Is Wheat Addictive?
Within the Primal/paleo community and elsewhere, it’s often stated offhandedly that wheat is addictive. And absolutely, wheat for many people feels like something they could never give up. I hear it all the time: “I couldn’t live without bread.” “What would I do without cereal, dinner rolls, toast, {insert your favorite grain-based food item here}.” And wheat is often the main culprit in the sugar/insulin rollercoaster that drives sugar-burners’ need to eat (more wheat) every few waking hours. But is wheat addictive in a different sense – as an opiate like heroin and other drugs? Today I take a look at the research and attempt to separate fact from fiction. What do we really know about wheat as an opiate? Let’s find out…
Humans and other animals have something called an opioidergic system – an evolutionarily-preserved way for an organism to modulate behavior, addiction, and reward. When you exercise, for example, a lot of the euphoria you feel comes from endogenous (produced in-house) opioids interacting with your opiate receptors. This is the body’s way of dealing with a stressful experience (physical exertion), reducing pain, and it also has the effect of reinforcing a behavior that is positive, healthy, and in the organism’s best interest. The opioidergic system also interacts with the immune, endocrine, and central nervous systems (in other words, this is physiology, so it’s all interrelated), but we won’t get too much into that today. Now, it’s not just endogenous opioids interacting with our receptors; certain substances, like heroin and other opiate drugs, act as exogenous (produced out-of-house) opioids, thereby hijacking and “supercharging” our physiology. Cocaine, alcohol, and tobacco also interact with opioid receptors. The addictiveness of these substances is infamous, so these interactions exist shouldn’t surprise you.
However, there are other exogenous opioid peptides, also known as exorphins (exogenous morphine), found in substances that we don’t normally consider to be repositories of potentially addictive morphine-analogs. Like wheat.
Some of the most extensively studied food-based exorphins – gluten exorphins, from gluten, and gliadorphins, from gliadin – are derived from wheat. In a previous post, I raised the possibility of a wheat addiction. But are these exorphins actually problematic? Do they really interact with your opioid receptors to make you crave another “hit”? Well, an early 1979 paper (PDF) on the topic suggests that in order for them to actually function as in vivo opioid exorphins in our bodies, wheat exorphins must appear in our gastrointestinal tract after ingestion and during digestion, they have to survive degradation by intestinal enzymes into constituent amino acids, they have to be absorbed – intact – into the bloodstream, and they must pass the blood-brain barrier.
Do they satisfy those requirements? Let’s take a look.
When wheat is applied to conditions designed to simulate the human gut (complete with physiological amounts and proportions of stomach acid and digestive enzymes), exorphins are produced. This suggests that applying wheat to actual human stomachs (by eating it) should also produce wheat exorphins. Satisfied.
There’s also evidence that gluten exorphins do show up in the bloodstream after ingestion of wheat, at least in subjects with celiac disease (PDF). But let’s temper our conclusions; remember that celiac disease is usually characterized by a severely-compromised intestinal lining, and that the subjects who had exorphins in their blood tended to have the most intestinal damage. It remains to be seen if wheat has the same effect on people with healthy, intact intestinal linings. Satisfied and satisfied.
I was unable to find hard evidence of wheat opioids crossing the blood-brain barrier. There is this rat study, which found that gluten exorphins stimulate the secretion of prolactin (an excess of which can lead to loss of libido in both sexes) by interacting with opioid receptors located outside of the blood-brain barrier, but not inside it. On the other hand, Dr. Emily Deans says that exorphins “definitely end up in the body and brain of rats fed gluten orally.” She also uses low-dose naltrexone (an opiate blocker) to treat celiac patients who can’t seem to give up wheat, which would suggest that something’s getting through to interact with those receptors. Still, not completely satisfied.
