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Significance Of Wheat, Gluten Intolerance, Celiac Disease And Wheat Allergy!
Understanding The Significance of Wheat And The Conditions It Can Cause! Wheat is the second largest cultivated cereal crop of... read more
Acanthosis Nigricans: Dark, Thickened, Velvety Patches On The Skin!
Acanthosis Nigricans, Insulin Resistance And Pre Diabetes! Development of dark, thickened, often slightly raised and velvety patches on the skin... read more
Dangers of Low Carbohydrate Diets!
Carbohydrates Are Essential To Health! Our food is composed of the following nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. Each... read more
Milk Indigestion, Lactose Intolerance, The A2 milk And The Gir Cow Milk Story!
The Causes Of Milk Indigestion and Their Solutions! Many people cannot tolerate milk and milk products. They develop varying degrees of... read more
Dangers Of Fast Food
Fast Food Or Junk Food Are Harmful To Health! Fast food or junk food are foods that are loaded with... read more
Hypertension!
Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension! Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness. And they take the... read more
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism Or Under Active Thyroid Gland Thyroid is a butterfly shaped endocrine gland situated at the base of the neck,... read more
Uric Acid, Gout And Kidney Stones!
Raised Levels Of Blood Uric Acid, Gout And Kidney Stones! Many people suffer from raised levels of uric acids in... read more
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September 2024
Significance Of Wheat, Gluten Intolerance, Celiac Disease And Wheat Allergy!
Understanding The Significance of Wheat And The Conditions It Can Cause!
Wheat is the second largest cultivated cereal crop of the world, next only to maize.
Wheat is the second largest staple food of the world population, next only to rice.
The wheat crop cultivation covers more land than any other cereal in the world.
Its turnover in the world market is larger than that of all other cereals put together.
The wheat grain has 71% carbohydrates, 13% proteins, fibre, some B vitamins, folate, Vitamins E, some minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants and some good fatty acids.
The carbohydrates in the whole wheat grain are majorly healthy complex carbohydrates viz. starch and fibre and some sugars.
Wheat (chapati / roti) when combined with pulses (varan / amti / dal / usal) provide us with most of the good quality proteins in a vegetarian diet.
Wheat provides us with 327 calories per hundred gm.
Thus wheat is a very important source of calories, carbohydrates, proteins, small amounts of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals for a large proportion of the world population.
Wheat chapatis or roti are the main ingredient of regular meals for most Indians.
A small percentage of people in the world find it difficult to tolerate wheat, but this shouldn’t stop most of the world population from consuming the second most significant staple food of the world!
***
Wheat protein:
Wheat protein is majorly composed of gluten, constituting 75 to 80 per cent of the wheat protein.
Gluten is also found in two other cereals viz. barley and rye. Of three gluten containing cereals, wheat is the most commonly consumed cereal in India, along with rice.
Gluten is a complex mixture of majorly two proteins viz. gliadins and glutenins.
Gliadins are proteins made up of single molecules. They are soluble in alcohol and their presence makes the dough more stretchable.
Glutenins are proteins made up of multiple molecules linked together. Their presence is responsible for the elasticity and strength of the dough.
When water is added to flour and the mixture is kneaded, gliadins and glutenins interact to form a network of gluten, giving the dough its elastic and chewy texture. This gluten network traps gases produced by yeast during fermentation, allowing the dough to rise and giving baked goods their structure.
***
Gluten intolerance:
A few people in the world experience digestive problems like bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation and gases on consuming wheat. They may also experience fatigue, headaches, brain fog, joint pain, numbness, tingling, skin complaints and weight fluctuations, on consuming wheat, barley or rye.
These could be signs and symptoms of gluten intolerance, also known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
It is difficult to determine the true prevalence of gluten intolerance since there are no specific biomarkers for diagnosing it.
Most estimates are based on self-reported symptoms or exclusion diets.
Various studies in different population groups place the prevalence of gluten intolerance between 0.5% to 6%.
But it is likely that it is increasing due to increasing gluten content of wheat crop to improve the crop resistance and the texture and shelf life of baked wheat products and a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.
***
Celiac Disease:
This is an autoimmune disorder that affects about 1% of the population.
It is an autoimmune disorder that primarily affects the small intestine. It is triggered when people with celiac disease consumes gluten, their immune system reacts by damaging the lining of the small intestine, leading to poor absorption of nutrients and a range of symptoms similar to those of gluten intolerance.
Damage to the small intestinal lining that is seen in Celiac Disease is not seen in gluten intolerance.
So Celiac Disease causes multiple nutritional deficiencies, which are not seen in gluten intolerance.
Unlike gluten intolerance, Celiac disease has very specific biomarkers. It is diagnosed through following tests:
Blood tests: Screening for specific antibodies, such as tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG-IgA).
Endoscopy and biopsy: A sample from the small intestine is taken to confirm damage to the intestinal lining.
People with Celiac Disease must completely exclude gluten from their food to prevent damage to their intestines and other health issues.
Complete exclusion of gluten from food is the only treatment of the Celiac Disease. Total abstinence from gluten containing cereals allows the intestines to heal in time.
***
Wheat Allergy:
This is an allergic reaction to proteins found in wheat, including but not limited to gluten, and affects a smaller percentage of the population, typically 0.2% to 0.5%.
Wheat allergy is an allergic reaction to wheat proteins, it does not include barley and rye.
Wheat allergy involves the immune system mistakenly identifying wheat proteins, not necessarily only gluten, as harmful, triggering allergic symptoms.
It can trigger skin reactions like hives, rashes, swellings; digestive symptoms like nausea, vomiting, painful cramps; respiratory symptoms like nasal congestion, sneezing and dyspnea or difficulty in breathing.
It can also cause anaphylaxis, a severe, potentially life threatening medical emergency that causes swelling of the throat, difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, and a drop in blood pressure. It requires immediate medical attention.
