Wheat Belly #5 on New York Times Bestseller list!

9. September 2011 William Davis (66)
The New York Times just released its bestseller list due for release September 18th, 2011 . . . .

Wheat Belly is #5!! (That darned Jane Fonda woman elbowed me out for the #4 spot!

[caption id="attachment_4452" align="alignright" width="574" caption="Wheat Belly hits #5 on New York Times Bestseller List--in 1st week!"][/caption]
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Comments (66) -

  • Sean

    9/9/2011 3:54:19 AM |

    Hey, congratulations Dr D.
    I hope you aren't going to go all Hollywood on us now that you are a best-selling author.

  • Princess Dieter

    9/9/2011 7:03:22 AM |

    GREAT! I know I got several folks to buy by blogging/reviewing/facebooking, and some are doing the no-gluten now (including my sis!)

    Now, onto the next one on cholesterol/heart health, yes? ; )

    Oh, and I just started using a glucose monitor to test...interesting (but I hate pricking my finger, wuss that I am.)

    Again, congrats. Go take on Big Grain!

  • miki

    9/9/2011 8:01:02 AM |

    Congratulations! There is hope! I couldn't not notice Tim Ferriss right behind you. He is also "Plaeoish".

  • Michia

    9/9/2011 8:45:39 AM |

    Awesome!  And, oh yeah, you just turned into a much bigger target Wink

  • Alexandra

    9/9/2011 10:03:21 AM |

    I just shared this story over at Fat Head but I thought you might enjoy it as well.
    My copy of Wheat Belly arrived yesterday and is next on the reading list.

    Related story...a very happy turn of events.

    Back in June of this year, a musician friend of mine came to my area for a concert.  I hadn’t seen him in several years and was distressed to see him using a cane (he is only about 57 years old) and clearly appeared to be in pain.  This sweet guy came up to me and said I looked healthy and full of life (what a lovely compliment!) He told me that he had been suffering from severe joint pain throughout his body and was now living on pain medication and was having difficulty performing. He asked me what I was doing to be healthy (I am 120 lbs lighter since the last time he saw me.)  Rather than tell all on a busy concert night, I told him I would send him an e-mail with links, etc. the next day. The e-mail included Fat Head as well as numerous blogs and web sites that I thought would be of help to him.  Long story short, I saw my friend again this past weekend... no cane and walking comfortably.  He told me that, so far, all he had done was stop eating cereal and bread and within three months was able to stop all his pain medications and can again walk without pain, or a cane!  To have played a role in helping this wonderful person feel well again made my heart swell!

  • Debbie B in MD

    9/9/2011 11:04:49 AM |

    My copy just came yesterday!!! I am really enjoying it and making a list of who needs a copy for Christmas presents. Maybe they will be early presents because I wouldn't want to keep this from those I love any longer than necessary. Congratulations!!!

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/9/2011 12:07:35 PM |

    Thanks, Debbie!

    Your mention of Christmas reminds me that I should put some holiday recipes up on the blogs. Holidays tend to be incredible wheat-fests, so it's best to be armed with tasty wheat-free, low-carb recipes.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/9/2011 12:12:02 PM |

    Wow, Alexandra! Great story.

    Now, more than likely your friend would have tested negative for celiac markers and his doctor would say it was all in his head or a coincidence. This is precisely what I've been seeing.

    Imagine we live in a village where 9 out of 10 people who drink from the water well in the center of town get sick; they stop drinking water from the well, they all get better. They drink from the well again, they get sick, etc. With a consistent and reproducible effect like this, how long do we wait for the clinical trial to prove to us that we are sick from drinking the water?

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/9/2011 12:24:52 PM |

    Yes, Miki, it appears to me the top sellers on the list are all diet books. That tells us something!

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/9/2011 12:27:48 PM |

    Thanks, Princess.