We’ve all had people tell us “but I could never give up bread!” In my experience, and from talking to hundreds upon hundreds of newcomers and sharing emails with many more, this is common in folks going Primal. Your pastas, your breads, your pizzas, your pastries, your muffins, your cookies are the foods that people have trouble giving up and the foods that, once expunged from the diet, have the greatest tendency to cause “relapses” if eaten again. Part of it is cultural conditioning, I’m sure – the whole “staff of life” thing, the inundation from birth with the message that whole grains represent the pinnacle of healthy eating, the bread basket at dinner, the pancakes on Saturday morning, the birthday cake that you’re practically excommunicated for refusing – and part of it is the fact that wheat flour goes well with vegetable fat, refined sugar, and low prices, but I wouldn’t be surprised if wheat has addictive properties mediated through its unique exorphins.
We just can’t say that yet, not definitively. It may be addictive, but not to everyone. If your gut is permeable enough to allow passage of opioid peptides into your blood, I could see it causing problems. If your gut is healthy and intact, maybe it’s not such an issue. More research is clearly required. Still, until this all gets sorted out, I’d suggest people continue to avoid wheat and other gluten-containing grains (and heck, all grains for that matter). And if you’re going to mention the opioid stuff to any skeptics or interested parties, don’t sound too authoritative. Admit that while evidence for wheat’s addictiveness exists, it’s far from conclusive.
Casein, a dairy protein, can also be cleaved to form exorphins. Human milk even contains a number of dairy exorphins, most notably beta-casomorphin (casein morphine). In fact, beta-casomorphin levels are highest in colostrum, the highly nutritious “first milk” that infants get from their mothers. Perhaps that’s a way to get babies hooked on the sweet, nutritious, essential breastmilk right off the bat? The old “bait and switch,” where you slip the customer the pure stuff, get them hooked on it, and subsequently sell them the stuff that’s been cut with filler? We don’t know for sure, but I would assume that the most nutritious, perfectly “designed” food for human infants contains opioid peptides for a very important reason.
Hemorphins, a class of opioid peptides, come from hemoglobin, a protein found in the red blood cells of vertebrates. If you like your steak bloody rare, you’re likely consuming hemoglobin, and your stomach is probably cleaving the hemoglobin up into hemorphins. Of course, since hemorphins already appear naturally in your cerebrospinal fluid, brain, and plasma, I wouldn’t necessarily worry about becoming addicted to blood sausage.
Other food compounds can act as exorphins, too. Flavonoids, those bioactive plant compounds with antioxidant properties, may interact with opioid receptors. Epicatechin, a flavonoid found in green tea and chocolate, can act like an exorphin, at least in mice. Its cardioprotective effects are even thought to be mediated through its opioid activity.
Interestingly, even spinach contains an exorphin which, along with a gluten exorphin variant, has actually been shown to improve the learning ability of rodents.
That doesn’t mean you should pound spinach and wheat gluten before finals week and hope for a miracle. It also doesn’t mean that you should avoid chocolate and give your baby formula instead of breastmilk because you’re worried about addiction. It simply means that the effects of food exorphins aren’t clear-cut. They aren’t necessarily “bad.”
I’m definitely anti-wheat. I think people eat way too much of it, and it appears to perpetuate its own consumption. I wish I could say definitively whether wheat is addictive as an opiate or not – but I can’t. Not yet.
What say you, folks? Were you addicted to wheat? Are you? What about any of the other foods that break down into opioid exorphins – any spinach addicts out there?
Thanks for reading.
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
I made a pizza with wholewheat flour for my daughter the other day (I are slowly working towards a more Paleo lifestyle with my kids at the moment moving away from processed and sugar filled foods) and the smell of it baking in the oven was overwhelmingly good. I was getting major cravings and almost caved in!
Wheat-based products apparently override a “satisfaction” shut off valve in my system. I’ve gone cold turkey on sugar, alcohol, cigarettes (in my youth), without too much trouble, but set a loaf of warm, fresh SF sourdough in front of me and it is history if I have one bite. If I have a wheat based product, I want more high glycemic foods after that for several days. It is like a chemical addiction. Crackers, donuts, cereals, breakfast breads etc. Oddly, I don’t actually like cake so that’s easy to pass up. I have to avert my eyes when going past a donut shop however.
