Baking&Snack - October 2012 - 14

newsfront
Professor analyzes ‘Wheat Belly’ indictments
In her reading of Wheat Belly, Julie Miller Jones, PhD, identified 59 distinct ways in which author William Davis, MD, said wheat is harmful to consumers’ health. In the current issue of the scientific journal Cereal Foods World, Dr. Jones described and explained each of these 59 indictments and then offered detailed and dispassionate analysis of the book’s claims based on existing scientific research, including what is found in Wheat Belly’s footnotes. Dr. Jones, a professor emeritus at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN, researched and wrote the 10-page paper amid the rising media interest in Wheat Belly. The book, published in August 2011, has been on The New York Times Best Seller list for the past 21 weeks and has held the top position for much of this period. In the book, Dr. Davis said obesity would be reduced and public health improved if wheat were eliminated from the diet. Dr. Jones found scant evidence to support Dr. Davis’ theory, which she quoted at the start of her article. “I’d like to make the case that foods made with wheat make you fat,” Dr. Davis wrote. “I’d go so far as saying that overly enthusiastic wheat consumption is the main cause of the obesity and diabetes crisis in this country.” Speaking recently with sister publication Milling & Baking News, Dr. Jones said she was largely but not completely unimpressed by Dr. Davis’ work. “I found his book ludicrous to the extreme on some points,” Dr. Jones said. “But we need to look at some of the points I wouldn’t have actually known if I hadn’t done some digging. I’m not raising red flags of alarm; I think he does bring up points that may be cause for concern. “There are points we’ve only begun to understand,” she continued. “I used to teach celiac [disease] affected 1 in 3,000 people. We’ve now shown that’s not true. There has been a lot of research about celiac and gluten sensitivity.” Research now shows that celiac disease could occur 1 in 133 people. “It’s fair to ask questions about breeding, not just in wheat,” she continued. “When we have a tomato that tastes like a hockey puck, it’s fair to ask whether that’s the only problem with the tomato.” In the summary of her Cereal Foods World article, titled “Wheat Belly — An Analysis of Selected Statements and Basic Theses from the Book,” Dr. Jones stated “provocative” books such as Wheat Belly underscore the importance that grainbased foods be ready to address charges about its products with “sound science and unbiased critical reasoning.” She completed her paper on a positive note, citing another recently published scientific review that looked at 116 studies of refined grains. “The great majority found no associations between the intake of refined grain foods and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight gain or overall mortality,” she wrote. “A few studies found that very high intake might be associated with some types of cancers, but at moderate levels of consumption, the risks were not significant. The totality of evidence shows that consumption of up to 50% of all grain foods as refined-grain foods — without high levels of added fat, sugar or sodium — is not associated with any increased disease risk.” She added that the review affirms that eating more whole grains is an important health recommendation. — Joshua Sosland, editor, Milling & Baking News

Politics, commodities detailed by IBA
Members of the Independent Bakers Association (IBA) learned about pertinent issues in the upcoming federal elections and received briefings on commodity costs and supplier developments when the group gathered at Houston, TX, for its fall meeting. The event took place Sept. 10 during All Things Baking, this year’s baking trade show supported by the American Bakers Association, Retail Bakers of America and BEMA. IBA staff, led by Nicholas A. Pyle, president, reviewed Capitol Hill issues involving food safety, sugar policy reform, the federal ethanol mandate and independent contractors. Members also discussed the status and industry impact of the Hostess bankruptcy, pension reform and the looming fiscal cliff. The group acted to support 10 key Senate races through its BakePAC program. In a report about trends in commodities, Joe Collins, purchasing agent for Ebro North America, Houston, predicted that 2013 will bring a fiber shortage and, if the federal government lifts its ethanol mandate, soybean prices may increase. Beth Cubriel, executive director of the Republican Party of Texas, gave IBA members a detailed look at 2012 state and federal election races, including the courtdirected redrawing of Congressional districts. She also described the increase in Hispanic voters and candidates in the state, noting that most candidates in Texas favor immigration reform that offers a path to residency. IBA members AB Mauri and Kwik Lok presented company profiles. And an expert from Rice University, Houston, discussed generational conflict and how to manage family businesses with an eye to the future.

/ Baking & Snack / October 2012

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Baking&Snack - October 2012

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