Topic: Economic Totalitarianism - page 67. (Read 345758 times)

Perhaps MSG is one of the main contributors to the high rates of cancer among filipinos, I swear half of my wifes friends are battling some kind of cancer, it's insane.

If you give the government the power to dictate your food, you are the fool that deserves to die of malnutrition.

(Sigh.. some things just need to be decided based on common sense.)

How Big Government enriches Big Business at the expense of our health

Despite a crushing national debt, we have a climate of cost-share programs. Many farmers are looking for grants and government assistance. Unfortunately, this paradigm – this disparagement against “all things natural” —filters down into the way money and protocols are handled.

For example, when the Cheasapeake Bay Foundation, one of the premier environmental groups in America, got the Virginia General Assemble to “clean up the bay,” they went to land-grant college Virginia Tech for advice on how to clean up the bay and handle manure. Of course the “official” (conventional) solutions to handle manure are slurry systems, lagoons, and pits that take a lot of concrete, industrial equipment, energy, and capital to install—and sadly lots of lost potential for the soil.

They didn’t consider starting a cost-share program to develop composting facilities.

Got a problem with weeds? The USDA’s solution is herbicides, nothing about eliminating weeds through bio-symmetry mob-stocking – like how the bison grazed their grasses. Of course if you do it this way, you’ve already solved the problem and there is no problem to write a grant for.

We are stuck in a cycle of programs that support capital intensive solutions.

Another hit to ecology and sustainability are government subsidizes annuals. Annuals are seeds/plants that need planted every year, unlike perennials that come back for many number of years. They are very different types of plants in terms of energy flows and things of that nature.

The 6 things that the Farm Bill subsidizes are corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, cotton, and sugar. All of those are annuals, and yet annuals deplete soil and perennials build soil. Herbivores (cows, goats, sheep) are supposed to eat perennials, not annuals. The herbivore-perennial relationship self-fertilizes without any chemicals, petroleum, or heavy machinery. It is the way the soils were built up in the great Americas before the Europeans came to rape it. We are still mining the soil that was built by this herbivore-perennial complex without replenishing it. So this bill is a back-door approach to subsidizing concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) which depend on grains and concentrated feeding of animals in houses. The apparent USDA policy for animals is that animals don’t need to move around. There is an orthodoxy of animal care that says animals should be kept inside, not outside—it’s more scientific, more efficient, more controlled, and more safe.

Unfortunately, we don’t have an accounting system that measures the pollution, the degradation, the MRSA, C-Diff, and all the problems that come from the pathogenicity of a pathogen friendly system. Words like listeria, campylobacter — you never heard those words 40 years ago. Today these outbreaks are a direct result of the confinement and over-“insiding” of animals. The system the Farm Bill supports skews the true cost of conventional farming, externalizing these damages to other places. This system makes the animals sick and us sick, and turns to another Big Player (Big Pharm) for remediation. And Big Money continues on…

”Organic Dairy” versus “All Natural Dairy”

To develop a dairy farm fully compliant with organic standards proved far more difficult than originally imagined, reason why a few years into operation, Rizal Dairy Farms decided not to aim for organic certification anymore.

We started with the aim, but we never made the claim.

Our dairy products are and always have been declared and promoted as “All Natural Dairy Products – Free of Artificial Ingredients”. A claim we stick to up to date.

Based on our experience, the main hindrance to organic standard compliance is the lack of readily available organic feeds. Animal feeds should be from organic sources or organically produced at the farm site. That complicates life for dairy farmers near urban centres, where fresh dairy products are most in demand. They seldom have the luxury of big farm holdings, hence the grass produced on farm site will never be able to fully satisfy the dietary needs of the cattle. To our knowledge, practically all existing dairy farms are supplementing the animals’ diet with other ingredients such as coconut based products, molasses, soy and maize.

Livestock and feed production are strongly segregated in the Philippine agricultural system. With the existing structural set up of agricultural production it is very difficult to develop organic feeds such as corn and soy that would be available year round to satisfy the needs of dairy or other cattle farms.

But it can be said that small scale dairy operations such as Rizal Dairy Farms can more easily comply with the requirement of humane treatment of animals, which is inherent to our philosophy and the principle of “CARE” and other minimum requirements set by organic standards with regards to the management of animals.