***
People who do not have any of these conditions, can safely continue to consume wheat!
Please also read ‘Wheat Is A Healthy Cereal’ on this website.
June 2024
Acanthosis Nigricans: Dark, Thickened, Velvety Patches On The Skin!
Acanthosis Nigricans, Insulin Resistance And Pre Diabetes!
Development of dark, thickened, often slightly raised and velvety patches on the skin could be a sign of a condition called Acanthosis Nigricans. These patches can sometimes be accompanied by itching.
The areas commonly affected are the neck, armpits, groin, elbows, knees, and knuckles.
Acanthosis Nigricans is strongly linked to insulin resistance.
When carbohydrates are digested, they are absorbed in blood as sugar and the blood sugar levels increase.
In response to this the pancreas releases insulin in blood and insulin helps transport the sugar to various tissues of the body and under its influence, the cells of the tissues take up sugar from the blood and utilise it for the energy that they require for their functions.
Under the influence of insulin the liver also stores more sugar for providing energy to the body later.
This lowers the blood sugar and the blood insulin levels.
But when you eat too much sweets or sugary food regularly, the pancreas is forced to produce more insulin to bring down the blood sugar to normal.
After a while the cells of the various tissues stop responding adequately to the insulin and do not absorb sugar efficiently.
This means the cells of the tissues develop insulin resistance.
This causes both, the blood sugar and the blood insulin levels to stay high.
This raised blood level of insulin is called hyperinsulinemia.
To compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin.
Insulin promotes the synthesis of protein and fat molecules and provides the energy to help in cell growth.
Hyperinsulinemia causes skin cells to reproduce more quickly, leading to the characteristic skin changes in development of the condition of acanthosis nigricans.
When the capacity of the liver and the muscle cells to store sugar is over, the excess blood sugar is stored in the fat cells of various fat depots in the body and our weight increases, gradually leading to obesity.
Hyperinsulinemia and the insulin resistance lead to the development of pre diabetes.
People with pre diabetes have higher than normal blood sugar levels which are not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Fasting blood sugar levels between 110 to 125 (WHO) or 100 to 125 (American Diabetes Association) and glycated haemoglobin or HbA1c levels between 5.7 to 6.4 per cent are diagnostic of pre diabetes.
Blood sugar levels and HbA1c levels higher than this are diagnostic of diabetes.
People with pre diabetes are most likely to develop full fledged diabetes especially if they have strong family history of diabetes, obesity and sedentary lifestyle.
Other conditions in which Acanthosis Nigricans can occur are obesity, PCOD, thyroid disease, especially hypothyroidism and Cushing’s disease and rarely it is associated with some cancers.
The underlying condition in obesity and PCOD that causes these Acanthosis Nigricans patches is insulin resistance.
If you have such patches on the body, please see you doctor and get them diagnosed.
If they are patches of Acanthosis Nigricans you are likely to have insulin resistance and pre diabetes.
You will need to develop healthy food habits, cut out sugary foods and other simple carbohydrates from your food, eat nutritionally balanced food, exercise regularly, reduce your weight, keep stress low and sleep well.
And don’t wait to start all these things till you catch diabetes!
If you start now, you could most likely prevent the development of insulin resistance and pre diabetes and get rid of these patches!
And we can help you achieve this kind of results very much at your home, anywhere in the world on the same line of weight loss treatment managed from Pune, in our ‘Distance Program’, through our Obesity Clinic based in Pune, no need to physically join our Slimming Centre in Pune.
Also read ‘Insulin Resistance And Diabetes’ and ‘Understanding Pre Diabetes’ on this website.
Grid
Significance Of Wheat, Gluten Intolerance, Celiac Disease And Wheat Allergy!
Understanding The Significance of Wheat And The Conditions It Can Cause!
Wheat is the second largest cultivated cereal crop of the world, next only to maize.
Wheat is the second largest staple food of the world population, next only to rice.
The wheat crop cultivation covers more land than any other cereal in the world.
Its turnover in the world market is larger than that of all other cereals put together.
The wheat grain has 71% carbohydrates, 13% proteins, fibre, some B vitamins, folate, Vitamins E, some minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants and some good fatty acids.
The carbohydrates in the whole wheat grain are majorly healthy complex carbohydrates viz. starch and fibre and some sugars.
Wheat (chapati / roti) when combined with pulses (varan / amti / dal / usal) provide us with most of the good quality proteins in a vegetarian diet.
Wheat provides us with 327 calories per hundred gm.
Thus wheat is a very important source of calories, carbohydrates, proteins, small amounts of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals for a large proportion of the world population.
Wheat chapatis or roti are the main ingredient of regular meals for most Indians.
A small percentage of people in the world find it difficult to tolerate wheat, but this shouldn’t stop most of the world population from consuming the second most significant staple food of the world!
***
Wheat protein:
Wheat protein is majorly composed of gluten, constituting 75 to 80 per cent of the wheat protein.
Gluten is also found in two other cereals viz. barley and rye. Of three gluten containing cereals, wheat is the most commonly consumed cereal in India, along with rice.
Gluten is a complex mixture of majorly two proteins viz. gliadins and glutenins.
Gliadins are proteins made up of single molecules. They are soluble in alcohol and their presence makes the dough more stretchable.
Glutenins are proteins made up of multiple molecules linked together. Their presence is responsible for the elasticity and strength of the dough.
When water is added to flour and the mixture is kneaded, gliadins and glutenins interact to form a network of gluten, giving the dough its elastic and chewy texture. This gluten network traps gases produced by yeast during fermentation, allowing the dough to rise and giving baked goods their structure.
***
Gluten intolerance:
A few people in the world experience digestive problems like bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation and gases on consuming wheat. They may also experience fatigue, headaches, brain fog, joint pain, numbness, tingling, skin complaints and weight fluctuations, on consuming wheat, barley or rye.
