Gluten Killed My Gallbladder

"Gluten Killed My Gallbladder"

I've been saying this for a couple of months but I've just now found some interesting PubMed articles that point to some really neat connections between CCK release and gluten intolerance.

Long, boring article short, gluten intolerance can cause some major gallbladder issues.  These have been show to be resolved by removing gluten from the diet.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3965328
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10406250
http://www.gluten-free.org/hoggan/gall.txt

From the middle link:  (emphasis added)

In patients at diagnosis, elevated somatostatin levels were associated with increased gallbladder fasting volume, whereas decreased cholecystokinin secretion was responsible for the reduced gallbladder emptying. Gluten-free diet reversed these abnormalities.

Prediction for next April

It's not "if", it's "when" this Paleo movement goes mainstream.  My prediction is that starting next April, we'll see the first of an ever growing trickle of magazine articles, CNN stories, and various other references hit the mainstream.

A short list of my reasons this thing is (and will continue) blowing up:

1) It works.

Robb Wolf, bestselling author of The Paleo Solution, has a completely rad podcast that has over 100 episodes.  Yet his book is a bestseller.  People are buying the book because they are getting some initial results and want to tune in even better (or support him).  Don't let this give you any ideas Robb, but I'll buy absolutely any book you guys write or even forward.  The same goes for Mark Sisson.

2) It's not a religion.

It's science, and it's not bound to any a priori beliefs.  As new data sets come in, the diet gets better.  The role of saturated fats is something Cordain has come around on, for instance.

3) You feel better.

Atkins was onto a lot of things, but chowing down on a couple of those artificially-sweetened sugar-alcohol bars would give you one mondo case of the trots.  Eating Paleo actually heals your gut, so cheating makes you feel worse, more hungry, and more lousy.

As people continue to try this out, for free, for themselves, they'll continue to buy books like The Paleo Solution and The Primal Blueprint for themselves and their friends.

This will fit a classic J curve and start to emerge around next April in a big, big way.

Revelations after losing 50 pounds.

Losing over 50 lbs since between mid March and mid October gives a person some perspective.  I think I would have never had a weight issue if not for wheat.

I've cut back on added sugars, sweeteners, and all sorts of novel food groups losing weight.  I feel tons better and feel a bit like Jonah or one of the other prophets must have felt, burdened by some truth or experience that's nearly impossible to convey to another human.

Just try it, I want to scream.... what could it hurt....

Just quit wheat.

Most people aren't as "far gone" as I was, peaking 310 or 315 in March, and even larger in the couple of years before that.  All of those extra pounds, years of digestive issues, and various other issues....

Just elimination of all wheat products, I think, from around age 10 would have corrected my asthma, weight issues, and probably saved my gallbladder.  This is the conclusion I'm left with, as wheat elimination seems to be the largest part of my weight loss and improved health.

And since I'm bitter about the subject, I'll just add that it's whacky that the government guidelines or what to eat are set by the Department of Agriculture.

http://www.foodpyramid.com/mypyramid/

Seriously.

"In 2005 the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a food pyramid called MyPyramid, which was designed to educate people about the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans"

Grains
MyPyramid recommends that at least 50% of the grains should be whole grain.
Eat at least 3 ounces of whole grain breads, crackers, cereals, crackers, rice or pasta everyday.

Why do we need "at least 3 ounces"?  Oh, well.

It's kind of interesting that there is a nice collection of diets "represented" on the website, and there's some Paleo representation on this site:

http://www.foodpyramid.com/diets/stone-age-diet/