RFDFI was formally organized in 2008 by Danilo Katigbak-Dimayuga, Ralph Casiño, Felipe Bince, Jose Eduardo Arroyo, Rey David, Atty. Sofronio Larcia and former Senator Ramon Magsaysay Jr. We are a group of seasoned businessmen and retired executives who are united by a common goal – to create economic opportunities in the countryside.

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Our 27-hectare dairy farm is located in the verdant fields of Bgy. Masaya in Bay, Laguna where it is home to roughly 200 Holstein-Sahiwal cattle from New Zealand.

A1/A2 Milk: What's the deal with that?

The ratio of whey to casein varies greatly by species, but in cow breeds about 20% of the protein is whey and the remaining 80% is casein. Bovine casein protein comes in 5 varieties: Alpha-S1, Alpha-S2, Beta, Kappa, and Gamma. In one study of casein proteins in Ayrshire cows, 49% were Alpha Caseins, 36% were Beta Casein, and the remaining 15% were Kappa and Gamma Casein.

When we talk about A1 or A2 milk, we are only talking about Beta Casein and nothing else. Not fat or carbohydrates but only protein — and specifically a type of protein, Beta Casein, which accounts for just under 30% of the total protein content in milk. In a cup (236g) of our Ayrshire milk, we would expect about 2.3g of Beta Casein out of the total 7.8g of protein.

The Beta Casein protein is a long chain of 209 amino acids. The difference between A1 and A2 milk is a change between a single amino acid in this chain. In A1 milk the 67th amino acid in the chain is Histidine, while in A2 milk this amino acid is Proline. You might be asking yourself, why is this important at all?

The reason this may be important is that the Histidine amino acid bond in A1 milk is weaker compared to the Proline bond in A2 milk. During digestion the A1 Histidine bond is easily broken and creates an amino acid fragment call Beta Casomorphin 7 (BMC7). BCM7 is typically broken down further by the enzyme DPP4. Some individuals with certain health conditions (Crohn’s, Celiac, Autism) may have impaired digestion and not effectively produce this enzyme. BDM7 that is absorbed into the blood from the digestive track (most pronounced in individuals with leaky guts) can trigger cell inflammation and has been shown to bind to opioid receptors in the brain.

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 Later when tracing back the genetics, it was discovered that the A2 gene was in fact the original and the A1 is a mutation that originated a few thousand years ago in European cattle. There have actually been a total of 12 bovine beta casein variants found that are offshoots of the original A2 gene including A1, A3, A4, B, C, D, E, F, G, H1, H2, and I.

Genetics can vary significantly by breed. For example Holsteins favor A1, Guernseys and to a lesser extent Brown Swiss favor A2, and Jerseys and Ayrshires fall in the middle. This was actually proven out when we recently invested in genetic testing. Our Herd consists of 8 A2/A2 cows, 8 A1/A1 cows, and the rest A1/A2. So in our original example of a cup of milk, our Aryshire milk would contain 50% A1 and 50% A2 Beta Casein.

Although it may be inconclusive as to the exact dangers of A1 milk and the resulting BCM7, we feel the precautionary principle should be invoked. Humans have been consuming cow milk for 10,000 years, but A1 milk and the BMC7 that comes with it are a relatively recent development. Only in very modern times with the supremacy of the Holstein breed in US Dairy (accounting for more than 90% of all dairy cows today) has so much A1 milk been consumed. Realistically fluid milk is a minor concern compared to A1 cheese where the lactose carbohydrate and whey protein components have been removed and the casein proteins are further concentrated. Imagine how this has become even worse in our ‘fat is bad’ culture where even the fat is also removed in low and no-fat cheeses leaving only the casein. For example 2 slices of fat-free American singles made from A1 dominant Holstein milk would likely have nearly 3g of A1 beta casein or more than 2.5 times the amount found in a cup of our raw milk.

Raw and cultured dairy products from healthy grass-fed cows are one of the healthiest foods people have ever eaten. However, pasteurized milk products have caused more disease than perhaps any other substance people are generally in contact with.