So yes, wheat for me is addictive, especially when paired with butter and/or sugar. Not just at the time, but continuing for a few days. Dairy is manageable for me, and doesn’t cause problems, so I have some once in awhile.
I believe the zonulin response to gluten happens in every gut, not just in us celiac types… and that it messes not only with the tight-cell junctions in the small intestine, but also those keeping the blood-brain barrier intact. I was assuming that would be why so many celiac and GS folks present with ataxia, migraines, and other neuro problems, whether or not they have ‘classic’ symptoms. (I didn’t, till I did, but other issues resolved…)
I’m voting addictive. I even had withdrawal symptoms like runny nose. But no cravings, ever … maybe I would if I ate other grains. I have had dreams about corn after visiting Mexico! But wheat literally tried to kill me. Nothing would tempt me ever again. It might be nice to do occasional butter or cheese, but gluten seems to have knocked casein out of my diet, too.
Does help with refusing cake
Our cats eat Honest Kitchen plus a very inexpensive supermarket cat food with amazingly few ingredients… just mackerel or sardines, fish gelatin, and vitamin E.
Also, let’s not say ‘cheat’! That thinking is a symptom of the SAD diet, imo… As Yoda might say, there is no cheat. There is only eat.
I agree with you! I tested negative to gluten tests, but cutting out just gluten made me feel better. Going pure Paleo made me feel even better.
When I gave up wheat in October, 2010, I went through withdrawals. I was cranky, irritable, teary, fuzzy-headed and depressed for at least two weeks. I have not had any wheat products (knowingly) since. This would certainly seem to indicate an addiction of sorts. I miss bread (a lot). I miss the taste and texture of products made with wheat. I wonder if I will go my entire life without wheat or if I will eventually cave (no pun intended). I take it day by day.
I can’t say that I was ever addicted to wheat, but then again I don’t get addicted to anything. (I stupidly tested this when young, trust me.)
How are people still having trouble with the “no grain” discussion? After one explanation to people about how wheat gives me heartburn they never comment again. And this is in several countries with many different cultures, people don’t really care if you have a legitimate reason and aren’t a jerk about their bread eating.
3 bits:
1) Thanks for your on-going work. Always interesting.
2) You never mention croissants when listing the baked goods that pull so hard at us. You need to mention croissants!
3) I was surprised when I found I didn’t have any difficulty walking away from grains since I hear how it’s so hard for many people. Cheese, however, that’s another matter. Loooove cheese. Must fight cheese!
I too, have a problem with croissants. I love them so! They are the only wheat product I crave anymore, but only the really really good ones, super flaky and toasty with tons of real butter, which are only made at two bakeries in town. Oh, I miss you, my little darlings!
Cheese also has its claws in my back. I try to limit myself to raw milk cheeses, or well-aged cheeses, but then I found a recipe for ricotta pancakes, and that led to cottage cheese snacking, which led to pouring sour cream over everything… I love living in Wisconsin!
Which brings me to locally brewed, small-batch beer….oh, I must stop. Just writing this is bringing up cravings – coconut oil on a spoon, you’re my only hope!
If you have serveral days of free time you could try to make croissants using a gluten free flour. All those turns and letting the dough rest. Which makes me wonder, gluten adds to the structure and therefore the texture of whatever baked good. So if a gluten free flour is used will the dough be dough-like? Ya know, get rubbery and inelastic when worked? Any gluten free bakers out there that can answer this?
Used to feel bad about turning down all the birthday cakes, breads, grains, etc. but observing my own family has shown that it is positively the best thing to do! Many are fooled by Big Pharma’s psuedo-health system and and take multiple meds, some are pre-diabetic, some have heart related problems,some are obese and grossly inflammed! My younger daughter and husband are getting it and have gone “Paleo”. She has lost weight and feels much better! It’s for your own benefit!