    Because the Wheat Belly 100% wheat-free approach is so critical to the heart health message, this alone will occupy me and my team for some time. Corollary to the Wheat Belly message is that, follow this idea and the need for drugs for cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and other conditions is dramatically reduced or eliminated in many, if not most, people. I think this message bears repeating . . . and repeating and repeating.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/9/2011 12:29:21 PM |

    Believe me, Sean, I'm not going anywhere! I grew up very poor, had to work for everything, so I believe that I've learned humility and to appreciate the small things in life. This has always been about the message, not about notoriety. And the message is much too big for any one person to manage singlehandedly.

  • otterotter

    9/9/2011 1:40:09 PM |

    Dr. Davis,

    This is a great news, congratulations !  and now I cannot even wait for my copy to arrive.

    One more question: I know wheat is bad, but is "pure wheat bran" good for me ? I am using a lot of wheat bran in my diet to promote the fibre in take.


    cheers!

    zuo

  • Dee

    9/9/2011 2:17:21 PM |

    Congadulations on Wheat Belly.  I hope a lot of Doctors read or hear about it.  Glutin intorance is rampant throught out the world.
    Dee

  • Lori

    9/9/2011 3:44:03 PM |

    Congratulations! As I posted on the Fathead blog, my mother found out for herself how far wheat can push up blood sugar. An hour after she ate a piece of toast, her BG was 245, up from 101. (Yes, that's two hundred forty-five.)

  • Bill Davis

    9/9/2011 4:47:57 PM |

    Dr Davis

    Good book!

    However, I think the message of the book is bigger than what the cover would lead one to believe. Mis- representation? I was wondering at first knowing somewhat of the origins of the book. In fact I was somewhat disappointed that the cover only addressed a side effect of this 'medication'. And I try to avoid side effects.

    That being said, what do I think is the real message of the book? (and I should know - check my name. Actually I'm the other BD.) It is definitely IMO chapter 10. I'm beginning the third time through 10.

    Then, I saw your post above and it made me think (yes I do that at times since I am sentient) - This is such an important book EVERYONE should read chapter 10. Is this just another diet/food book?  Whether you or the publisher chose the title (they do sometimes you know) it got my chapter 10 right up there where many more will read it. There are 6 out of 10 on that NYT list about what, one would be led to believe, this book is about.

    Diet books are a dime a dozen but heart disease is here to stay (unless the message of ch10 gets out!).

    Again - Good book. Congratulations!

    My new doctor in Boulder needs this in his waiting room. He has your other ones there.

  • cancerclasses

    9/9/2011 5:20:34 PM |

    The fiber myth is just another anti health lie designed to keep you sick and in surgery, forget the conventional wisdom on this one too and do the opposite, you'll be healthier.  Everyone needs to learn the long established and well known scientific truth about fiber, not the conventional wisdom and opinions constantly parroted by the media.  Just google 'brian peskin fiber' and read the post titled "Fiber Fiction" where you'll see the rest of this short cut & paste:  
    "In 2004, the cancer journal, Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, stated that colon cancer is not helped by eating fiber Dr. Gilbert Omenn stated in a 2000 New York Times article on this subject: “There’s not a shred of [cancer fighting] evidence from these trials. ...the surprising results [no cancer protection] showed the need to rigorously put belief systems to the test, especially when you are making recommendations to literally hundreds of millions of people.” He concluded with, “...it is time to abandon the idea that fiber can help prevent colon cancer.” (Emphasis added)

    As referenced in my landmark book, “The Hidden Story of Cancer,” fiber actually worsens
    colon cancer rather than helping it. Even the Cancer Institute finally agrees with this conclusion. The
    true tragedy lies in the fact that those following this advice and eating the most fiber get the most colon cancer! This fact was reported in 2000 in the Lancet, the world’s premier medical journal.
    There is a general misconception that plant foods are loaded with vitamins that we benefit from; unfortunately, these nutrients are locked away in the plant fiber, or cellulose, which cannot be digested by humans. Herbivores are able to break down the cellulose and get to the nutrients, but due to our digestive tract design, humans cannot."

    And there's more to learn there, be sure to google that and read up, for your health's sake.

  • Joe

    9/9/2011 5:21:42 PM |

    Come up with a tasty, healthy, low-carb (wheat free, of course!) substitute for cannoli and I can guarantee that there will be a national holiday named after you, Doc.