However, he still felt that a piece of the puzzle was missing. Many of his patients, in spite of eating only the proper dairy products, still had illness and still seemed not to tolerate milk. Recently, he was asked to consider writing the foreword to a book called The Devil in the Milk, written by Dr. Keith Woodford, which was again an eye-opener for him.

All proteins are long chains of amino acids. Beta casein is a chain 229 amino acids in length. Cows who produce this protein in their milk with a proline at number 67 are called A2 cows, and are the older breeds of cows (e.g. Jerseys, Asian and African cows). But some 5,000 years ago, a mutation occurred in this proline amino acid, converting it to histidine. Cows that have this mutated beta casein are called A1 cows, and include breeds like Holstein.

Proline has a strong bond to a small protein called BCM 7, which helps keep it from getting into the milk, so that essentially no BCM 7 is found in the urine, blood or GI tract of old-fashioned A2 cows. On the other hand, histidine, the mutated protein, only weakly holds on to BCM 7, so it is liberated in the GI tract of animals and humans who drink A1 cow milk.

BCM 7 has been shown to cause neurological impairment in animals and people exposed to it, especially autistic and schizophrenic changes. BCM 7 interferes with the immune response, and injecting BCM 7 in animal models has been shown to provoke type 1 diabetes. Dr. Woodford’s book presents research showing a direct correlation between a population’s exposure to A1 cow’s milk and incidence of autoimmune disease, heart disease, type 1 diabetes, autism, and schizophrenia.

Simply switching breeds of cows could result in amazing health benefits.

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So the theory goes that by drinking milk from A1 cows, which are the predominant cows used for dairy products in the United States, you’re exposed to BCM-7, which has been linked to:

* Neurological impairment, including autistic and schizophrenic changes
* Type 1 diabetes
* An impaired immune response
* Autoimmune disease
* Heart disease

And the fish we tasted — produced primarily for the high-end sushi and sashimi market in Japan — was extraordinarily delicate, mild in flavor, and exceptionally fatty, having lived its life on a diet of assorted oils. It was a gorgeous salmony pink color which, sadly, comes from the dye in its meal. (Bear in mind: this is very, very pricey farmed salmon. The stuff that you get at big box stores — we all know who they are — doesn’t even come close to it, qualitatively.)

On the face of it — and assuming that what we saw is representative of all Norwegian salmon farms — the Norwegian farmed salmon industry is a very tightly run ship that results in an exemplary culinary product; they are proud of what they do, and rightly so.

So what was my sticking point? What can’t I get beyond, no matter how hard I try? The feed.

Rapeseed oil, which is derived from the same plant as Canola, is almost always genetically modified, and certainly would be, one could assume, when utilized in feed produced on such a massive industrial scale. Add to it corn oil, linseed oil, and soy oil, and you’ve got what sounds to me like a GMO shopping list underwritten by Monsanto.

During our initial meeting in Tromso with NIFES, I asked who, exactly, determines and regulates what goes in to the feed.

“The EU,” they answered, making the fact that Norway is not a member of the EU nor are the farms in international waters that much more disconcerting. “But it’s not scientific,” they added.

I’m sure not.

Gochujang[1] (Korean: 고추장, IPA: [kotɕʰudʑaŋ] Koryo-mar:кoчxицaй/кoчxидян (regional)) is a savory, spicy, and pungent fermented Korean condiment made from red chili, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt. Traditionally, it has been naturally fermented over years in large earthen pots outdoors, more often on an elevated stone platform...

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The making of gochujang at home began tapering off when commercial production started in the early 1970s and came into the mass market. Now, homemade gochujang can hardly be found...

Hello Maangchi

I went to the local asian shop on the weekend to try to look for some Korean products (that don’t have MSG) and got very confused!

We were not surprised to find out afterward that this one contained MSG.

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It was spicy yet without real heat, and again, we were not surprised to find out it contained MSG.

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My aunt makes her own because MSG gives her pretty bad heartburn. I’ve only seen a limited variety on offer in the local shop and most of them have MSG.

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I didn’t know it contains MSG until I bought a second one from a local grocery store where food sold all have English labels. And I found other products of the same brand also contain MSG.

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I am trying to find a good gochujang without MSG. I saw on one online store’s website that this Chung Jung Won brand does contain MSG.