These could be signs and symptoms of gluten intolerance, also known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
It is difficult to determine the true prevalence of gluten intolerance since there are no specific biomarkers for diagnosing it.
Most estimates are based on self-reported symptoms or exclusion diets.
Various studies in different population groups place the prevalence of gluten intolerance between 0.5% to 6%.
But it is likely that it is increasing due to increasing gluten content of wheat crop to improve the crop resistance and the texture and shelf life of baked wheat products and a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.
***
Celiac Disease:
This is an autoimmune disorder that affects about 1% of the population.
It is an autoimmune disorder that primarily affects the small intestine. It is triggered when people with celiac disease consumes gluten, their immune system reacts by damaging the lining of the small intestine, leading to poor absorption of nutrients and a range of symptoms similar to those of gluten intolerance.
Damage to the small intestinal lining that is seen in Celiac Disease is not seen in gluten intolerance.
So Celiac Disease causes multiple nutritional deficiencies, which are not seen in gluten intolerance.
Unlike gluten intolerance, Celiac disease has very specific biomarkers. It is diagnosed through following tests:
Blood tests: Screening for specific antibodies, such as tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG-IgA).
Endoscopy and biopsy: A sample from the small intestine is taken to confirm damage to the intestinal lining.
People with Celiac Disease must completely exclude gluten from their food to prevent damage to their intestines and other health issues.
Complete exclusion of gluten from food is the only treatment of the Celiac Disease. Total abstinence from gluten containing cereals allows the intestines to heal in time.
***
Wheat Allergy:
This is an allergic reaction to proteins found in wheat, including but not limited to gluten, and affects a smaller percentage of the population, typically 0.2% to 0.5%.
Wheat allergy is an allergic reaction to wheat proteins, it does not include barley and rye.
Wheat allergy involves the immune system mistakenly identifying wheat proteins, not necessarily only gluten, as harmful, triggering allergic symptoms.
It can trigger skin reactions like hives, rashes, swellings; digestive symptoms like nausea, vomiting, painful cramps; respiratory symptoms like nasal congestion, sneezing and dyspnea or difficulty in breathing.
It can also cause anaphylaxis, a severe, potentially life threatening medical emergency that causes swelling of the throat, difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, and a drop in blood pressure. It requires immediate medical attention.
***
People who do not have any of these conditions, can safely continue to consume wheat!
Please also read ‘Wheat Is A Healthy Cereal’ on this website.
Acanthosis Nigricans: Dark, Thickened, Velvety Patches On The Skin!
Acanthosis Nigricans, Insulin Resistance And Pre Diabetes!
Development of dark, thickened, often slightly raised and velvety patches on the skin could be a sign of a condition called Acanthosis Nigricans. These patches can sometimes be accompanied by itching.
The areas commonly affected are the neck, armpits, groin, elbows, knees, and knuckles.
Acanthosis Nigricans is strongly linked to insulin resistance.
When carbohydrates are digested, they are absorbed in blood as sugar and the blood sugar levels increase.
In response to this the pancreas releases insulin in blood and insulin helps transport the sugar to various tissues of the body and under its influence, the cells of the tissues take up sugar from the blood and utilise it for the energy that they require for their functions.
Under the influence of insulin the liver also stores more sugar for providing energy to the body later.
This lowers the blood sugar and the blood insulin levels.
But when you eat too much sweets or sugary food regularly, the pancreas is forced to produce more insulin to bring down the blood sugar to normal.
After a while the cells of the various tissues stop responding adequately to the insulin and do not absorb sugar efficiently.
This means the cells of the tissues develop insulin resistance.
This causes both, the blood sugar and the blood insulin levels to stay high.
This raised blood level of insulin is called hyperinsulinemia.
To compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin.
Insulin promotes the synthesis of protein and fat molecules and provides the energy to help in cell growth.
Hyperinsulinemia causes skin cells to reproduce more quickly, leading to the characteristic skin changes in development of the condition of acanthosis nigricans.
When the capacity of the liver and the muscle cells to store sugar is over, the excess blood sugar is stored in the fat cells of various fat depots in the body and our weight increases, gradually leading to obesity.
Hyperinsulinemia and the insulin resistance lead to the development of pre diabetes.
People with pre diabetes have higher than normal blood sugar levels which are not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Fasting blood sugar levels between 110 to 125 (WHO) or 100 to 125 (American Diabetes Association) and glycated haemoglobin or HbA1c levels between 5.7 to 6.4 per cent are diagnostic of pre diabetes.
Blood sugar levels and HbA1c levels higher than this are diagnostic of diabetes.
People with pre diabetes are most likely to develop full fledged diabetes especially if they have strong family history of diabetes, obesity and sedentary lifestyle.
Other conditions in which Acanthosis Nigricans can occur are obesity, PCOD, thyroid disease, especially hypothyroidism and Cushing’s disease and rarely it is associated with some cancers.
The underlying condition in obesity and PCOD that causes these Acanthosis Nigricans patches is insulin resistance.
If you have such patches on the body, please see you doctor and get them diagnosed.
If they are patches of Acanthosis Nigricans you are likely to have insulin resistance and pre diabetes.
You will need to develop healthy food habits, cut out sugary foods and other simple carbohydrates from your food, eat nutritionally balanced food, exercise regularly, reduce your weight, keep stress low and sleep well.
And don’t wait to start all these things till you catch diabetes!
If you start now, you could most likely prevent the development of insulin resistance and pre diabetes and get rid of these patches!
And we can help you achieve this kind of results very much at your home, anywhere in the world on the same line of weight loss treatment managed from Pune, in our ‘Distance Program’, through our Obesity Clinic based in Pune, no need to physically join our Slimming Centre in Pune.
