Wheat Intolerance

[Hughman]

I was told recently that 80% of the population has some form of negative reaction to proteins found in gluten. whazzup with that?

If people have been cultivating this stuff for six millenia how come it's suddenly it's bad for you.

It's true there is an easily observable reaction to the comsumption of certain gluten products, such as beer, but negative? Hey! :p

[Phillip Allen]

another grant-well-written...

[htom]

There are many proteins that can make gluten structures, and small changes in the proteins can trigger allergies but leave the gluten mechanically stable. This is why, for example, some people who are allergic to wheat bread can eat bread made from spelt. Others are allergic to spelt but not wheat. Modern wheat is an ancestor of spelt.

[stinkydog]

Those damn wheatists. Whose rights will they step on next? Corn? Sugar beets?

[Popeye]

i think also it's some molds found on agricultural wheat causing problems

[George Roberts]

My wife, one doaughter, my daughter's husband, my granddaughter all have a problem with wheat.

The bad news is that even a small amout of wheat affects them to a noticable degree. The good news is that even a large amount of wheat from time to time has no long term serious affect.

[johnw]

I can't eat wheat or spelt. The gluten in oats or barley doesn't affect me. As for how long wheat has been cultivated, my ancestors were in northern Europe, where wheat was introduced by the Romans, so in evolutionary terms, there hasn't been that much time to adapt. In my family, the wheat allergy seems to present about the time we hit forty, so I guess we're partially adapted.

[Rick Clark]

That will get you every time, well most of the time.:)

[johnw]

So that's how wheat is spelt! Silent 'h'.:D

Could be a thread-killing pun.

[landlocked sailor]

There seems to be grades of wheat intolerance; my brother-in-law has full blown celiac disease and can tolerate NONE. Fortunately he has found a pretty good wekend substitute that really isn't bad
http://www.newgrist.com/images/arch_newgrist.jpg
http://www.newgrist.com/
Others, like his sister (LOML) have lesser degrees of intolerance. My BIL is also an insulin dependent diabetic and there is an association between the two. Rick

[johnw]

The gluten in barley is different from the gluten in wheat. I can tolerate it. Of course, wheat beers are out.