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I would love to find one that has no corn syrup in it, and it would be a bigger bonus to find one that was no MSG

Codex Alimentarius Commission - A Threat to Humankind

There is an entire industry with an innate economic interest to obstruct, suppress and discredit any information about the eradication of diseases. The pharmaceutical industry makes over one trillion dollars from selling drugs for ongoing diseases. These drugs may relieve symptoms, but they do not cure.
 
We have to realize that the mission of this industry is to make money from ongoing diseases.

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8. Millions of people and patients around the world are defrauded twice: A major portion of their income is used up to finance the exploding profits of the pharmaceutical industry. In return, they are offered a medicine that does not even cure.

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Codex is not an easy subject to get to grips with. With over 20 committees meeting on an annual basis, and published reports comprising a total of over 1,400 pages in 2005 alone, most people are blissfully unaware of the extent to which its activities affect their health.
 
Read on to discover the bigger picture behind the Codex Alimentarius Commission's support for the "business with disease".

 

What is Codex?

The World Trade Organization uses Codex Guidelines and Standards as the benchmark in the adjudication of international trade disputes involving foods. It's headquarters, above, are located in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) is the main global body that makes proposals to, and is consulted by, the Directors-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on all matters pertaining to the implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.
 
Established in 1963, the Commission's main purposes are stated in its Procedural Manual as being:

* protecting the health of consumers
* ensuring fair practices in the food trade
* promoting coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations

Unfortunately however, and as we shall see, its activities do not protect the health of consumers and the international food trade is anything but fair.

At the time of writing, the Commission presides over a total of 27 active subsidiary committees and ad hoc intergovernmental task forces, the main functions of which revolve around the drafting of standards, guidelines and other related texts for foods, including food supplements.
 
Once completed these texts are presented to the Commission for final approval and adoption as new global standards.


How does Codex affect you and your health?

Codex standards and guidelines now exist for virtually all foods.

Whilst the adoption by countries of the various standards and guidelines developed by Codex is theoretically optional, the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 1 January 1995 essentially changed their international status, in that they are now increasingly used by the WTO as the benchmark in the adjudication of international trade disputes involving foods.

France

Raw milk and especially raw milk cheeses are considered the standard for high quality dairy products. Many French cuisine traditionalists consider pasteurized cheeses almost a sacrilege. Many traditional French cheeses have solely been made from raw milk for hundreds of years.

French Roquefort, a famous blue cheese, which is required by European law to be made from raw sheep's milk.

Canada

The sale of raw milk directly to consumers is prohibited in Canada under the Food and Drug Regulations since 1991.

No person shall sell the normal lacteal secretion obtained from the mammary gland of the cow, genus Bos, or of any other animal, or sell a dairy product made with any such secretion, unless the secretion or dairy product has been pasteurized by being held at a temperature and for a period that ensure the reduction of the alkaline phosphatase activity so as to meet the tolerances specified in official method MFO-3, Determination of Phosphatase Activity in Dairy Products, dated November 30, 1981.
— [28], Section B.08.002.2 (1)

Australia

The sale of raw milk for drinking purposes is illegal in all states and territories in Australia, as is all raw milk cheese. This has been circumvented somewhat by selling raw milk as bath milk.[45] An exception to the cheese rule has been made recently for two Roquefort cheeses. There is some indication of share owning cows, allowing the "owners" to consume the raw milk,[47] but also evidence that the government is trying to close this loophole.

In 2014, after a 3 year old died of haemolytic uraemic syndrome and 4 other children became seriously ill, the Victorian government created new regulations which require producers to treat raw milk to reduce pathogens, or to make the product unpalatable to taste, such as making it bitter.

United States

Main article: United States raw milk debate

In the early 20th century many states allowed the sale of raw milk that was certified by a "medical milk commission", effectively allowing an alternative of extra inspection for pasteurization. Now most states impose restrictions on raw milk suppliers due to concerns about safety. Twenty-eight U.S. states allow sales of raw milk. Cow shares can be found, and raw milk purchased for animal consumption in many states where retail for human consumption is prohibited. The sale of raw milk cheese is permitted as long as the cheese has been aged for 60 days or more.