Also read ‘Insulin Resistance And Diabetes’ and ‘Understanding Pre Diabetes’ on this website.
Dangers of Low Carbohydrate Diets!
Carbohydrates Are Essential To Health!
Our food is composed of the following nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water.
Each of these nutrients have specific roles to play in the functioning of our body.
***
Carbohydrates are of two types, viz. simple and complex carbohydrates.
Simple carbohydrates are made up of one or two sugar molecules while complex carbohydrates are made up of long chains of glucose molecules.
When carbohydrates in our food are digested, these glucose molecules are absorbed our in blood and the blood sugar rises.
This glucose provides the fuel energy that the cells of our body need to carry out their functions.
Insulin is the hormone that influences our body cells to take up sugar from our blood to use up for their energy requirements. Insulin is synthesised in the pancreas,
Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly and cause sharp spikes in our blood sugar and force the body to suddenly release more insulin to bring the blood sugar down. The cells of the body take up the extra sugar from the blood and the blood sugar drops down to normal.
Eating too much simple carbohydrates or sugary food over a period of time leads to the cells of the body gradually becoming insensitive to insulin and respond less and less to it and the body is forced to produce more and more insulin to keep the blood sugar normal, causing hyperinsulinemia.
In time the blood sugars stay high in spite of hyperinsulinemia and leads to insulin resistance and eventually to diabetes.
In contrast, complex carbohydrates are digested slowly and provide steady supply of glucose and hence energy to the body, preventing spikes in blood insulin levels, hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance and diabetes.
So it is consuming too much simple carbohydrates regularly that leads to hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance and diabetes, not complex carbohydrates.
***
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy of our body. That means majority of the calories we need to carry out our bodily functions have to come from carbohydrates.
They also have a ‘protein sparing’ function.
Proteins have different functions those do not include providing energy to the body.
Proteins are the most important constituents of all the tissues of the body.
They are essential for the growth, development and repair of the daily wear and tear of the body. They are responsible for the immunity and the defence mechanism of the body. They are also essential for the formation of various enzymes and hormones in our body.
Proteins are not a primary source of energy for our body, under normal circumstances. But in case of people on very low carbohydrate – low calorie diets, the proteins in their food are used up as a source of energy and such people suffer from protein deficiency even if there is sufficient protein in their food.
So the second function of carbohydrates is to provide enough energy to the body so that proteins are not used up for energy and they are ‘spared’ to carry out their normal functions.
Foods that are principally made up of complex carbohydrates also provide essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, especially B vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium and selenium.
Complex carbohydrates are the only source fibre in our food. Fibre is crucial to digestion. The insoluble fibre in our food adds bulk to our stools, regulates the peristaltic movement of the intestines, facilitates easy passage of stools and prevents constipation.
The soluble fibre in complex carbohydrates dissolves in water and forms a jelly like substance which absorbs cholesterol and sugars and they are cleared out of the body, helping lower the levels of the blood cholesterol and sugar.
Complex carbohydrates contribute to satiety, helping to control appetite and reduce overall calorie intake. Having well balanced food with adequate complex carbohydrates, without of course over eating, helps in controlling weight rather than causing obesity as is often wrongly projected.
Brain function: Glucose is the primary source of energy for the brain. Complex carbohydrates provide steady supply of glucose to the brain cells and this helps in the smooth functioning of the brain and helps support cognitive functions, including memory and concentration.
***
Dangers of low carbohydrate diets.
Effects of low carbohydrate diets on health:
Lack of energy: Without adequate complex carbohydrates in our food, energy levels can fluctuate, leading to fatigue and decreased endurance during physical activity.
Nutritional deficiencies: We suffer from deficiencies of nutrients like fiber, vitamins, especially B vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium and selenium.
Digestive problems: Lack of fibre in low carbohydrate diets causes constipation and this in time can cause haemorrhoids (piles) and fissures and can also lead to development of conditions like diverticulitis and colon cancer.
Obesity: Low carbohydrate diets are essentially based on meat, eggs, fish and milk and milk products like butter, cheese and paneer and nuts.
Barring skim milk and fish, these foods are high in their fat content and hence are high in calories and are more likely to cause obesity.
Presence of high amounts of saturated fats and cholesterol in these foods can also lead to raised levels of LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol can also lead to heart disease and strokes.
Impaired Brain Function: The brain is dependant upon glucose as its primary source of energy. Lack of a steady supply of glucose from complex carbohydrates can result in impairment of cognitive functions including memory and concentration and mental clarity and focus.
***
Thus you can see that you can definitely stop eating or avoid eating simple carbohydrates as much as possible, but complex carbohydrates are absolutely essential to health and you cannot stop eating them without serious consequences for your health.
Also read the articles ‘Basics Of Nutrition’ and ’Carbohydrates Don’t Make Us Fat’ on this website.
Medium
Significance Of Wheat, Gluten Intolerance, Celiac Disease And Wheat Allergy!
Understanding The Significance of Wheat And The Conditions It Can Cause!
Wheat is the second largest cultivated cereal crop of the world, next only to maize.
Wheat is the second largest staple food of the world population, next only to rice.
The wheat crop cultivation covers more land than any other cereal in the world.
Its turnover in the world market is larger than that of all other cereals put together.
The wheat grain has 71% carbohydrates, 13% proteins, fibre, some B vitamins, folate, Vitamins E, some minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants and some good fatty acids.
The carbohydrates in the whole wheat grain are majorly healthy complex carbohydrates viz. starch and fibre and some sugars.
Wheat (chapati / roti) when combined with pulses (varan / amti / dal / usal) provide us with most of the good quality proteins in a vegetarian diet.
Wheat provides us with 327 calories per hundred gm.
Thus wheat is a very important source of calories, carbohydrates, proteins, small amounts of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals for a large proportion of the world population.