Mark, I really want to tell you how much I appreciate what you have done for and continue to do as a leader in the Paleo community. I started reading The Primal Blueprint mid January of this year. The pretense of the diet (?) made perfect sense to me and I stopped eating all starches and sugars/processed foods right then. I’ve lost 65 lbs and have been working out every week.
This is all remarkable because I was an artisan baker when I read the book. I have been baking French breads, rye sourdough and all kinds of delicious naturally fermented breads for family and friends/neighbors. Today they are all wondering where the fresh bread is, lol.
I stopped cold turkey and it took a few days to get used to the idea of no breads/toxins. You bet I was addicted.
In my opinion Mark, you have taken the lead in terms of authority in all things Paleo. I like your writing style. I like the way you have continued to produce books of high quality and take the high ground on some of the dicey paleo issues. You are a regular guy with something to say, and you say it in a way that will attract new comers to the low carb lifestyle, what ever you call it.
Thanks for all you do Mark.
Eric
Eric, your story mirrors mine. People still want my breads even after over a year. And I still miss them too. But I know better and my body certainly knows better. And…thanks Mark !
I’d say for me, wheat is addicting. I was the guy (still would be) that couldn’t STOP dipping the French Bread in the olive oil. As I ate, I’d tell myself, “just one more, or THIS is the last piece” of course I kept eating. I would suspect it’s the same for others. I even followed the WAPF advice and ate the “real” bread for a couple of years thinking it was even MORE healthy. I’m actually glad I’m a gluten sensitive. It keeps me on track. I HATE the side affects. Now I can make myself almost feel queezy thinking about breads and pastas. Plants and animals for me thank you very much! BTW, Marc, I felt this post was very well balance and thoughtful.
Ditto that. I would mow down a whole baguette with a bowl of chowder.
I find grease to be more addictive than wheat. If I eat some wheat with my breakfast I will be fine and not think about eating until my next meal comes up but when I eat a greasy breakfast I become preoccupied with food for the rest of the day. Different strokes for different folks.
There are a lot of misinformed comments being rattled off on here today about the “nutritional” value of wheat products and how a little wheat isn’t a bad thing. I am actually really surprised about a lot of these comments – usually the comments section is pretty good. I think a lot of people need to read this blog post on Tim Ferriss’ site from Robb Wolf…
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2010/09/19/paleo-diet-solution/
I’m addicted to sweet potatoes! Gotta have one about once or twice a week. But that’s usually after a workout. My body craves those carbs….SOoo, not the same thing, really. But the way I enjoy a good baked sweet potato soaked in butter is 100x’s more satisfying then any bread I used to eat. EVER. Yeah, I used to love pizza, but it was the sauce, cheese, and oils that made it so good. Not the bland crust.
Oh, and another great post, Mark! Thank you.
My oldest (5 years old) was completely addicted to wheat products. It started as he moved to solid foods and would refuse anything except crackers. When I asked his pediatrition about it, worried that he was not eating enough nutrient-dense foods, she just said to make sure they were whole grain crackers.
Fast forward three years and he was having tantrums for another slice of bread, every two hours like clockwork. He would get downright violent if I refused him and tried to get him to eat a carrot or some berries instead. Still, I tried to follow CW and give him more whole grains and completely cut out white flours.
When we finally went gluten-free, and then grain free, for weeks I’d find him hiding and eating stale shredded wheat cereal that he’d stashed in his room and in his toy boxes.
It was probably a good month before he stopped crying for wheat, red faced and rolling on the floor, sometime assailing me with tiny fists of fury. If that’s not addiction, I don’t know what is.
This story really struck a chord with me. How DARE the medical/CW community out there cause such suffering to a child with their ignorance. AAARRRGGHH!!
