It is no secret that the number of people with either gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance, the latter of which is often diagnosed as Celiac disease, is on the rise all across the world. But what is commonly misunderstood about the difficulty or inability to digest wheat-containing foods is that "wheat gluten" literally represents a conglomerate of tens of thousands of potentially deadly proteins that are all capable of wreaking havoc on the body.

Sayer Ji, nutrition educator and Founder of, explains in a recent writeup how modern wheat is basically a byproduct of three different ancestral wheat varieties combined into one. The flour used in most processed foods and breads on the market today, in other words, comes from a hybridized form of wheat that seems to be responsible for causing an increasing number of people to experience serious health problems, including things like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), brain "fog," and hyperactivity disorders.

The culprit is commonly referred to as "gluten," an all-encompassing, ubiquitous term that suggests there is just one component of wheat that is harmful to health. But a 2005 study published in the journal Plant Physiology reveals that modern wheat is capable of producing at least 23,788 different protein varieties, all of which are capable of mixing and matching to form an endless string of immune-triggering poisons within the body.

"Gluten is the Latin name for 'glue,' and signifies the doughy complex of proteins within the wheat plant, further classified as either gliadins (alcohol soluble), glutelins (dilute acid or alkalis soluble), or other," writes Ji, referencing that these proteins come in tens of thousands of varieties.
"[A]ny one of these proteins could elicit what is known as an antigenic response, i.e. the immune system identifies a wheat protein as other, launches either an innate or adaptive immune response, and attacks self-structures accidentally as a result ... [a]nd given the recombinatorial possibilities inherent in such a large number of distinct, different proteins, some of them have emerged -- by sheer accident -- as nearly identical (homologous) in structure and configuration to both narcotic drugs and virulent components of immune-system activating microbes."
You can read Ji's full article here.

Some modern wheat protein structures mimic pharmaceutical drugs, deadly bacteria. The gist of what is being explained here surmises that modern wheat's many diverse proteins all have the potential to compromise immunity, upset the digestive tract, and ultimately poison the blood, vital organs, and brain. Wheat consumption for most people, in fact, likely triggers autoimmune responses that vary in how they manifest -- for some, health changes will be virtually unnoticeable in the short term, while others will develop autism, schizophrenia, or other forms of brain damage from eating wheat.

Depending on how glutinous proteins form, bond, and ultimately digest, they also vary in the way they affect the body. For instance, the 33-mer amino acid produced by the digestion of gliadin, a wheat glycoprotein, tends to resemble the Bordetella pertussis bacteria, which is linked to causing whooping cough. Other amino acid chains produced by gliadin can mimic pharmaceutical drugs as well, with some actually activating opioid receptors in the brain upon digestion.

Since many of modern wheat's thousands of proteins are basically indigestible, they all have the potential to cause varying problems in people that consume them. Traditional heritage wheat varieties, on the other hand, such as Kamut (khorasan), spelt (dinkel), and Einkorn, are said to be more tolerable among individuals with gluten sensitivity, as they contain fewer and different types of gluten. It is still important to practice caution, though, even when trying these ancient wheat varieties.


Wheat Contains Not One, But 23K Potentially Harmful Proteins

200 clinically confirmed reasons not to eat wheat The Heritage Grain Conservancy: Restoring Ancient Grains from Biblical Times: "Eat it to save it."