Wheat chapatis or roti are the main ingredient of regular meals for most Indians.
A small percentage of people in the world find it difficult to tolerate wheat, but this shouldn’t stop most of the world population from consuming the second most significant staple food of the world!
***
Wheat protein:
Wheat protein is majorly composed of gluten, constituting 75 to 80 per cent of the wheat protein.
Gluten is also found in two other cereals viz. barley and rye. Of three gluten containing cereals, wheat is the most commonly consumed cereal in India, along with rice.
Gluten is a complex mixture of majorly two proteins viz. gliadins and glutenins.
Gliadins are proteins made up of single molecules. They are soluble in alcohol and their presence makes the dough more stretchable.
Glutenins are proteins made up of multiple molecules linked together. Their presence is responsible for the elasticity and strength of the dough.
When water is added to flour and the mixture is kneaded, gliadins and glutenins interact to form a network of gluten, giving the dough its elastic and chewy texture. This gluten network traps gases produced by yeast during fermentation, allowing the dough to rise and giving baked goods their structure.
***
Gluten intolerance:
A few people in the world experience digestive problems like bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation and gases on consuming wheat. They may also experience fatigue, headaches, brain fog, joint pain, numbness, tingling, skin complaints and weight fluctuations, on consuming wheat, barley or rye.
These could be signs and symptoms of gluten intolerance, also known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
It is difficult to determine the true prevalence of gluten intolerance since there are no specific biomarkers for diagnosing it.
Most estimates are based on self-reported symptoms or exclusion diets.
Various studies in different population groups place the prevalence of gluten intolerance between 0.5% to 6%.
But it is likely that it is increasing due to increasing gluten content of wheat crop to improve the crop resistance and the texture and shelf life of baked wheat products and a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.
***
Celiac Disease:
This is an autoimmune disorder that affects about 1% of the population.
It is an autoimmune disorder that primarily affects the small intestine. It is triggered when people with celiac disease consumes gluten, their immune system reacts by damaging the lining of the small intestine, leading to poor absorption of nutrients and a range of symptoms similar to those of gluten intolerance.
Damage to the small intestinal lining that is seen in Celiac Disease is not seen in gluten intolerance.
So Celiac Disease causes multiple nutritional deficiencies, which are not seen in gluten intolerance.
Unlike gluten intolerance, Celiac disease has very specific biomarkers. It is diagnosed through following tests:
Blood tests: Screening for specific antibodies, such as tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG-IgA).
Endoscopy and biopsy: A sample from the small intestine is taken to confirm damage to the intestinal lining.
People with Celiac Disease must completely exclude gluten from their food to prevent damage to their intestines and other health issues.
Complete exclusion of gluten from food is the only treatment of the Celiac Disease. Total abstinence from gluten containing cereals allows the intestines to heal in time.
***
Wheat Allergy:
This is an allergic reaction to proteins found in wheat, including but not limited to gluten, and affects a smaller percentage of the population, typically 0.2% to 0.5%.
Wheat allergy is an allergic reaction to wheat proteins, it does not include barley and rye.
Wheat allergy involves the immune system mistakenly identifying wheat proteins, not necessarily only gluten, as harmful, triggering allergic symptoms.
It can trigger skin reactions like hives, rashes, swellings; digestive symptoms like nausea, vomiting, painful cramps; respiratory symptoms like nasal congestion, sneezing and dyspnea or difficulty in breathing.
It can also cause anaphylaxis, a severe, potentially life threatening medical emergency that causes swelling of the throat, difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, and a drop in blood pressure. It requires immediate medical attention.
***
People who do not have any of these conditions, can safely continue to consume wheat!
Please also read ‘Wheat Is A Healthy Cereal’ on this website.
Acanthosis Nigricans: Dark, Thickened, Velvety Patches On The Skin!
Acanthosis Nigricans, Insulin Resistance And Pre Diabetes!
Development of dark, thickened, often slightly raised and velvety patches on the skin could be a sign of a condition called Acanthosis Nigricans. These patches can sometimes be accompanied by itching.
The areas commonly affected are the neck, armpits, groin, elbows, knees, and knuckles.
Acanthosis Nigricans is strongly linked to insulin resistance.
When carbohydrates are digested, they are absorbed in blood as sugar and the blood sugar levels increase.
In response to this the pancreas releases insulin in blood and insulin helps transport the sugar to various tissues of the body and under its influence, the cells of the tissues take up sugar from the blood and utilise it for the energy that they require for their functions.
Under the influence of insulin the liver also stores more sugar for providing energy to the body later.
This lowers the blood sugar and the blood insulin levels.
But when you eat too much sweets or sugary food regularly, the pancreas is forced to produce more insulin to bring down the blood sugar to normal.
After a while the cells of the various tissues stop responding adequately to the insulin and do not absorb sugar efficiently.
This means the cells of the tissues develop insulin resistance.
This causes both, the blood sugar and the blood insulin levels to stay high.
This raised blood level of insulin is called hyperinsulinemia.
To compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin.
Insulin promotes the synthesis of protein and fat molecules and provides the energy to help in cell growth.
Hyperinsulinemia causes skin cells to reproduce more quickly, leading to the characteristic skin changes in development of the condition of acanthosis nigricans.
When the capacity of the liver and the muscle cells to store sugar is over, the excess blood sugar is stored in the fat cells of various fat depots in the body and our weight increases, gradually leading to obesity.
Hyperinsulinemia and the insulin resistance lead to the development of pre diabetes.
People with pre diabetes have higher than normal blood sugar levels which are not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Fasting blood sugar levels between 110 to 125 (WHO) or 100 to 125 (American Diabetes Association) and glycated haemoglobin or HbA1c levels between 5.7 to 6.4 per cent are diagnostic of pre diabetes.
Blood sugar levels and HbA1c levels higher than this are diagnostic of diabetes.