    "Dr. Davis Day," which will fall somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and celebrated by BILLIONS!

    Joe

  • Hans Keer

    9/9/2011 5:44:52 PM |

    Congratulations doc D. How can this message be brought to an even broader public?

  • otterotter

    9/9/2011 5:54:50 PM |

    Thanks cancerclasses, I will read the bok.

    I am taking fibre mainly to increase the bowl movements to once a day intead of once every two days, and it works for that purpose. Not sure whether it is good or bad through.

  • Linda

    9/9/2011 8:51:05 PM |

    Not to get TOO personal, but, what difference does it make if the bowels move every day or every other day? Why not let your body just do it's thing when it is ready?

    Add some flax to your daily diet, that should do the trick! That stuff really moves things along. LOL

    I can remember my mother taking laxatives every day when I was a kid, and she insisted that we had to move those bowels! When I told her, as an adult, that I sometimes go two or more days, she had a fit!

    It just isn't necessary..............................

  • Galina L.

    9/10/2011 12:27:28 AM |

    Why not increase a dose of a magnesium supplement? I am taking some and have to be careful with the dose because it can make bowl movements more frequent. For some people it should be a desirable side-effect.

  • otterotter

    9/10/2011 1:08:30 AM |

    Linda,

    I have grounded flax seeds in my diet as well, but the problem is I cannot have too much of it. Overdosing flax seeds made my blood too thin and ended up in emergency room last year, with bloody stool ...

    To go 100% wheat free, I might have to try corn bran ...

  • otterotter

    9/10/2011 1:11:00 AM |

    Yes, I am having magnesium as well, it make the stool softer, but not more frequent... well unless you take too much of it.

  • Michia

    9/10/2011 1:24:33 AM |

    Hi otterotter
    This informative site helped me a lot while I was coming back after surgery for a bowel resection several years ago.  
    http://www.gutsense.org/
    I echo the recommendation of magnesium and would add vitamin C.  Make it magnesium citrate, best absorption.  Start in easy since too much at once of either will put you on the, um "fast track" Wink
    I eat VLC, and have to stay 100% wheat-free or risk the wrath of an RA flare.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/10/2011 2:00:01 AM |

    I am no expert in bowel health, but I do know that some GI--minded people hold the opinion that stool held for prolonged periods in the intestinal tract changes in character and leads to the cascade of changes leading to cancer.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/10/2011 2:02:08 AM |

    Hi, Hans--

    I believe that is currently underway!

    Just today, I've gotten dozens of phone calls and emails from major national media, all wanting to understand what the heck is going on with this crazy Wheat Belly thing.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/10/2011 2:03:18 AM |

    Wow, Joe. Thank you.

    But you give me too much credit. I am simply the delivery boy on this information.

    But thank goodness you picked a day after Halloween!

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/10/2011 2:10:28 AM |

    Thank you, Uncle Bill!

    While I chose the main title, Wheat Belly, I had pushed for a much more edgy (obnoxious?) subtitle: Muffins tops and man boobs in a whole grain world.

    They would not budge on the "man boob" thing.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/10/2011 2:16:58 AM |

    Aaagghhh! One piece of toast, blood sugar goes up 144 mg/dl!

    I feel like we should conduct an exorcism.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/10/2011 2:17:44 AM |

    Yes, I agree, Dee. It is rampant.

    It is, in my experience, the rule and not the exception. It certainly does NOT end at celiac disease, but ranges far and wide into virtually every facet of health.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/10/2011 2:19:38 AM |

    Hi, Zuo--

    Because wheat fiber is essentially cellulose (AKA wood), it is inert. There is only danger for the most exquisitely wheat- and gluten- sensitive.

    However, there are plenty of non-wheat fibers to take advantage of, such as nuts, vegetables, seeds, flaxseed, and chia.

  • Diane

    9/10/2011 11:42:14 AM |

    Hi Princess,
    Check out this example of "painless blood sugar testing" on the Blood Sugar 101 website.  I can vouch for its effectiveness!
    http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/19774432.php

  • Teresa

    9/10/2011 4:31:49 PM |

    Enhorabuena, dr, Davis, me gustaría saber si algún día podré leer su libro en español.

