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Have you ever wondered why gluten and dairy seem so addictive to so many people. Not only do we naturally seem to crave them, but they cause our brains to come up with all sorts of rationalizations to persuade us that they could not be causing us any problems. That seems to be a prerequisite of a true addiction. Our bodies don't necessarily develop a dependence on them, the way that it does with certain drugs, but it certainly seems to crave them, after they have been a part of our diet for a while.
The reason for this craving can be traced to an opioid-like substance that can be found in these foods. Of course, our body produces certain opioid peptides for it's own use, but there are also opioid peptides that are formed during the digestion of certain foods.
From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid_peptideOpioid peptides are short sequences of amino acids that bind to opioid receptors in the brain; opiates and opioids mimic the effect of these peptides. Opioid peptides may be produced by the body itself, for example endorphins. The effects of these peptides vary, but they all resemble opiates. Brain opioid peptide systems are known to play an important role in motivation, emotion, attachment behaviour, the response to stress and pain, and the control of food intake.
Opioid-like peptides may also be absorbed from partially digested food (casomorphins, exorphins, and rubiscolins), but have limited physiological activity. The opioid food peptides have lengths of typically 4-8 amino acids. The body's own opioids are generally much longer.
http://www.healthy-eating-politics.com/ ... -food.htmlOpioid Peptides: Most people with food intolerances have gigestive issues with wheat and diary products. The common factor between these foods seems to be the opiate-like substances produced when the proteins from these foods are broken down during digestion. These opiate substances act on the body's internal opioid receptors, and can alter the perception of pain and affect respiration, digestion and mood. These opiate substances are found in the following proteins:
* Casomorphin (milk)
* Gluten exorphin (wheat gluten)
* Gliadorphin/gluteomorphin (wheat gluten)
* Rubiscolin (spinach)
To expand on this a bit:
The red emphasis is mine, of course, but this may indeed have a lot to do with why we see dairy and wheat ingredients in so many products that really wouldn't otherwise appear to need them.Opioid peptides in Milk
Besides a non-opioid peptide stimulating appetite (3), milk by nature contains different opioid peptides, hidden in milk-proteins such as caseïn, lactalbumin, beta-lactaglobulin and lactoferrin.
Milk-opioid peptides are : beta-casomorphins (4) , alpha-caseïn exorphins, casoxins, beta-casorphins, alpha-lactorphins, beta-lactorphins and lactaferroxins. (5)
Absorption
After having consumed a milk-product, it is digested in the digestive tract. Milk-proteins are decomposed by enzymes into normal peptides, opioid peptides and amino acids. To make sure the baby absorbs as much complete opioid peptides and growth factors, milk also contains substances (lactose, substance P) enhancing permeability of the intestinal mucus. (6) And to prevent the decomposition of the peptides, these peptides are relatively indigestible. (7)
These opioid peptides cause physical dependence in the young, to make sure it wants to drink lots of mother’s milk. Also, it makes the young sleep enough. (8) Of course, these opioids can also cause constipation. (9)
Unfortunately, adult milk-consumers also absorb those opioid peptides.
Because food-manufacturers want us to be physically dependent to the food they sell, you can find milk- and wheat-proteins in lots of different food-products. Even some meat-products contain milk- and / or wheat-proteins.
http://www.13.waisays.com/zombie.htmWheat
Plants use different tactics to scare off attackers. Some plants contain poison, others just anaesthetize their attackers, like wheat does with opioid peptides.
Because wheat contains opioid peptides, priests in ancient Egypt used wheat to hallucinate, and in bandages, to ease the pain of a wound. All wheat-products, like bread, pasta, pizza, cookies, cake and pastries contain opioid peptides. The roman rulers already new that the people wouldn't rise against them as long as they were entertained and fed bread.
Opioid peptides in wheat-products
One single wheat-gluten protein-molecule contains 15 samples of one particular opioid peptide. (10) Wheat-gluten also contains a number of extremely powerful opioid peptides (11). Some of these molecules are even 100 times more powerful than a morphine-molecule. (12)
Opioid peptides in wheat-gluten are ;
Glycine-Tyrosine-Tyrosine-Proline (11)
Tyrosine-Glycine-Glycine-Tryptophane (11)
Tyrosine-Proline-Isoleucine-Serine-Leucine (11)
Tyrosine-Glycine-Glycine-Tryptophane-Leucine (13) ,which is the most powerful one.
Tyrosine-Glycine-Glycine- is also the sequence of the first three amino acids in endorphins ; opioid peptides produced by the body, influencing the same receptors in the brain.
Therefore, wheat-opioid peptides can 'sedate' the bowels so much that constipation is caused. (13) Because some wheat-opioids are extremely powerful, some schizophrenics can even be cured by not eating any wheat-products anymore. (14)
To compensate the analgesic effect of the opioid peptides, wheat-products very often contain rosemarin-extract, which is a powerful 'upper'.
Obviously, the information about "sedating the bowels so much that constipation is caused" does not apply to someone with MC - that's for "normal" people. Here's some old research on these peptides:
http://www.jbc.org/content/254/7/2446.full.pdfThus, in all likelihood, exorphins will be produced 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.
Of course, other foods also contain opioid peptides, such as chocolate, which contains phenyethylamine, (PEA). Anyway, this is the basic reason why so many people find it so difficult to drop these foods from their diet, and why it is so easy to rationalize that are not causing any problems.
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