The FDA reports that, in 2002, consuming partially heated raw milk and raw milk products caused 200 Americans to become ill in some manner.

Many governmental officials and the majority of public health organizations hold to the need for pasteurization. Before pasteurization, many dairies, especially in cities, fed their cattle on low-quality food, and their milk was rife with dangerous bacteria. Pasteurizing it was the only way to make it safely drinkable. As pasteurization has been standard for many years, it is now widely assumed that raw milk is dangerous. The Cornell University Food Science Department has compiled data indicating that pathogenic microorganisms are present in between 0.87% and 12.6% of raw milk samples.

Proponents of raw milk (in the U.S.) advance two basic arguments for unpasteurized milk. They state that pasteurization destroys or damages some of the milk's nutrients, and that while pasteurization may kill dangerous bacteria, it also kills off good bacteria that raw milk supporters have stated to have health benefits. The United States Food and Drug administration has stated that this is false, and that pasteurizing milk does not destroy any of its nutritive value.

Proponents also invoke the benefits of direct-marketing when promoting the sale of raw milk. The ability of the farmer to eliminate the middle-man and sell directly to the consumer allows for greater profitability. Many manufacturers sell small-scale pasteurization equipment, thereby allowing farmers to both bypass the milk processors and sell pasteurized milk directly to the consumer. Additionally, some small U.S. dairies are now beginning to adopt low-temperature vat pasteurization. Advocates of low-temperature vat pasteurization note that it produces a product similar to raw milk in composition and is not homogenized.

But NASDA's Ehart suggests some states may not be legalizing raw milk sales to condone it. Rather, he says legalization may give public health agencies the power to regulate a market that might otherwise exist underground.

A few states allow retail sales of raw milk. In those states, the FDA, USDA, and local health officials tend to harass outspoken raw milk dairy farmers. It's difficult to believe that California is one of the few states allowing raw milk sales. The recent Rawsome Foods raid certainly contradicts that legality (http://www.naturalnews.com/033225_Rawesome_Foods_photos.html).

The Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR Sec. 1240.61) mandates pasteurization for all milk and milk products in final package form intended for direct human consumption.

What to Buy

Basically, we’re trying to find REAL cheese — cheese that’s as traditional and natural as possible, the kind of cheese your ancestors have been eating for thousands of years.

BEST CHOICE: Raw cheeses from grass-fed cows producing milk high in A2 beta casein and relatively low in A1 beta casein — that means milk from Jerseys, Guernseys, and other traditional cattle breeds rather than newer Holsteins. Raw goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, and yak’s milk only contains A2 beta casein and arguably makes better cheeses than cow’s milk anyway.

Finding these in your grocery store can be tough, but it is possible to find them in many of the “deli” sections. In other words, they won’t be on the same aisle with sliced sandwich cheeses and bagged pre-shredded cheese (which contains wood pulp!).  Imported European cheeses are a great place to start. Europeans don’t treat their dairy cows with growth hormones, and they also know that the best tasting cheeses are the ones coming from cows eating lush green grass. You can tell if a cheese is made with raw milk by reading the ingredients label.

Unfortunately, U.S. import laws don’t allow us to import many of the softer or mildly aged raw cheeses, instead requiring that raw cheese be aged for at least 60 days before entering our country. So, you won’t find raw chevre, feta, blue cheese, or cream cheese varieties at your grocery store. For those, you’ll need to go to your farmer’s market, a local artisan cheese shop, or purchase them online.

A1 Beta-casein

Just as gluten opioids slow digestive function, so too A1 beta casein. However, whole pastured dairy is chock full of fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, conjugated linoleic acid, anti-microbial agents and whey protein, all of which have beneficial effects on human health.

Many observational studies that show an association between dairy consumption and poor health outcomes fail to account for gluten consumption. Dairy and wheat often go together: cereal and milk, milk and cookies, ice cream and cake, butter and toast, cheese and crackers, etc. So is it the dairy or the wheat? My bet is on the wheat but we don’t really know as there are no clinically controlled trials that have studied this.

If consuming A1 casein dairy slows things down for you and you’re battling SIBO or trying to heal your leaky gut, you may want to cut it out of your diet or try switching to A2 casein dairy sources until you get things under control. Many feel better cutting dairy completely out of their diets for good while others feel better when they eat it. I certainly credit whole-pastured, A2 casein Jersey milk for part of my recovery from a damaged gut wall caused by SIBO. But that’s my experience not yours. Only you can decide what’s right for you.