  • Patricia

    9/11/2011 3:13:55 PM |

    Plants contain both indigestible fibers like cellulose and digestible fibers like pectin.  Both impart health benefits.  Digestible fibers absorb and carry out bile acids that promote the production of carcinogens by intestinal bacteria.  Indigestible fibers builk up stools, speeding up transit time and thereby dilluting carcinogens produced by anaerobic bacteria in the gut.  Plant fiber is good, and we can get enough of both kinds from non-starch vegetables and fruits.

  • greensleeves

    9/11/2011 5:16:56 PM |

    Dear Dr. Davis:

    Just finished Wheat Belly. Congrats - what an excellent book! I wish you every success.

    I was intrigued by your comments on einkorn, and very interested to read your experiments with it here. I've been baking all kinds of bread for more than 25 years now. I began after living in France in the early 80s and wishing to eat the delicious French-style breads at home, such as pain de campagne, which at that time were very difficult to find in the USA. I couldn't get the same results, so I began to study a lot of dough chemistry to discover the differences between traditional French grains and the American grains I was using.

    They are quite different, as you so accurately note! The French have largely resisted engineered foods, and now we know they were apparently right to do so.

    As others have noted, your einkorn bread would have had even fewer blood sugar effects had you followed a traditional 3-day soourdough process. Traditional European breads take 3-5 days to make, and the sourdough process substantially changes the dough chemistry. Also, very fresh flour is almost never used in traditional baking - it should always be allowed to sit in a cool place (the underground cellar or "cave" of the baker's mill, traditionally) for about 3 weeks before using. Part of the "astringent" taste you note in the einkorn is due to the very fresh flour.

    This also leads me to ask you more about rye. Rye traditionally grew as a "weed" in European fields during wet years, when the wheat didn't fare so well. Until the late 19th century, almost all French bread would have contained some rye, as they were commonly harvested together and ground together. Only the very rich could afford to have their grains sorted to pure wheat. During a very wet, cold year, the field would have been more rye than wheat, actually. In Germany and Scandinavia, where it's quite cold in the winter, too cold for normal wheats, people ate more rye, even exclusively so.

    We've all seen traditional German-style or Danish-style rye - 100% whole dark rye bread with coriander, made the traditional sourdough way. It takes more than 3 days to make, and after baking the bread has to sit for 24-48 hours before it can be sliced. The bread is nearly black, like pumpernickel, very dense, almost a brick, and you have to eat it in super-thin tiny slices. Everyone in Denmark will tell you rye is much healthier than wheat.

    Your book mentions rye a few times in passing, which deeply intrigued me. Rye has low levels of gliadin - the protein you persuasively argue as being very problematic for many people - but in rye, these are covered by another structure called pentosans.

    These pentosans are what prevent rye from rising and make the dough as sticky as glue and completely wet, so difficult to work with. 100% rye can't be kneaded and doesn't form a dough that can be shaped into loaves - you have to pour it into the pan. Rye also has another protein called secalin, which may bother celiacs, but may not effect the wheat-gluten intolerant.

    I wonder if people with mild wheat intolerances - not full celiac - could tolerate small amounts of traditional-style German/Scandinavian rye breads, just as they may be able to tolerate small amounts of einkorn? That is, could everyone's Danish grandmother be correct? Smile

    Do you have any insight into rye, Dr. Davis? Sorry for the long comment, and thank you so much for your inspiring and wonderful book!

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/12/2011 2:30:59 AM |

    Hi, Green--

    Excellent! Thank you for your valuable insights into the unique French wheat and bread experience.

    As you have likely gathered, despite the differences in rye, its genetics, the quantitative and qualitative differences in the gliadin, there are few data to tell us how much better or worse it can be except in celiac sufferers who, of course, have their reactions triggered by rye.

    Of course, we still have lectins to contend with in rye. My suspicion is, given the phenomenon that I believe applies, that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, i.e., each undesirable component of wheat (gliadin, lectins, amylopectin A) adds up to tell only part of the story. I suspect that there are other, yet unidentified, components of wheat, and thereby perhaps rye, that account for its extravagant unhealthy effects that are greater than the sum of the parts.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/12/2011 2:31:35 AM |

    Thank you, Patricia, for a wonderful discussion!

