Researcher Says Grains May Be Harmful To Humans In Many Ways

By John Ostapkovich

PHILADELPHIA (CBS)--Bread, far from being the staff of life, may be bad for us in many ways.

A researcher finds that some of today's most dreaded diseases can be traced to gluten.

Turn the clock back far enough and you will find the domestication of wheat goes hand-in-hand with the rise of many civilizations, but Dr. David Perlmutter, author of Grain Brain, says a growing body of evidence indicates it's a slow poison.

"If the time we've been here has been 24 hours, let's just say, then the amount of time that we've had exposure to this damaging protein is six minutes, so we've not always consumed grains. It's brand new. For 99.9 percent of our time on this planet, we never consumed foods that contained any appreciable amounts of gluten."

Dr. Perlmutter says while some people have an acute gluten reaction, known as Celiac disease, the vast majority have a modest gluten reaction that creates inflammation and research shows it can link to Alzheimer's and dementia.

He recommends a diet high in "good fats", such as from avocados, nuts, seeds, grass-fed beef and wild-caught fish.