Wheat Belly

In my opinion, Wheat Belly is a fascinating book.  I recently read the book and in the process of reading it a second time.  I was drawn to the book after years of frustration of eating a morsel and gaining a pound.  I also have been looking at the correlation between weight gain toward obesity and depression.

I learned over the years many clinical studies have shown obesity and depression tend to be co-morbid. That means they tend to occur together without necessarily having a cause and effect relationship. When conditions tend to occur together, scientists naturally want to explore exactly how they are connected. Does obesity cause depression? Does depression cause obesity? Could there be a third factor that is driving both conditions? These are important questions, because once we know the answers, we can better direct our research and treatment efforts.

I happen to believe that both obesity and depression are often driven by a third factor—our modern Western diet. It is now clear that excessive fructose, mainly from sugar and high fructose corn syrup, is the driving force behind insulin resistance and central obesity. When you have insulin resistance it takes more insulin to drive glucose into your cells, and high insulin levels tend to trap fat inside of cells where it can’t be used for energy. Recent evidence suggests that excessive fructose can alter your gut bacteria flora, further contributing to metabolic syndrome and obesity.

When you have insulin resistance and consume rapidly absorbed carbohydrates, especially from grains, you end up with unstable glucose levels and magnified glucose spikes. Over time these glucose spikes can cause damage to your nerve cells, because unlike most of the cells in your body, neurons don’t have an insulin gate. That’s why diabetics tend to lose their nerve function and develop neuropathy long before other organs in their body are damaged.

Over time these toxic glucose spikes can trigger a form of diffuse brain dysfunction where your brain no longer functions as intended. The first symptom that you experience when this happens is craving for sweet and starchy food, pushing you to consume more of the very food that is frying your brain. You can also develop mild brain dysfunction symptoms like I have experienced for a few years now.  This being fatigue, anxiety, mood swings and poor sleep. At this stage of brain dysfunction you don’t yet have a disease because the symptoms are mild and variable. 

I have learned there are really two types of obesity. The most common type is associated with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes. The second type (MINE) of obesity is where a person has excessive body fat without any of these adverse metabolic markers. This type of obesity is seen when a person or lab animal is over-fed healthy food. If you give enough healthy food to any animal, they will eventually develop this type of obesity.

The type of obesity associated with sugar, HFCS and grain-based carbohydrates is not dependent on calories or over-feeding. Although people with this form of obesity, like me, have excessive body fat, especially in the abdominal region.

After reading Wheat Belly, I looked at the correlation between both types of obesity and depression. I wanted to know about the connection between depression and people with “metabolic obesity” and those who were obese but metabolically healthy. As it turns out people with metabolic issues were at an increased risk of later developing depression, whereas those who were obese without metabolic issues were not at an increased risk of developing depression.

How does this information apply to me? I would rather not be obese or depressed. If insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome are the gateway to most cases of obesity and many cases of depression, the best strategy would be to prevent metabolic problems or to treat them. The best way to limit my intake of the dietary triggers of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome—sugar, HFCS and high glycemic carbohydrates, especially from grains.

Of course this describes most processed foods that form the core of the modern American diet. I am trying hard to learn to eat real food including meat, fowl, fish, seafood, vegetables and fruit. I’m not a big fan of milk because of its sugar content but a reasonable amount of cheese is acceptable. I also limit intake of legumes because of their anti-nutrient content. Some would recognize this as a Paleo-style diet. I simply call it a healthy diet.

If I learn to eat this way, I should go a long way towards preventing the metabolic problems that seem to lead to my obesity and depression.

I know Wheat is also attributed to ADHD, PTSD, Anxiety disorders, Autism, Fibromyalgia, and Irritable bowel syndrome.  I think that it’s really exciting I believe there is a connection between food and these common disorders. Think about it. What would I rather take handfuls of pills for the rest of my life, living in a daze, or simply change my diet?

This important study clearly shows the relationship between consuming certain foods and depression. In the years ahead I hope that we will see more studies looking at the impact of diet on common chronic diseases. My next read is going to be Gary Taubes, “GoodCalories, Bad Calories” and “Why We Get Fat”.

I really need to get a hold of this life, as the past year has been far from enjoyable.

Carry on my friends!