  • greensleeves

    9/12/2011 6:37:21 AM |

    Thanks so much for your quick response, Dr. Davis! Of course those opposed to your work will quickly bring up the French experience, which is why I mention it. Smile

    If you have time, please let me point you to a seminal 1990 book on bread, "The Taste of Bread," by the French bread "guru," baker Raymond Calvel. You will be very interested in Chapter 15, where he - the ultimate authority - discusses the health concerns around bread, as known already in 1990. He discusses the problems of conventional agriculture, that fill flour with fungicides and pesticides. And he notes that modern industrial methods of bread-making oxidize the dough to ill effect.

    He also discusses what he calls "toxic factors" in bread, particularly phytic acid, and he quotes a French study describing how it interferes with calcium, iron, and magnesium absorption. He does mention celiac disease and wheat allergy - very prescient for 1990.

    Finally, he quotes from various French medical experts who argue that bread should equal around 20% (about 400 calories) of a woman's daily calorie intake. Calvel closes arguing that people need to eat a higher quality, traditionally made, organic bread from traditional-style flours without additives. And this is from a French baker in bread-loving France! (Note that the actual French level of consumption he documents is a mere 5 oz of baguette per person a day - about 360 calories.)

    Compare this to our recent Food Pyramid guidelines, which suggested Americans eat "up to" 11 servings of grain products a day - for bread which is served in 1 oz Wonder slices, that's more than twice what even the French ate in the same time period.

    Here the USDA pyramid was telling Americans to eat "up to" 770 calories, or nearly 50% of a woman's daily recommended 1,600 calories! In the added sugars section of those guidelines, the chart explicitly called out bread as a good food with no added sugars! Doughnuts, Danish, muffins, cookies and poundcake are also noted for having 2 or less added sugars. You had to read pretty deep in the smaller print to find out the guidelines suggested that women eat "only" 6 slices of bread a day.

    So when your critics point to the fact that French women eat bread and yet "don't get fat," please note the massive differences in French and American consumption levels. Smile

  • Ryan

    9/12/2011 1:24:59 PM |

    Bought my copy at Barnes and Noble yesterday.  Going to read it this week and share with my in-laws who have all sorts of issues that going Wheat Free could possibly help.  
    I have been Wheat free for 3 years now.  It has been great Smile  A lot of things have improved -- mostly my tummy aches are finally gone and I can eat dinner without having to go to the bathroom within 20 minutes of eating.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/12/2011 11:47:49 PM |

    Hi, Ryan--

    You're not alone.

    I'd crudely estimate that, oh, 50 million people share the same gastrointestinal issues that you've suffered from consumption of this thing called "wheat."

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/12/2011 11:54:57 PM |

    Hi, Green--

    Thank you for your incredibly insightful perspectives!

    Interestingly, I had a casual conversation with a cameraman from Paris just today. While no expert in bread or wheat, he reiterated much of what you told me about the very different taste, texture, and baking habits of French bread. What is not clear to me is that, while the French preparation of bread may impair weight gain, does it spare you from all the other adverse effects of wheat? An interesting topic for though and investigation.

  • Rodger Morrow

    9/13/2011 1:16:14 AM |

    As you may have seen, Novak Djokovic just won the U.S. Open men's singles title, becoming the sixth man to win three Grand Slam titles in the same year. His record for the year: 64-2.

    But did his gluten-free diet have something to do with it? Some people think so:

    http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/is-a-glutenfree-diet-behind-djokovics-smash-success-2285004.html

    Dr. Davis, we welcome your thoughts …

  • Peggy Cihocki

    9/13/2011 1:29:17 AM |

    This is beyond awesome! But I hope it climbs even higher on the list and gets to #1! I already have it in my Kindle App 4 iPhone, but will be buying a copy for my daughter--unless she buys it herself for her Kindle! This is a message that needs to be spread like wildfire!
    @Greensleeves, your comment about French bread is very interesting and enlightening. Those are important points to bring up when someone tries to counter Dr. davis' message with tales of The French. Ah, the French, always the "paradox!"