People with pre diabetes are most likely to develop full fledged diabetes especially if they have strong family history of diabetes, obesity and sedentary lifestyle.
Other conditions in which Acanthosis Nigricans can occur are obesity, PCOD, thyroid disease, especially hypothyroidism and Cushing’s disease and rarely it is associated with some cancers.
The underlying condition in obesity and PCOD that causes these Acanthosis Nigricans patches is insulin resistance.
If you have such patches on the body, please see you doctor and get them diagnosed.
If they are patches of Acanthosis Nigricans you are likely to have insulin resistance and pre diabetes.
You will need to develop healthy food habits, cut out sugary foods and other simple carbohydrates from your food, eat nutritionally balanced food, exercise regularly, reduce your weight, keep stress low and sleep well.
And don’t wait to start all these things till you catch diabetes!
If you start now, you could most likely prevent the development of insulin resistance and pre diabetes and get rid of these patches!
And we can help you achieve this kind of results very much at your home, anywhere in the world on the same line of weight loss treatment managed from Pune, in our ‘Distance Program’, through our Obesity Clinic based in Pune, no need to physically join our Slimming Centre in Pune.
Also read ‘Insulin Resistance And Diabetes’ and ‘Understanding Pre Diabetes’ on this website.
Large
Significance Of Wheat, Gluten Intolerance, Celiac Disease And Wheat Allergy!
Understanding The Significance of Wheat And The Conditions It Can Cause!
Wheat is the second largest cultivated cereal crop of the world, next only to maize.
Wheat is the second largest staple food of the world population, next only to rice.
The wheat crop cultivation covers more land than any other cereal in the world.
Its turnover in the world market is larger than that of all other cereals put together.
The wheat grain has 71% carbohydrates, 13% proteins, fibre, some B vitamins, folate, Vitamins E, some minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants and some good fatty acids.
The carbohydrates in the whole wheat grain are majorly healthy complex carbohydrates viz. starch and fibre and some sugars.
Wheat (chapati / roti) when combined with pulses (varan / amti / dal / usal) provide us with most of the good quality proteins in a vegetarian diet.
Wheat provides us with 327 calories per hundred gm.
Thus wheat is a very important source of calories, carbohydrates, proteins, small amounts of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals for a large proportion of the world population.
Wheat chapatis or roti are the main ingredient of regular meals for most Indians.
A small percentage of people in the world find it difficult to tolerate wheat, but this shouldn’t stop most of the world population from consuming the second most significant staple food of the world!
***
Wheat protein:
Wheat protein is majorly composed of gluten, constituting 75 to 80 per cent of the wheat protein.
Gluten is also found in two other cereals viz. barley and rye. Of three gluten containing cereals, wheat is the most commonly consumed cereal in India, along with rice.
Gluten is a complex mixture of majorly two proteins viz. gliadins and glutenins.
Gliadins are proteins made up of single molecules. They are soluble in alcohol and their presence makes the dough more stretchable.
Glutenins are proteins made up of multiple molecules linked together. Their presence is responsible for the elasticity and strength of the dough.
When water is added to flour and the mixture is kneaded, gliadins and glutenins interact to form a network of gluten, giving the dough its elastic and chewy texture. This gluten network traps gases produced by yeast during fermentation, allowing the dough to rise and giving baked goods their structure.
***
Gluten intolerance:
A few people in the world experience digestive problems like bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation and gases on consuming wheat. They may also experience fatigue, headaches, brain fog, joint pain, numbness, tingling, skin complaints and weight fluctuations, on consuming wheat, barley or rye.
These could be signs and symptoms of gluten intolerance, also known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
It is difficult to determine the true prevalence of gluten intolerance since there are no specific biomarkers for diagnosing it.
Most estimates are based on self-reported symptoms or exclusion diets.
Various studies in different population groups place the prevalence of gluten intolerance between 0.5% to 6%.
But it is likely that it is increasing due to increasing gluten content of wheat crop to improve the crop resistance and the texture and shelf life of baked wheat products and a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.
***
Celiac Disease:
This is an autoimmune disorder that affects about 1% of the population.
It is an autoimmune disorder that primarily affects the small intestine. It is triggered when people with celiac disease consumes gluten, their immune system reacts by damaging the lining of the small intestine, leading to poor absorption of nutrients and a range of symptoms similar to those of gluten intolerance.
Damage to the small intestinal lining that is seen in Celiac Disease is not seen in gluten intolerance.
So Celiac Disease causes multiple nutritional deficiencies, which are not seen in gluten intolerance.
Unlike gluten intolerance, Celiac disease has very specific biomarkers. It is diagnosed through following tests:
Blood tests: Screening for specific antibodies, such as tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG-IgA).
Endoscopy and biopsy: A sample from the small intestine is taken to confirm damage to the intestinal lining.
People with Celiac Disease must completely exclude gluten from their food to prevent damage to their intestines and other health issues.
Complete exclusion of gluten from food is the only treatment of the Celiac Disease. Total abstinence from gluten containing cereals allows the intestines to heal in time.
***
Wheat Allergy:
This is an allergic reaction to proteins found in wheat, including but not limited to gluten, and affects a smaller percentage of the population, typically 0.2% to 0.5%.
Wheat allergy is an allergic reaction to wheat proteins, it does not include barley and rye.
Wheat allergy involves the immune system mistakenly identifying wheat proteins, not necessarily only gluten, as harmful, triggering allergic symptoms.
It can trigger skin reactions like hives, rashes, swellings; digestive symptoms like nausea, vomiting, painful cramps; respiratory symptoms like nasal congestion, sneezing and dyspnea or difficulty in breathing.
It can also cause anaphylaxis, a severe, potentially life threatening medical emergency that causes swelling of the throat, difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, and a drop in blood pressure. It requires immediate medical attention.
