Why Wheat Can Be More Addictive Than Sugar or Drugs
Gliadin is an opiate receptor binder. The opiate receptor is what heroin, oxycodone, and oxycontin drugs bind to and it creates the high most people get when they take these types of drugs. The opiate receptor is the mechanism the body uses to the dull pain generated by the body in the brain.
When gliadin messes with the pain receptors in our brain, it means that it takes more stimulation, either naturally or via drugs and medication to dull the pain. It also results in less painful stimuli being needed to feel the pain, so we basically become more sensitive to pain. This is not a good combination.
If this isn’t enough, wheat breaks down to glucose (sugar) when we eat it and this stimulates the feel-good regions of our brain while also stimulating Dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter. Cocaine, heroin, and sugar, in this case, derived from wheat, all stimulate our brain to feel joy when we consume it. The sugar response, in this case, is so strong that when given the chance, rats addicted to drugs will give up their heroine and coke for sugar. Momma rats will even abandon their babies to get another hit of sugar, something they won’t do for the drugs.
PLUS, wheat and wheat products or wheat sugar stimulate insulin surges that cause their own set of negative health effects. As serotonin, another neurotransmitter for the feel-good response in the body is released with the insulin, you will get a hit of relaxation and a feel-good buzz when you eat it. Brain serotonin is highly connected to our moods. Depression and anxiety, as well as the constant stimulus of it via insulin spikes from carbs or wheat, can actually cause a serotonin deficiency that contributes to many types of issues, such as mood disorders.
AND when the insulin levels remain high, they also magnify the inflammatory response, and this makes the pain sensory pathway even more hyper-sensitive.
Wheat, wheat products, and processed carbs have the following effects:
- Stimulate the addictive Dopamine/drug cycle in the brain which will promote addiction to carbs as much as drugs.
- Increase opiate resistance which will increase pain and will make it more difficult to relieve pain, while also promoting addiction.
- Cause high insulin that magnifies the inflammatory/pain pathway, thereby building our sensitivity to pain.
- Trigger serotonin to be released with the insulin surges that are created, and this causes a relaxation/feel-good bodily sensation that depletes serotonin, resulting in mood issues being promoted.
If that isn’t enough, insulin also triggers fat gain and suppresses Growth Hormone which will result in us aging faster!
It sure seems like our daily bread is a curse and not a blessing.
We can do better!