  • pam

    9/13/2011 6:42:13 AM |

    congrat.
    my book just arrived today.
    will bring it to office cause my colleagues just don't believe me about wheat gives "belly" & "moobs" (man boobs).
    i was hoping that the title photo is a real wheat belly. (just for the shock value) but perhaps that's too gross & sensational. XD
    regards,

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/13/2011 12:43:54 PM |

    Hi, Pam--

    I actually pushed for a big wheat belly on the cover, but the publisher wouldn't hear of it. They thought it would paint the book as simply another weight loss book.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/13/2011 12:44:51 PM |

    Thanks, Peggy!

    (Maybe I should get myself one of these Kindle things. My daughter says she loves hers, too.)

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/13/2011 12:46:48 PM |

    Hi, Rodger--

    Of course, it's impossible to prove in an individual instance, but it sure sounds like something happened to really supercharge his performance. I predict that we will be hearing plenty more about enhanced performance of athletes who say goodbye to wheat, mostly due to increased power of concentration and greater capacity to generate sustained energy.

  • Sue

    9/13/2011 4:56:41 PM |

    My Dad died of cerebellar ataxia, twenty years ago.  Your book is the first explanation for this terrible condition that I have seen.  Of course, consumption of the 'new' wheat would not have been a factor at that time, but then we have always had celiacs.  The question is, has there been an increase in cerebellar ataxia in recent years?  Or has enough time elapsed for it to have become apparent?  
    I have been mostly grain free for some years now, so am part of the Choir reading your book.  My issue is mostly with minor joint pain, diagnosed as the beginnings of arthritis.  I also have Dupuytren's disease, and really am hoping that it will not progress.  I have a question that was not answered in the book.  Just how dedicated need a person be?  Am I losing ground and doing myself harm if I indulge in a wheat laden treat now and again?  Should I really be paying attention to the hidden wheat in sauces and condiments?  Or can I continue with a more lackadaisical approach, avoiding the obvious baked goods, cereals etc, but not sweating the small stuff?
    Congratulations on the success of the book, and thank you for writing it.

  • Might-o'chondri-AL

    9/13/2011 6:24:28 PM |

    To Greensleeves  (Server  was blocking this days ago & then "Moderator" too),
    You will enjoy all sourdough rye study "Structural diff. btwn. Rye & wheat ...lower post-prandial insulin ..." in 2003 Am J Clin Nutri; 78(5):957-964 full text http://www.ajcn.org/content/78/5/957.full
    And 2009 "Endosperm & whole grain rye breads ... beneficial blood glucose profile" in Nutrition Journal 2009, 8:42 full text http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-8-42.pdf

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/14/2011 2:45:23 AM |

    Thank you, Sue.

    Modern wheat was phased into diet starting about the late 1970s, so it may indeed have played a part in your Dad's illness.

    If your Dad potentially had a wheat-induced disease, I would err on the side of safety and be meticulously wheat-free.

  • Dale

    9/15/2011 12:58:44 AM |

    Dr. Davis, Congratulations! May "Wheat Belly" be on the NY Times Best Seller for a long, long time - so your work can improve many more lives as it has so spectacularly improved mine! I'll be happy to share my story.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/15/2011 11:43:28 AM |

    Thanks, Dale!

    If you'd like to share a story, just post the details here and I will repost.

  • Darleen Michael-Baker

    9/15/2011 4:48:17 PM |

    Congrats Dr. D!!

    I just heard about your book over on Dana Carpendar's "hold the toast" blog last week and promptly zipped over to Amazon and bought it for my Kindle.  I cannot stop reading! Fascinating information, thank you so much for writing this.

    I haven't read through all the comments nor have I read any other of your posts yet so please forgive me if this is old news to you but I wanted to know if you had read either of Gary Taubes's books.  "Good Calories, Bad Calories" or "Why we get fat and what to do about it?"  Your book compliments the info in those very well.