***
People who do not have any of these conditions, can safely continue to consume wheat!
Please also read ‘Wheat Is A Healthy Cereal’ on this website.
Acanthosis Nigricans: Dark, Thickened, Velvety Patches On The Skin!
Acanthosis Nigricans, Insulin Resistance And Pre Diabetes!
Development of dark, thickened, often slightly raised and velvety patches on the skin could be a sign of a condition called Acanthosis Nigricans. These patches can sometimes be accompanied by itching.
The areas commonly affected are the neck, armpits, groin, elbows, knees, and knuckles.
Acanthosis Nigricans is strongly linked to insulin resistance.
When carbohydrates are digested, they are absorbed in blood as sugar and the blood sugar levels increase.
In response to this the pancreas releases insulin in blood and insulin helps transport the sugar to various tissues of the body and under its influence, the cells of the tissues take up sugar from the blood and utilise it for the energy that they require for their functions.
Under the influence of insulin the liver also stores more sugar for providing energy to the body later.
This lowers the blood sugar and the blood insulin levels.
But when you eat too much sweets or sugary food regularly, the pancreas is forced to produce more insulin to bring down the blood sugar to normal.
After a while the cells of the various tissues stop responding adequately to the insulin and do not absorb sugar efficiently.
This means the cells of the tissues develop insulin resistance.
This causes both, the blood sugar and the blood insulin levels to stay high.
This raised blood level of insulin is called hyperinsulinemia.
To compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin.
Insulin promotes the synthesis of protein and fat molecules and provides the energy to help in cell growth.
Hyperinsulinemia causes skin cells to reproduce more quickly, leading to the characteristic skin changes in development of the condition of acanthosis nigricans.
When the capacity of the liver and the muscle cells to store sugar is over, the excess blood sugar is stored in the fat cells of various fat depots in the body and our weight increases, gradually leading to obesity.
Hyperinsulinemia and the insulin resistance lead to the development of pre diabetes.
People with pre diabetes have higher than normal blood sugar levels which are not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Fasting blood sugar levels between 110 to 125 (WHO) or 100 to 125 (American Diabetes Association) and glycated haemoglobin or HbA1c levels between 5.7 to 6.4 per cent are diagnostic of pre diabetes.
Blood sugar levels and HbA1c levels higher than this are diagnostic of diabetes.
People with pre diabetes are most likely to develop full fledged diabetes especially if they have strong family history of diabetes, obesity and sedentary lifestyle.
Other conditions in which Acanthosis Nigricans can occur are obesity, PCOD, thyroid disease, especially hypothyroidism and Cushing’s disease and rarely it is associated with some cancers.
The underlying condition in obesity and PCOD that causes these Acanthosis Nigricans patches is insulin resistance.
If you have such patches on the body, please see you doctor and get them diagnosed.
If they are patches of Acanthosis Nigricans you are likely to have insulin resistance and pre diabetes.
You will need to develop healthy food habits, cut out sugary foods and other simple carbohydrates from your food, eat nutritionally balanced food, exercise regularly, reduce your weight, keep stress low and sleep well.
And don’t wait to start all these things till you catch diabetes!
If you start now, you could most likely prevent the development of insulin resistance and pre diabetes and get rid of these patches!
And we can help you achieve this kind of results very much at your home, anywhere in the world on the same line of weight loss treatment managed from Pune, in our ‘Distance Program’, through our Obesity Clinic based in Pune, no need to physically join our Slimming Centre in Pune.
Also read ‘Insulin Resistance And Diabetes’ and ‘Understanding Pre Diabetes’ on this website.
Large Alt
Significance Of Wheat, Gluten Intolerance, Celiac Disease And Wheat Allergy!
Understanding The Significance of Wheat And The Conditions It Can Cause!
Wheat is the second largest cultivated cereal crop of the world, next only to maize.
Wheat is the second largest staple food of the world population, next only to rice.
The wheat crop cultivation covers more land than any other cereal in the world.
Its turnover in the world market is larger than that of all other cereals put together.
The wheat grain has 71% carbohydrates, 13% proteins, fibre, some B vitamins, folate, Vitamins E, some minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants and some good fatty acids.
The carbohydrates in the whole wheat grain are majorly healthy complex carbohydrates viz. starch and fibre and some sugars.
Wheat (chapati / roti) when combined with pulses (varan / amti / dal / usal) provide us with most of the good quality proteins in a vegetarian diet.
Wheat provides us with 327 calories per hundred gm.
Thus wheat is a very important source of calories, carbohydrates, proteins, small amounts of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals for a large proportion of the world population.
Wheat chapatis or roti are the main ingredient of regular meals for most Indians.
A small percentage of people in the world find it difficult to tolerate wheat, but this shouldn’t stop most of the world population from consuming the second most significant staple food of the world!
***
Wheat protein:
Wheat protein is majorly composed of gluten, constituting 75 to 80 per cent of the wheat protein.
Gluten is also found in two other cereals viz. barley and rye. Of three gluten containing cereals, wheat is the most commonly consumed cereal in India, along with rice.
Gluten is a complex mixture of majorly two proteins viz. gliadins and glutenins.
Gliadins are proteins made up of single molecules. They are soluble in alcohol and their presence makes the dough more stretchable.
Glutenins are proteins made up of multiple molecules linked together. Their presence is responsible for the elasticity and strength of the dough.
When water is added to flour and the mixture is kneaded, gliadins and glutenins interact to form a network of gluten, giving the dough its elastic and chewy texture. This gluten network traps gases produced by yeast during fermentation, allowing the dough to rise and giving baked goods their structure.
***
Gluten intolerance:
A few people in the world experience digestive problems like bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation and gases on consuming wheat. They may also experience fatigue, headaches, brain fog, joint pain, numbness, tingling, skin complaints and weight fluctuations, on consuming wheat, barley or rye.