I mill my whole wheat grain. Commercial flour and bread is the worst thing in the world. You can go to Breadbeckers.com and read all about it! It really is wholesome.
Back in the day I would say it would have been hard to give up wheat. But it’s pretty simple once I discovered good alternatives.
I usually try to focus on giving substitutions for what one can eat instead like organic potatoes, quinoa, buckwheat, and gluten-free grains like brown rice when talking about giving up gluten.
Or of course, just focusing on fat, protein, and/or fiber rich foods in a more paleo style.
This question isn’t related to the post – but more to the choosing a fasting method post.Has anybody thought of the correlation between Mark’s idea of eating when hunger ensues naturally (WHEN) and total protein intake. It seems that if one actually starts to listen to their body and their hunger cues, they won’t eat as often or as much (especially if you are in tune with your full signal – and eat when satisfied). For someone who is very active and who tries to eat WHEN, is it not possible for them to run the risk of not getting enough protein in the diet? Even Mark says he eats 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight in order to keep his lean body mass. I see this being fairly difficult if you are trying to eat WHEN with a decent amount of lean body mass. Any thoughts or is it something to not really worry about?
Timely subject. There is something about grain products in general. I find I don’t particually like them or products made with them, but yet when I start eating them I can’t stop and that is knowing how sick they make me feel. I went 4 month completely grain free and had one meal with wheat and now I am struggling to get it and other grains back out of my daily consumption. I used IF the first time to help wean myself off grain, so maybe time to give it another go…
In order to get to my current primal existence, giving up wheat was certainly difficult. It is compelling that people have side effects to coming down off of wheat similar to any other addictive substance such as drugs. However, I feel like once my body became a fat burning beast (fat adapted) I no longer crave wheat at all, which is the mark of a true primalist in my opinion. Along with that, I can “relapse” (which is not a good term) on something like carb back loading (for quick muscle gains) and not miss grains/sugar once I go off of the loading phase. Since I am not an expert in addiction, I do not know how this compares to alcohol or drug addiction. Also these are purely just how I feel, rather than physiological function. Once again, thanks Mark, you seem to always shed light on topics we all have an inkling are true but don’t know for sure.
Can I get a copy of that Coconut Coconut cake recipe?
I’m a newbie to primal eating although not to the concept. Working my way there…
Hahaha – I saw the title and thought – “Is peanut butter addictive?” HAHA.
I really don’t understand all the grain bashing. I grew up on hot and cold cereal for breakfast, along with ham, eggs, hot buttered bisquits and cocoa. That was when everything was organic–at least on the farm where I lived. My boot camp weight in 1944 was 180 lbs. I’m two inches shorter now and my weight is 170. I’ve never deviated from this weight. I’m 85, can bench press my weight and leg press 450 lbs. I don’t remember ever having a headache, and I feel good all the time. Common sense tells me to avoid all products with refined sugar–no matter who offers it. I don’t touch products like pizza. I’ve had the real thing in Italy. U.S. pizza is a poor knock-off. Rice has been the staple diet for Asiaians for thousands of years, and they are some of the healthiest people on earth. How do you figure that?
You don’t understand the grain bashing? Are you familiar with or have you read any of the works that are the core of the primal/paleo/ancestral movement? Pick up the works of Cordain, Wolfe and Sisson and then get back to us.
In 1994, I learned how to cure my prostate cancer without any conventional treatment. I accomplished this by change of diet and targeted food supplements. Since then, health has been my avocation. I’ve read dozens of books, magazines and countless articles. I know there are some people who cannot tolerate certain foods such as wheat. Most grain products on the market are not fit to eat because they have been stripped of their nutrition and include junk. How grains are prepared makes a huge difference. Wheat, barley,rice, flax–I eat all of them in moderation and am the picture of health. To make a blanket condemnation of food that has nurished countries worldwide for thousands of years makes no sense to me.
I’m with you, Lee.