    Now if I could just get hubby to read them!

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/16/2011 2:41:39 AM |

    Hi, Darleen-

    Thank you!

    Yes, I've read both of Gary Taubes' very excellent books. He has done a great service by bringing the light of day to many subjects that we previously just accepted as "conventional wisdom."

  • Mark. Gooley

    9/17/2011 2:10:11 AM |

    Saw it in a Barnes and Noble while on a trip, so I... ordered a Kindle version and read that on my phone (didn't want to lug books around).  I'm so glad it's doing well.  I've been eating low-carb for a year now and it's helped my type 1 diabetes a lot, but I've lost little weight.  I hadn't stopped eating wheat entirely but now I have, and we'll see if that's any help.  Seems a lot of type 1 diabetics have trouble losing weight once they've piled it on from trying to keep blood sugar levels reasonable while eating carbohydrates...

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/17/2011 1:22:41 PM |

    Yes, Mark, a tough balancing act.

    But I have indeed seen marked improvements in blood sugar with wheat elimination in type 1 diabetes. Also, note that type 1 diabetes is, to an incredible and underappreciated degree, a disease of wheat exposure. You may recall from the book that type 1 diabetics are 20-fold more likely to develop celiac disease and vice versa. They are, in many ways, one and the same. It means that the benefits of wheat elimination may be especially dramatic in many with type 1 diabetes.

  • LaurieLM

    9/19/2011 9:22:43 PM |

    Very Good Dr Davis, I have purchased 8 copies of 'Wheat Belly' so far. I put my low-carb, no-wheat money where my mouth is. Like I did with purchasing copies of Gary Taubes' 'Good Calories, Bad Calories' and handing it out like no-sugar candy, I'm doing with 'Wheat Belly'. 4 of the 8 copies have been given to physicians- one to my internist, one to my doctor-sister and two to two doctor friends( one an internist and one an ob-gyn). I am trying to reach as many doctors as I can and I have lots of pre-med students in my orbit and whose attention I command for several hours each week. Each one teach one......or two or ten PLEASE.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/20/2011 12:36:03 PM |

    Wow! Thank you, Laurie.

    We could all use more friends like you!

  • Averyclaire

    9/22/2011 11:32:25 PM |

    Just heard about your book, downloaded it to my Nook and I wondered ...Have you ever heard of this ailment?   I am a 62 year old woman with something that seems to have mystified the three doctors I have seen, including two gastroenterologists (one from NW Hospital in Chicago).  I suddenly began having “attacks” after eating.    Within a few bites of food, I became “sick” with four hours worth of excruciating pain in the upper abdomen, terrible abdominal distension and often vomiting (no diarrhea).  At first I thought I had food poisoning.    This had happened beginning two years prior maybe once every three or four months.   I thought my stomach had become sensitized to tainted food.  (I made this up....but this is what I began to think.)   Until last April when it happened over and over and over and didn’t quit.   At least four times per week I was in severe pain hanging over the commode.    I discovered by visiting the drug store that I could take Ultra Strength Gas-X at the first symptom of an oncoming attack and reduce the pain and bloating down to one or two hours rather than four.    I tried Beano, but that didn’t seem to work.   Thinking I perhaps couldn’t digest something I was eating, I began to take over-the-counter health food store enzyme tablets when I had a big meal.  I still was sick.    I tried first being fat free, then I tried being lactose free, and then I tried being gluten free.    NOTHING.   The two doctors I had seen at this point did not know what was wrong.   I had LOTS of blood work done, a colonoscopy, an endoscopy, an MRI (which compared previous CT scans) to check for blocked ducts, stones, tumors, etc.   NOTHING.    I even went to the hospital in the middle of a severe attack to have blood drawn to check for pancreatitis.   NOTHING.   So while I was waiting several weeks to see a third doctor at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, I began to chart my food.    Much to my surprise it seemed that carbohydrates were the culprit.   So I began a regimen of no pasta, no bread, no cereal, no rice, no potatoes.   I soon discovered that I could not eat beets, carrots or spinach either.    So now I began to suspect complex carbohydrates to be the culprit.    

