Babies born in rural counties that produce a lot of wheat are twice as likely to have birth defects as babies born in rural counties that don’t produce much wheat. Researchers suggest that common herbicides used in wheat production may be responsible for the increase. Many questions are still unanswered, such as whether the parents of children with birth defects had direct contact with herbicides and how much herbicide was used in each county tested, but the results are in line with previous findings from 1996 that showed an increase in birth defects in an area where herbicides were used on wheat. Other past studies have also linked herbicides to health problems.
CBS News July 11, 2003
The fact that wheat crops are heavily sprayed with herbicides is only one of the many problems with wheat. Don't be fooled like I was when I was in med school 20 years ago and had the nickname "Dr. Fiber." Whole wheat is not the friend you might believe.
If you are not familiar with the dangers of wheat you can review my recent article on wheat.
As for grains in the human diet overall, there is fairly strong evidence that in Paleolithic times some 5-6,000 years ago most humans did not consume many grains; they were hunter-gatherers who subsisted mostly on vegetables and meats. But, 5-6,000 years is a mere blip in a biological sense for humans: over 99 percent of our genetic make-up was in place, in fact, before we ever started consuming grains.
When considered from this perspective alone, it is not too surprising that grains can cause a wide array of health issues. Contemporary humans have not suddenly evolved mechanisms to incorporate the high carbohydrates from starch- and sugar-rich foods into their diet.
Despite this, most Americans are addicted to grain-laden foods like bagels, pizza, pancakes, pasta, waffles and bread, and many Americans are facing chronic health problems like diabetes. Cutting grains (and sugar) from the diet would be beneficial to most. You can read more about this in my book, The No-Grain Diet, and check out my nutrition plan, of which, as many of you know, drastically reducing or eliminating grains from the diet is a key component.
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