Grains: A Clear and Present Danger

Modern man has evolved into a health-conscious individual. More and more people are following the
healthy lifestyles to improve their quality of life. One aspect that man is very much concerned of is his
diet. Nowadays, if one is to go into a therapeutic diet, cereal grains would constitute a minimum of 50%
of his daily menu plan. Nutritionists and doctors alike are encouraging their clientele and the public to
consume at least six to 11 servings of grain products daily, including at least three whole grain foods.
Accordingly, whole grains contain high amounts of fibre and they are good sources of the antioxidant
vitamins and phytochemicals that act together to provide a protective effect.

Whole-grain products have been advocated and promoted extensively, but recent studies are
contradicting the information advertised. A research conducted by Dr. Loren Cordain, a Professor of
Exercise Physiology at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado focused on the hazards that
cereal grains have brought to humanity.

When man first came into being, he existed as a non-cereal-eating-hunter-gatherer. He relied mostly on
a diversity of wild animals, fruits, and vegetables for his food consumption. These foods shaped mans
genetic nutritional requirements.

As human population increased, man became more and more reliant on small animals, fish, fowl, and
gathered plant foods to supply his caloric needs. Gradually as the population increased, these sources
too became depleted and man turned to agriculture as his dominant way of life, and cereal grains as his
primary source of calories and protein.

This evolution has greatly affected mans genetic nutritional requirements. Cereal grains have become
the staple food and it represented a dramatic departure from the foods to which we are genetically
adapted. From the typical hunter-gatherer lifestyle, man evolved 360 to adapt an entirely new pattern
of activity and a diet incompatible to mans genetically determined dietary needs. The result was an
obvious reduction in body size, increase incidence of infant mortality, shortened lifespan, increased
incidence of infectious diseases, the occurrence of diseases of sedentary and agricultural populations,
such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure, and bone diseases.

So what is it about cereal grains?
The most common cereal grains that humanity consumes are wheat, maize, rice, barley, sorghum, oats,
rye, and millet. These grains provide 56% of the food energy and 50% of the protein in our diet. But that
is as much as it can give. When we eat grains and grain products, we tend to eliminate other sources of
nutrition: meat, fruits, and vegetables. Cereal grains have significant nutritional deficiencies. Most of the
cereal products that we eat are refined and lack many important nutrients. They only contain
undetectable, or none at all, amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, B12, beta-carotene, and other vitamins
and minerals, and they tend to displace the nutrients provided by other foods that could have decrease
the risk of heart disease and many forms of cancer. This imbalance will put us at risk for these diseases
as cereal grains could prevent the metabolism of these nutrients and cause autoimmune reactions.


How important are these nutrients? What will we be missing?
Vitamin A
Vitamin A deficiency is the number one cause of xeropthalmia and blindness among children, and also a
major determinant of childhood morbidity and mortality. In cases of infectious diseases, a deficiency of
vitamin A often contributes to its recurrence, severity, or even death of the afflicted. Without doubt, a
cereal based diet predisposes a child to these illnesses as it displaces the beta-carotene-containing fruits
and vegetables and vitamin-A-containing foods like milk fat, egg yolks and organ meats.

Vitamin C
An increase intake of fruits and vegetables has been associated to the reduced risk of many types of
cancer and coronary heart disease. Evidence points to the fact that fruits and vegetables are rich in
antioxidants, including vitamin C, carotenoids and phytochemicals. Although vitamin C deficiency is
uncommon in the United States, its found to be popular in third world countries wherein cereals and
pulses comprise the dietary staple and fruits and vegetables are consumed in low quantities.

B Vitamins
Diets based primarily on plants are either low or deficient in vitamin B12. This vitamin is solely provided
by animal or meat products. A deficiency of this vitamin is associated with the occurrence of
megaloblastic anemia, a disease that creates an irreversible impact on the neurological system resulting
in cognitive dysfunction. The lack of vitamin B12 also increases homocysteine levels, a risk factor for
arterial vascular disease and thrombosis.

Not only are cereal grains deficient in vitamins but many contain substances that decrease the intestinal
absorption of many other important nutrients. Both wheat and sorghum are not only low in biotin but
seem to have elements within them that elicit a depression of biotin metabolism. Vitamin D utilization
by the body can be inhibited by an excessive consumption of cereal grains.
Minerals
Cereal grains are good sources of phosphorous, potassium, and magnesium, but are poor sources of
sodium and calcium.
Calcium. The low calcium content of cereals may not pose a risk if dairy and vegetable sources of the
mineral are not displaced in the diet. But like vitamins, as more and more cereals are consumed, the
food sources of calcium are displaced resulting into a low calcium/phosphorus ratio. This would greatly
affect bone growth and metabolism. Consumption of dietary excess of phosphorus when calcium intake
is low would lead to hyperparathyroidism and progressive bone loss. In addition, an imbalance of the
calcium and magnesium ratio leads to a decrease gastrointestinal absorption and retention of calcium,
favouring calcium excretion. The high phytate content of whole grain cereals forms insoluble complexes
with calcium, preventing calcium absorption. Phytate is a salt or ester of phytic acid that is capable of
forming insoluble complexes with calcium, zinc, iron, and other nutrients and interfering with their
absorption by the body. The net effect of a low calcium content, a low Ca/P ratio, a low Ca/Mg ratio, and
low bioavailability of calcium via a high phytate content frequently induces bone mineral pathologies in
populations dependent upon cereal grains as a staple food. Consumption of high levels of whole grain
cereal products impairs bone metabolism not only by limiting calcium intake, but by indirectly altering
vitamin D metabolism.