As those of you who have read this blog for any length of time know, I’m not a big fan of foods that form opioid peptides upon digestion. As I explained in part two of my GERD series, all exogenous opioids, whether derived from prescription medications, illicit drugs, or food, slow and in severe cases stop both gastric and intestinal movement.

In the stomach, reducing the frequency by which food is released into the small intestine can result in acid reflux. The longer food sits in the stomach, the more prone it is to work its way back into the esophagus, especially if swollen by insoluble fiber.

In the intestine, inhibition of the wave-like muscle movements that propel remnants of digested food to its final destination is a major predisposing factor for the development of small intestinal fungal and bacterial overgrowth (SIFBO). It is these peristaltic movements, and not the ileocecal valve at the boundary of the small intestine and colon, that is mainly responsible for preventing bacteria from the colon, especially the gram-negative variety, from working their way into the small intestine. It is for this same reason that thyroid disorders that depress metabolic rate like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and euthyroid sick syndrome predispose to developing SIFBO. (1)

But opioids are best known for their pain-suppressing, and not gut-paralyzing, effects. It is this very quality that makes them so effective as analgesics.

There has been some debate about how pronounced these actions really are when it comes to opioid peptides (exorphins) formed from digesting A1 casein dairy and gluten grains. Given the studies I cited in my GERD post, I believe the evidence is strong enough to warrant caution.

Further evidence for these effects was inadvertently provided by a dietary study published earlier this year.

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I need to emphasize that these dairy opioids are only formed from digestion of A1 casein dairy, not from A2 casein sources like goat’s milk, milk from Jersey cows, or milk from Asian and African breeds. So while I stand by my belief that dairy does an intestinal tract good (at least in those without lactose intolerance), it’s mainly true in regards to A2 casein milk.

However, when it comes to gluten grains, there are no compensatory components of these foods to counteract their gliadin-derived opioid peptides. Whereas A1 dairy forms just one opioid type upon digestion, gluten has been shown to form many. These include gluten exorphins  A5, A4, B5, B4, and C5. (21) (22)

Addition of alpha gliadin 7 to this list gives us at least six different opioid peptides formed upon digestion of gluten grains, all with the potential to negatively affect cysteine uptake, antioxidant status, and DNA methylation. This no doubt explains why the women I wrote about in this post regained their health on a gluten-free diet, but didn’t experience any relief eliminating dairy.

Combining A-1 dairy and gluten opioids, as would normally occur when eating a wheat-based breakfast cereal for example, would suggest that in the real-world, the effect on cysteine uptake would be cumulatively worse.

But this is far from the only issue with gluten grains. As I wrote in this post, these foods, especially in their whole-grain form, are rife with anti-nutrients and natural pesticides, chief among the latter being wheat germ agglutinin. They also contain phytic acid which prevents the proper absorption of the minerals they contain unless first soaked in an acidic medium for a specific length of time.

These grains also contain amylase and trypsin inhibitors. Amylase is an enzyme necessary for the proper digestion of starches, while trypsin is needed to properly digest protein. These inhibitors have been shown to cause the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines via the same receptors lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) trigger to activate the immune system. (23)

All these factors explain why there is not a lick of scientific evidence, outside of confounder-prone nutritional epidemiology, that consuming these grains are healthy. That is made abundantly clear in Anthony Colpo’s book: Whole Grains, Empty Promises: The Surprising Truth about the World’s Most Overrated ‘Health’ Food.

Those who believe that these issues are confined to modern gluten grains, and can be avoided by eating more ancient wheat varieties, are sadly mistaken. These ancient grains have an even higher prolamine-rich content than modern wheat.

A research paper that examined two ancient wheat strains–Graziella Ra and Kamut–found no evidence that they were any less toxic to celiacs than modern wheat. (24) And the reason is because we DO NOT produce either the pancreatic or brush-border enzymes necessary to break these prolamine bonds.