These could be signs and symptoms of gluten intolerance, also known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
It is difficult to determine the true prevalence of gluten intolerance since there are no specific biomarkers for diagnosing it.
Most estimates are based on self-reported symptoms or exclusion diets.
Various studies in different population groups place the prevalence of gluten intolerance between 0.5% to 6%.
But it is likely that it is increasing due to increasing gluten content of wheat crop to improve the crop resistance and the texture and shelf life of baked wheat products and a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.
***
Celiac Disease:
This is an autoimmune disorder that affects about 1% of the population.
It is an autoimmune disorder that primarily affects the small intestine. It is triggered when people with celiac disease consumes gluten, their immune system reacts by damaging the lining of the small intestine, leading to poor absorption of nutrients and a range of symptoms similar to those of gluten intolerance.
Damage to the small intestinal lining that is seen in Celiac Disease is not seen in gluten intolerance.
So Celiac Disease causes multiple nutritional deficiencies, which are not seen in gluten intolerance.
Unlike gluten intolerance, Celiac disease has very specific biomarkers. It is diagnosed through following tests:
Blood tests: Screening for specific antibodies, such as tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG-IgA).
Endoscopy and biopsy: A sample from the small intestine is taken to confirm damage to the intestinal lining.
People with Celiac Disease must completely exclude gluten from their food to prevent damage to their intestines and other health issues.
Complete exclusion of gluten from food is the only treatment of the Celiac Disease. Total abstinence from gluten containing cereals allows the intestines to heal in time.
***
Wheat Allergy:
This is an allergic reaction to proteins found in wheat, including but not limited to gluten, and affects a smaller percentage of the population, typically 0.2% to 0.5%.
Wheat allergy is an allergic reaction to wheat proteins, it does not include barley and rye.
Wheat allergy involves the immune system mistakenly identifying wheat proteins, not necessarily only gluten, as harmful, triggering allergic symptoms.
It can trigger skin reactions like hives, rashes, swellings; digestive symptoms like nausea, vomiting, painful cramps; respiratory symptoms like nasal congestion, sneezing and dyspnea or difficulty in breathing.
It can also cause anaphylaxis, a severe, potentially life threatening medical emergency that causes swelling of the throat, difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, and a drop in blood pressure. It requires immediate medical attention.
***
People who do not have any of these conditions, can safely continue to consume wheat!
Please also read ‘Wheat Is A Healthy Cereal’ on this website.
Acanthosis Nigricans: Dark, Thickened, Velvety Patches On The Skin!
Acanthosis Nigricans, Insulin Resistance And Pre Diabetes!
Development of dark, thickened, often slightly raised and velvety patches on the skin could be a sign of a condition called Acanthosis Nigricans. These patches can sometimes be accompanied by itching.
The areas commonly affected are the neck, armpits, groin, elbows, knees, and knuckles.
Acanthosis Nigricans is strongly linked to insulin resistance.
When carbohydrates are digested, they are absorbed in blood as sugar and the blood sugar levels increase.
In response to this the pancreas releases insulin in blood and insulin helps transport the sugar to various tissues of the body and under its influence, the cells of the tissues take up sugar from the blood and utilise it for the energy that they require for their functions.
Under the influence of insulin the liver also stores more sugar for providing energy to the body later.
This lowers the blood sugar and the blood insulin levels.
But when you eat too much sweets or sugary food regularly, the pancreas is forced to produce more insulin to bring down the blood sugar to normal.
After a while the cells of the various tissues stop responding adequately to the insulin and do not absorb sugar efficiently.
This means the cells of the tissues develop insulin resistance.
This causes both, the blood sugar and the blood insulin levels to stay high.
This raised blood level of insulin is called hyperinsulinemia.
To compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin.
Insulin promotes the synthesis of protein and fat molecules and provides the energy to help in cell growth.
Hyperinsulinemia causes skin cells to reproduce more quickly, leading to the characteristic skin changes in development of the condition of acanthosis nigricans.
When the capacity of the liver and the muscle cells to store sugar is over, the excess blood sugar is stored in the fat cells of various fat depots in the body and our weight increases, gradually leading to obesity.
Hyperinsulinemia and the insulin resistance lead to the development of pre diabetes.
People with pre diabetes have higher than normal blood sugar levels which are not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Fasting blood sugar levels between 110 to 125 (WHO) or 100 to 125 (American Diabetes Association) and glycated haemoglobin or HbA1c levels between 5.7 to 6.4 per cent are diagnostic of pre diabetes.
Blood sugar levels and HbA1c levels higher than this are diagnostic of diabetes.
People with pre diabetes are most likely to develop full fledged diabetes especially if they have strong family history of diabetes, obesity and sedentary lifestyle.
Other conditions in which Acanthosis Nigricans can occur are obesity, PCOD, thyroid disease, especially hypothyroidism and Cushing’s disease and rarely it is associated with some cancers.
The underlying condition in obesity and PCOD that causes these Acanthosis Nigricans patches is insulin resistance.
If you have such patches on the body, please see you doctor and get them diagnosed.
If they are patches of Acanthosis Nigricans you are likely to have insulin resistance and pre diabetes.
You will need to develop healthy food habits, cut out sugary foods and other simple carbohydrates from your food, eat nutritionally balanced food, exercise regularly, reduce your weight, keep stress low and sleep well.
And don’t wait to start all these things till you catch diabetes!
If you start now, you could most likely prevent the development of insulin resistance and pre diabetes and get rid of these patches!
And we can help you achieve this kind of results very much at your home, anywhere in the world on the same line of weight loss treatment managed from Pune, in our ‘Distance Program’, through our Obesity Clinic based in Pune, no need to physically join our Slimming Centre in Pune.
Also read ‘Insulin Resistance And Diabetes’ and ‘Understanding Pre Diabetes’ on this website.