    When I told this to the doctor at Northwestern he looked at me like I was crazy.   He said he never heard of this, talked about a surgery where they cut some sphincter muscle, and said he did not think my condition warranted it, but it was possibility.   He sent me for Celiac/gluten/sprue testing and NOTHING showed up.    When I told him I stayed away from these complex carbs for three weeks and was not sick....he simply said “keep on doing what you are doing.”   Let me know if you get sick again.   I did NOT go back.

    I do get sick occasionally when I try to add “old” favorites back into my diet.   I have a small list of complex carbs from the internet and try to stay away from these things.   I am worried because I ate a lot of whole grains and now I have NONE.    I am worried about my nutrition.   I eat yogurt or oatmeal (I don’t understand why oatmeal does not make me sick) for breakfast.   I eat salad, simple soup, or yogurt for lunch....sometimes eggs.   For dinner I eat chicken or fish and mostly green beans.    My husband and I have not eaten red meat for a long time because he had bladder cancer two years ago (he’s OK now).   However, I cannot seem to get filled up.   I am always hungry.   Now I have added some red meat back into my diet because I need more than just chicken and fish to fill me up.   I used to make meatless meals with pastas and rice, but no more.  I discovered I could eat an Atkins Bar once a day, or perhaps take an Atkins drink for nutrition.  And of all things I can eat as a treat....I eat soft serve yogurt or fudgsicles.   These do not seem to bother me.

    I have lost 40 pounds (not a bad thing for me) since May 1st.

    I do not think I am crazy.   I retired from my job last December and have a wonderful husband who is also retired and we truly enjoy one another’s company.   I have several very fun, and fulfilling hobbies.   And I belong to several women’s groups that fill my days.

    Have you ever heard of an ailment like this?    Can you offer any solutions, ideas, cures?   I would appreciate anything you could tell me or suggestions you could make.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/23/2011 12:34:53 AM |

    Hi, Avery--

    I'm afraid you're asking a cardiologist with an interest in wheat and its effects on overall health about a complex gastroenterological issue. So I'm afraid I'm unlikely to shed much light on your difficult struggle.

    One thought: Did anybody assess you for bacterial/yeast overgrowth? Various foods, especially wheat, can modify the bacteria of the intestinal tract, such that they are different, more harmful species, and can also ascend higher towards the stomach where they don't belong.

  • Averyclaire

    9/23/2011 8:37:59 PM |

    Thank you Dr. Davis.   I find your book fascinating.   Learning so much about wheat in general puts things in perspective for me.   You seem so knowledgeable about the wheat and other illnesses, I thought you might have heard of my problem.  I have seen two gastroenterologist specialists and an endocrinologist and had lots of tests, but not the bacteria thing.   I will inquire about this.  I appreciate your taking the time to mention this.   I have been taking probiotics, but no cure yet.   I simply stay away from complex carbs.   I did have a lot of heart testing done a couple of years ago and that is super good.  Thanks again.

  • Penny

    9/24/2011 2:46:29 PM |

    Congratulations on the success of your new book!
    How do you feel about products like Garden of Life, Perfect Food, re: wheat grass? Is this something to avoid?

    Thanks, Penny

  • Penny

    9/24/2011 9:12:08 PM |

    opps, it's Garden of Eden. I am interested in adding green products like this to my smoothies. Do you think these will cause any wheat issues? And just from your knowledge do you feel these products are a good source of nutrients for people?


    Thanks, Penny

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/25/2011 12:06:41 AM |

    Hi, Penny--

    The many green products out there, thankfully, are free of wheat contamination. Just be sure to examine the label.

    They are, in general, a wonderful source of nutrients. Modern agricultural techniques have caused nutrients to be depleted and block absorption into the plant. Such supplements may therefore make up for such food-sourced deficiencies.

  • Dr. William Davis

    9/25/2011 12:11:08 AM |

    Let us know what becomes of your situation, Avery.

  • Dacid

    10/4/2011 9:33:04 PM |

    Google the website "the fiber menace" and read the blog and buy the book.  The author nails the coffin lid shut on fiber same as the good doctor does with wheat.

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