The 33-mer peptide that is the trigger for celiac disease in the genetically susceptible remains intact after fifteen hours of exposure to human digestive enzymes. (25) If that particular peptide is so resistant to digestion, what hope do any of us have when it comes to gliadin opioid peptides?

That said, there is some evidence to suggest that in an intestine with healthy gut flora, the pro-inflammatory effect of these grains may be somewhat mitigated. Bifidobacterium bifidus (B. bifidus), for example, has been shown to counter the inflammatory effects of gluten on cells lining the gut wall. (26) And as I wrote in this post, addition of prebiotics to pasta countered the negative effects of gluten on intestinal, tight-junction proteins.

Nonetheless, given the wide prevalence of autoimmune disorders, allergies, metabolic syndrome, anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, IBS, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, SIFBO, etc., etc., etc., I think we can safely dispense with the notion that most people are sporting healthy gut flora, especially in the age of antibiotic overuse. On the contrary, all signs point to increasing levels of gut dysbiosis.

Once that happens, it’s the poor, over-worked liver that receives the full brunt of this antigen load. How well it handles this assault and whether those antigens enter systemic circulation depends on how bad the endotoxemia is and the overall health of this organ.

Not all claudins maintain intestinal integrity, however. Some claudins seal the gut (are pore-sealing), while others make it more permeable (are pore-forming).

Claudins -1, -3, -4, -5 and -8 have been classified as pore-sealing proteins. You want these claudins up-regulated along the length of your digestive tract to ensure a tight seal against the contents of your gut.

Claudin-2, however, is a pore-forming junction protein. The expression of this claudin increases intestinal permeability.

In colonic biopsies performed on patients with Crohn’s disease, claudin-2 is strongly elevated. Meanwhile, pore-sealing claudins -5 and 8 are down-regulated in this disorder. (2)

Ulcerative colitis is another inflammatory bowel disease characterized by up-regulation of claudin-2. So too collagenous colitis where increased expression of this protein is associated with a low expression of pore-sealing claudin-4. (3)

It should surprise none of you that beneficial bacteria and their metabolites affect tight junction proteins through numerous mechanisms. Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bifidobacterium infantis have all been found to maintain or strengthen gut-barrier function and protect against endotoxemia. (4) (5) (6) (7)

Food components can also affect tight-junction integrity as you’ve already learned by reading this blog. They can do so either directly by affecting zonulin expression or by encouraging the growth of gut pathogens. Some food constituents, like gluten, do both.

Returning to dairy—milk, whey protein, and whey protein concentrate—all contain high levels of transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ). TGFβ is a type of anti-inflammatory cytokine. This family includes a subfamily named transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1).

These proteins have important properties that inhibit the initial growth of cancer cells and induce their death or apoptosis. They are also involved in regulating immune function. TGFβ1 is found in highest levels in the whey fraction of human and cow’s milk. Breast milk naturally has a very high level of TGFβ1.

In an in vitro study published in 2011, whey protein concentrate rich in TGFβ1 increased the expression of pore-sealing claudin-4 without affecting claudins-1, -2, -5, -7 or occludin. ( By doing so, it increased intestinal barrier function.

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However, whey isn’t the only dairy protein under current study for its effects on the intestinal wall. A second study has also hinted at casein’s ability to strengthen gut-barrier function in a rodent model. (10) In this study, rats genetically bred to be susceptible to the development of autoimmune type 1 diabetes were placed on either a high-casein or standard plant-based diet.

The high-casein diet was a modified AIN-93G rodent chow and contained the following: 200 g/kg casein, L-cysteine, corn starch, sucrose, soy-bean oil, cellulose, mineral mix, vitamin mix, choline bitartrate and butylated hydroxyanisole antioxidant.

The ingredients in the plant-based chow were: wheat, meat meal (80% sterilized), yellow dent corn, whole oats, wheat middling’s, alfalfa, soya oil, dried yeast, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, NaCl, dl-methionine, vitamins and trace elements.

Do be sure to note that wheat was the number-one ingredient in the plant-based chow and that sugar (sucrose) was not a constituent of this diet.

Levels of lactulose and mannitol were measured in the urine of these rats to detect intestinal permeability. Animals on the high-casein (HC) diet had lower levels of intestinal permeability than their cohorts. Serum zonulin levels, a marker for intestinal permeability, were also lower in the rats fed the high-casein diet.

