B-b-b-b-But ...waitadarnsecond... My Mama and my Teevee say "Whole Grains" and my daily milk are good for me!!!
Are you trying to tell me they are NOT? Oooooh...the humanity...
Yes, Mikey...I'm telling you that your Life Cereal and your milk function like a drug.
There is some really good research out now that indicates the "staffs of life" may, in fact, contribute to many chronic illnesses as well as mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and autism. This is as a result of what are termed "Exorphins". These are substances that function like opioids when ingested and create a "high", a subsequent alteration occurs in the normal functioning state of the body thus requiring more of the substance, ultimately ending in an addictive feedback loop.
Allow me to explain.
Definition of Exorphin from medilexicon.com:
exorphin
Type: Term
Pronunciation: eks-ōr′fin
Definitions:
1. Food-derived opioid peptide, found in wheat gluten.
These peptides are also found in milk proteins, called caseins. They are in especially high concentrations in cheese.
So, opioid peptides are well known to the medical community. Heroin is an opioid. Morphine is an opioid.
The fine folks over at Nutramed.com say it best:
"Heroin Addicts often report they first felt well when they had their first drink or injected the initial dose of heroin. Opiates, like other molecules, are effective but temporary remedies for dysfunctional body- mind states. The drive to maintain an opiate level is less to "get high" and more to feel "normal" and mostly to avoid the terrible experience of withdrawal."
Now for the Nitty-Gritty scientific stuff. This is a portion of a published study by these folks:
THE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
Vol. 254. No. 7, Issue of April 10, pp. 2446-2449, 1979
Printed in U. S. A.
Opioid Peptides Derived from Food Proteins THE EXORPHINS*
Christine Zioudrou, Richard A. Streaty, and Werner A. Klee
(Received for publication, October 20, 1978)
From the Laboratory of General and Comparative Biochemistry, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20014
Peptides with opioid activity are found in pepsin hydrolysates of wheat gluten and a-casein. The opioid activity of these peptides was demonstrated by use of the following bioassays: 1) naloxone-reversible inhibi-tion of adenylate cyclase in homogenates of neuroblas- toma X-glioma hybrid cells; 2) naloxone-reversible in-hibition of electrically stimulated contractions of the mouse vas deferens; 3) displacement of [3H]dihydro- morphine and [3H-Tyr, DAla2]met-enkephalin amide from rat brain membranes. Substances which stimulate adenylate cyclase and increase the contractions of the mouse vas deferens but do not bind to opiate receptors are also isolated from gluten hydrolysates. It is sug- gested that peptides derived from some food proteins may be of physiological importance.
...Thus, in all likelihood, exorphins will be pro- duced normally in the stomach. The exorphins which we have studied are resistant to the intestinal proteinases trypsin and chymotrypsin. Thus, the exorphins may be expected to survive extensive degradation in the intestine. Some peptides are now known to be absorbed, without prior degradation, from the gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream. Perhaps, most pertinent to the present studies is the work of Hemmings et al. (18, 19) which showed that, after feeding of ‘“‘I-labeled gliadin to rats, labeled peptides, which retain the ability to react with anti-gliadin antibodies, are found in appreciable amounts both in the blood and the tissues of the animals. Significantly, such peptide material was found in the brain as well. Thus, some peptide fragments of gluten do indeed reach the brain. Direct evidence that the exorphins will do so is not yet available, although some peptides have been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier (20). Finally, we have presented evidence that the exorphins will bind to brain opiate receptors as well as to those of peripheral organs. In summary, exorphins may normally reach opiate receptors in the central nervous system and trigger their function. (Emphasis mine)
We have also found substances in pepsin hydrolysates of wheat gluten which stimulate NG108-15 adenylated cyclase and the mouse vas deferens. These stimulatory materials do not interact directly with opiate receptors but may neverthe- less be considered to be functional antagonists of the opiates since their stimulatory actions oppose the inhibitory actions of the exorphins. Stimulation of the adenylate cyclase of intestinal mucosa cells would lead to diarrhea and could therefore play a role in the gluten enteropathy, celiac disease. Wheat gluten has been implicated by Dohan (7, 8) and his colleagues in the etiology of schizophrenia and supporting evidence has been provided by others (9). Our experiments provide a plausible biochemical mechanism for such a role, in the demonstration of the conversion of gluten into peptides with potential central nervous system actions.
As intelligent creatures, it is a short leap to see that that donut has a hold on our brains far beyond it's sweet, deep-fried deliciousness. That donut is a drug. That donut will not allow you to eat just one donut.
It is not a stretch now to understand why over 30% of the U.S. Population is obese.
It is not a stretch to understand why the rates of mental illness continue to climb in this country. I am NOT saying that this is the CAUSE, but there seems to be a strong CORRELATIONAL relationship here.
So kids...there's the science.
Drugs are bad, mmmmkay?
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