal is not supported,” Dr. Jones says. In many cases, the claims in “Wheat Belly” are based on testimonials rather than rigorous science, accounts she says often are enhanced because of the short-term effects weight loss have on a dieter’s feeling of well being. Dr. Jones identiﬁes as specious a particular claim by Dr. Davis and others that wheat products or carbohydrates generally are responsible for belly fat, and that eliminating wheat will eliminate this fat — visceral adipose tissue (V.A.T.). Dr. Jones describes V.A.T. as a signiﬁcant health concern but notes that elimination of wheat is not a cure. “Recent data from the Framingham Heart Study cohort refute claims that wheat increases V.A.T.,” she says. “In fact, those who most closely adhered to Dietary Guidelines had the lowest V.A.T.” 3 — Dr. Davis’ observation that the proliferation of obesity parallels a proliferation of wheat products is an example of “the misuse of correlations to imply causations,” Dr. Jones says. She notes that bread consumption fell in the period between 1900 and 1950 (without a corresponding decline in obesity), and that overall calorie consumption rose after 1950. Glycemic index and starches The relatively high glycemic index of bread long has been known and is cited in the book, with Dr. Davis pointing out whole wheat bread has a G.I. of 72, versus table sugar at 59. He goes on to say the starch in wheat
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Milling & Baking News - September 18, 2012

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