Iron. Iron metabolism is affected negatively by a diet high in phytate and fiber. Iron deficiency is the
most prevalent nutritional problem in the world today. An iron deficiency has been associated with an
irreversible impairment of a child's learning capabilities. The bioavailability of zinc, copper, and
magnesium in cereal grains is generally low. The absorption of manganese, chromium, and selenium
does not seem impaired. Zinc deficiency can result in hypogonadal dwarfism in which there is arrested
growth. In countries with high cereal grain intake and hence low zinc absorption, hypogonadal dwarfism
is nearly 3 percent and skeletal growth may be limited. The bioavailability of zinc from meat is four times
higher than that from cereals.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA)
Cereal grains are low in fats, especially the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These fatty acids decreases trigycerides, decreases thrombotic tendencies,
reduces many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and reduces mortality from coronary heart
disease. The primary source of these EFAs is meat products especially oily fish. Thus, diets based
primarily on cereals and plant products are deficient of these fatty acids. Infants deprived of DHA show
visual and neural cortical abnormalities. Pregnant women with low levels of DHA have a shorter
pregnancy and usually give birth via caesarean section to infants with low birth weight, smaller head
circumference and shorter body length.
Protein Loss in Grain Diets
Cereal diets lead to inadequate growth because of a reduction of protein and amino acids, compared to
meat-supplemented diets. The fossil record shows a characteristic reduction in stature with the
adoption of cereal-based diets. Further, vegan and vegetarian children often fail to grow as well as their
omnivorous cohorts. The associated deficiencies include energy, protein, zinc, iron, copper, calcium,
vitamin D, vitamin B12, and vitamin A. Just looking at protein content, the content of protein in cereal
grains is about 12 percent, whereas in lean beef it is about 22 percent. Inadequate protein intake in
cereals depending on cereal grains, and especially in the elderly who have difficulties with plant-only
diets, is probably quite common.
Antinutrients In Cereal Grains
Plants produce chemicals to defend against predators, such as insects and birds. These secondary
metabolites may protect the plants but they can have negative effects on human metabolism. Without
naming all of these chemicals, it is clear that some can cause slower growth in mammals either by
depressing growth directly or by depressing appetite. Some of these plant chemicals can act as
allergens. Alpha-amylase inhibitor proteins are responsible for bakers' allergenic reaction to cereal
flours, and can result in hypersensitivity reactions following wheat ingestion in children.
Lectins, which are proteins that are widespread in the plant kingdom, are recognized as major
antinutrients of food. Cereal grain lectins are wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). It can interfere with
digestive/absorptive activities and can shift the balance in bacterial flora shown to cause problems with
normal gut metabolism. The potential to disrupt human health is high.
Autoimmune Diseases And Cereal Grain Consumption
Autoimmune diseases happens when the body sees its own proteins as invading proteins resulting to
destruction of the bodys own tissues by the immune system. Most autoimmune diseases are thought to
be genetic in nature combined with environmental influences.
Dietary cereal grains are noted to be causative agents for celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis,
both autoimmune diseases. The form of protein believed to be associated with celiac disease in gliadin,
but since at least 40 different protein components occur in a single variety of wheat it is unlikely that a
single gliadin protein causes the disease. There are a number of diseases that may occur simultaneously
with celiac disease, including Addison's disease, asthma, autoimmune thyroid disease, dental enamel
defects, epilepsy, liver disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. Withdrawal of gluten-containing cereals from
the diet can ameliorate symptoms of celiac disease and herpetiformis.
Other autoimmune diseases may be related to a high intake of cereal grains, including insulin-
dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), rheumatoid arthritis, nephropathy, aphthous stomatitis (canker
sores), and even multiple sclerosis. A myelin basic protein (MBP) is a suspected target antigen in
multiple sclerosis. There are epidemiological reports that link both wheat and milk consumption to the
incidence of MS. And there are reports showing remission of MS on gluten-free diets.
How will these affect you?
If we take a look at our family history, we may find out that we are at risk to acquire familial diseases,
whether it is autoimmune or chronic diseases. Although cereal grains have been our staple food for
ages, the possibility that it is indeed a factor causing these diseases is hard to ignore. We may not be
able to totally eliminate it from our diet, but we can always adjust the ratio of cereal grains to meat,
fruits and vegetables, as well as supplement our diet with the essential vitamins and minerals.
Combined with adequate physical activity and exercise, our objective of a healthy lifestyle and good
quality of life is just within our reach.