Who should we believe?

[BoBoGuy]

Wheat Belly (http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/wheat-belly.html) or Web MD (http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20080225/whole-grains-fight-belly-fat)?

[Jael]

Is there really a conflict? The WebMD article say that whole weat grain is better than refined grain...not that whole weat grain is better than no grain.

but the whole-grain group lost significantly more body fat from the abdominal region than the refined-grain group.

[lowcarbUgh]

The refined group lost more weight overall. :lol:

[BoBoGuy]

Is there really a conflict? The WebMD article say that whole weat grain is better than refined grain...not that whole weat grain is better than no grain.
The WebMD article says that "Whole Grains Fight Belly Fat".

I’m simply trying to figure out how to get rid of my own belly fat. Low carb, calorie restriction and exercise have done nothing! Perhaps I need more wheat in my diet?

[lowcarbUgh]

There is some research that indicates that wine helps belly fat, or really any type of alcohol that is low carb. It was posted in the wine and high fat diet thread about the French. It was in the last couple of entries.

[Jael]

Perhaps I need more wheat in my diet?

If you read the WebMD article, they concluded that people who ate whole wheat grains lost more belly fat than people who ate refined grains. So if you're eating a bunch of refined grains, then this article may be of interest to you. Otherwise, it doesn't seem to apply to your situation.

A new study shows people who followed a weight loss program incorporating whole-grain breads, cereals, and other foods lost more body fat from the abdominal area than those who ate only refined grains like white bread and rice.

If you are eating white bread and rice, then sure...whole grains are better. If you're not, adding whole wheat to your diet is not going to trim belly fat - the article doesn't even claim that.

[Nancy LC]

I got rid of a big bulge in my abdominal area that wasn't fat by stopping the wheat (and gluten).

[renegadiab]

I used to suffer from a "wheat belly." All that "healthy" whole grain stuff I used to eat certainly didn't help me lose weight. The whole grain study only compared refined grain consumption to whole grain consumption. I won't argue that whole grains are better than refined grains, but they erroneously extrapolate the data to say that you should eat whole grains. What about no grains????

It's also interesting that they talk in relative reduction of CRP and don't give any numbers on actual weight loss. Could it be that that absolute reduction in CRP and weight wasn't that impressive?

I'll beleive Dr. Davis over the general medical establishment.

[lowcarbUgh]

I've seen some episodes of "Discovery Body Challenge" where participants really reduced their belly fat with Dr. Oz's methods which include whole grains. I don't know if I'm wheat intolerant as I eat a minute quantity of it in the form of vital wheat gluten. I think I have a rice intolerance and perhaps dairy as whey protein sends me straight to the bathroom. I am going to try some yogurt soon to check out my dairy tolerance. Rice causes a definite bloat and makes my stomach look distended.

On the hard science side, visceral fat is associated with metabolic syndrome and high levels of cortisol. I read a thread - and I think it was here - reporting success with Relacore. I have little faith in diet pills, but these folks seemed to be believers.

[BoBoGuy]

I got rid of a big bulge in my abdominal area that wasn't fat by stopping the wheat (and gluten).
Like you, my belly bulge is not fat under the skin that I can feel. I’m not overweight and don’t want to lose body weight. If I did, I’d simply be a skinny guy with a belly bulge.

The only wheat products I consume are about 6 or so whole wheat Ritz Crackers when having a small bowl of chicken noodle soup. About once a month, I’ll have a serving of Dreamfields pasta but that’s about it.

Looks like I’ll be saying bye-bye to my Ritz, Dreamfields and soup. This is very frustrating!

I’m going to check out Relacore.

Bo

[Nancy LC]

Be sure to dump the other sources of gluten too and give your wheat bump some time to go down.

It took me a looong time but the wheat bump is gone now. I think I've been GF for 3 years now. It wasn't "weight" it was bulge. I weigh pretty much the same as before GF.

Being low gluten isn't going to cut it if you are sensitive to it.

[Squarecube]

Looks like I’ll be saying bye-bye to my Ritz, Dreamfields and soup. This is very frustrating!

I’m going to check out Relacore.

Bo

When I started testing my BG it was 2 hours after eating dreamfields. It read 160. Bye Bye Dreamfields.

But no, it ain't gonna be a chore. After a while you really don't miss it anymore. I gave up all alcohol in November (for 3 months) just to see if it made any difference with BG readings. It didn't do much, but it kinda surprised me how easy it was to do.

And please say good bye to the ritz and the noodle soup, er hmm, this is a low carb web site, right?

[Nancy LC]

When I found out about my gluten issues I just said to myself "poison", everytime I saw something gluten-y that I desired. It worked! I have NO desire for that stuff. People eat it in front of me at parties and I'm not even remotely tempted.

[lowcarbUgh]

I found this study on intra-abdominal fat (the stuff you can't see and can't pinch) to be thought provoking although it might ruffle some feathers here. In lean rats, a high-fat diet increased their visceral fat. In obese rats, the high fat diet decreased the visceral fat:

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/133/7/2244

[lowcarbUgh]

I gave up all alcohol in November (for 3 months) just to see if it made any difference with BG readings.

Non-carby alcohol reduces fasting BG levels in diabetics. There are many studies to back up that claim. My doctor recommended a glass of wine before bed for my Dawn Syndrome.

[ruthla]

WebMD is comparing the consumption of whole grains to refined grains. They're not even considering the option of "no grains at all" in that particular article.

Wheat belly makes it sound like every single human being is intolerant to gluten.

I think they're both right and they're both wrong. Whole grains are a healthier choice for most people than refined grains (some individuals may react badly to the fiber itself but do OK with the refined grains.)

I'm not convinced that every single person on the planet is gluten intolerant, and that everybody is going to have positive results from cutting out wheat (especially if they've always eaten wheat prepared by traditional methods and in moderation.) I know that I personally do badly with wheat, and many others do as well, but I'm not convinced this is a universal thing. I know plenty of people with no "wheat belly" who eat wheat quite regularly. Would they do better on a low grain diet? Possibly, but that doesn't mean that wheat is "poison" to everybody- just as my friend's 4yo is allergic to garlic. Garlic is poison to him, but not to me.

[Nancy LC]

I'm pretty well convinced that gluten is pretty bad for everyone, but in a manner of degrees.

Read up on Zonulin and how it opens up the little junctions of the intestines. Gluten causes us *all* to produce zonulin, but the junctions get stuck open longer on celiacs. This is the basis of "leaky gut" and autoimmune diseases. Even without the nasty side-effect of letting stuff from the gut into the blood stream, you have to ask yourself... why does "gliadin" do that? There must be a purpose in opening those gates, maybe to flush out what the body perceives as a danger?

Then there's Dr. Davis's observations about cholesterol, high triglycerides and low HDL, and wheat consumption.

Even without all that, it contains a lot of lectins (http://www.krispin.com/lectin.html) and other anti-nutrients which if not directly harmful keep you from being able to absorb nutrition from your food.

And that wheat makes up such a huge part of people's diet, I guess I'm rather astonished we're not sicker than we are. We European extracts have probably adapted to it somewhat. But other populations are at ground zero.