This question isn’t related to the post – but more to the choosing a fasting method post.Has anybody thought of the correlation between Mark’s idea of eating when hunger ensues naturally (WHEN) and total protein intake. It seems that if one actually starts to listen to their body and their hunger cues, they won’t eat as often or as much (especially if you are in tune with your full signal – and eat when satisfied). For someone who is very active and who tries to eat WHEN, is it not possible for them to run the risk of not getting enough protein in the diet? Even Mark says he eats 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight in order to keep his lean body mass. I see this being fairly difficult if you are trying to eat WHEN with a decent amount of lean body mass. Any thoughts or is it something to not really worry about?
Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-wheat-addictive/#ixzz2109ewfvA
This question isn’t related to the post – but more to the choosing a fasting method post.Has anybody thought of the correlation between Mark’s idea of eating when hunger ensues naturally (WHEN) and total protein intake. It seems that if one actually starts to listen to their body and their hunger cues, they won’t eat as often or as much (especially if you are in tune with your full signal – and eat when satisfied). For someone who is very active and who tries to eat WHEN, is it not possible for them to run the risk of not getting enough protein in the diet? Even Mark says he eats 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight in order to keep his lean body mass. I see this being fairly difficult if you are trying to eat WHEN with a decent amount of lean body mass. Any thoughts or is it something to not really worry about?
I am totally addicted to spinach!!! I get real cravings for it and love the stuff!! And wheat is definitely my nemesis for health and weight loss…!!
Having been diagnosed with Celiac Disease in Oct 2006, I went 100% GF at that time. I was SO sick that cutting gluten (including wheat) was never a problem for me. When I first did give up gluten, I still ate a lot of GF pizza, cakes, brownies, pasta, etc. I gained a TON or weight. I am only about 85 – 90% primal now (still have some dairy)and have lost most of the weight. For me, it is refined carbs and junk foods that are addictive. When I “cheat” on my diet – it is with GF pizza or cake. My family and friends all know how sick I was and watch out carefully for me to not have gluten. To other people, I explain that to my system, gluten is like rat poison. You wouldn’t ever suggest to someone to just have a”little taste” of rat poison, so I can’t have a even little gluten.
I also absolutely fell into the “addicted to wheat” catagory. I ate home-baked bread at least twice a day and had terrible withdrawals (incl. physical) when I gave it up. The only reason I was able to do it in the end was that it made such a difference in my life -> no more knee pain (after 20 years of it) and almost no more PMS (used to be debilitating). If the “positives” hadn’t been so strong I would have never made it LOL…
I love bread and pasta but have pretty much given it up . Most dairy too. I found that I don’t have the gas like I use to and when I ate cheese it came back. I do occasionally have pizza or pancake but try to limit it. I got soy milk which is not bad if you can get past the thick feel of it . I am just not sure what to really eat other than meat,veggies and fruit ….. The weight is not melting off but then I have not been exercising either. Still tired most of the time which could be lack of sleep too. To crap fat is where I’m at…
The cultural element can’t be overlooked. My wife and I decided to try the primal blueprint – she has Celiac disease and I am trying to break the insulin cycle, so it seems like a great plan. We went out to dinner last night and my wife requested the Celiac menu which included a few apps served with sliced veggies instead of bread. Perfect! Except the restaurant offered free bread and roasted garlic at the beginning of the meal. I declined the bread (we kept the garlic) and the waitress thought it was very sweet and supportive of me, but then she brought me pita bread to go with one of the apps. AND THEN she came back with a plate of gluten-free bread and explained that it was a new item so we could use that with out apps! AND THEN she brought back the original bread that I had declined! So we’re sitting there with two small apps, a plate of roasted garlic, and three enormous plates of different kinds of bread before we’ve even ordered our main courses. On top of that, we had to ask for the sliced veggies and had to point to the menu where it said “comes with sliced veggies” when the waitress said that it wasn’t part of the service.
I’m addicted to spinach. Did funny things to my arm though…:P