Rats on the HC diet were found to have increased levels of pore-sealing claudin-1 and reduced expression of pore-forming claudin-2. Because of this, the incidence of autoimmune type 1 diabetes in the high-casein rats was 50% less than in the gluten-fed animals.

The differential effect seen in this study has several possible explanations.

A high-casein diet has been seen to increase mucin levels (mucus) in the guts of diabetes-prone rats. (11) Doing so decreased their intestinal permeability and lowered insulin levels. The mucosal layer is an important physical part of our gut barrier and along with beneficial bacteria, prevents a “leaky gut”.

Another finding was that the high-casein diet increased levels of two anti-inflammatory cytokines: interleukin 10 (IL-10) and the above-mentioned transforming growth factor beta 1. By doing so, the HC diet suppressed inflammation in these rodents which would have inhibited intestinal permeability.

Finally, the presence of gluten in the plant-based rodent chow had obvious negative impacts on the tight junctions of those animals.

...

The formation of opioid peptides from consuming A-1 beta-casein dairy must be taken into consideration in cases of autism-spectrum disorders, constipation and gut dysbiosis as I’ve mentioned before. It would be wise, therefore, to seek out A2 beta-casein dairy while healing and sealing the gut. Once dysbiosis is a distant memory, the consumption of even A1 beta-casein is likely to not pose a problem for most.

Disentangling whether gluten or dairy proteins are causing health problems is a major confounder in observational studies and anecdotal accounts implicating dairy. The reality is that the consumption of dairy and gluten-grains very often goes together: cheese and crackers, mac and cheese, cookies and milk, cake and ice cream, beer and nachos, grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, wheat cereal and milk, butter and toast, cheeseburger and bun, etc., etc., etc.

I would hypothesize that the high dairy consumption in the West is probably protective against the permeability-enhancing effects of gluten. For example, ricotta, a cheese high in whey protein and a common ingredient of lasagna, may make that dish far healthier than would otherwise be the case.

Pointing out that Asian cultures are not big consumers of dairy and that this somehow “proves” it’s hazardous to health holds very little water with me. The reality is that the traditional grain eaten in large parts of Asia is rice, a grain that does not have known negative effects on gut-barrier function.

This difference may be largely accountable for the variance in health outcomes between Eastern and Western populations. Unfortunately, those differences are rapidly disappearing due to the increasing substitution of wheat for rice as the staple grain of these societies.

So here’s my recipe for the ultimate GERD experience. Consume a large meal containing lots of whole-wheat, add some beans, some very spicy tomato-salsa, perhaps a chunk or two of A1 beta-casein containing cheese, wash it all down with copious quantities of alcohol and immediately rush off to bed. In no time, you’ll be uttering those poetic words of endearment every spouse wants to hear: Honey, my acid reflux just stained the sheets. Magic, absolute magic!

After their endoscopy and insertion of gastrointestinal sensors, a meal was fed to all participants before they were sent home. This meal consisted of the following: a chicken sandwich, 6 oz. glass of milk, a cookie, and a banana.

Anyone see a problem with this hospital feast?

The sandwich bread, cookie, and likely milk would all have produced opioid peptides upon their digestion. Recall that humans lack the digestive enzymes to break proline bonds. While there is some speculation that certain species of beneficial gut flora may be able to do just that, the last thing in the world most of these patients could claim to have are healthy colonies of gut flora.

Eating both the sandwich bread and cookie would lead to the formation of various gluten opioid peptides. The milk served was likely from an A1 beta casein dairy source as that is the typical dairy type consumed in the United States. Ingesting it would have formed beta-casomorphin 7. And of course what these peptides do to antioxidant status via inhibition of cysteine uptake would also likely negatively affect motility via up-regulation of inflammatory cellular processes that would maintain an environment hospitable to pathogens.

No indication was given regarding what else was eaten by these participants once they left the medical center. However, given that the study was conducted at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA, I’ll leave it to your fervid imaginations for what other gluten and dairy opioid forming delicacies were ingested during the off-site monitoring period.

As ALL opioids slow gastrointestinal function, the conclusions drawn from this motility study are inherently confounded. We have no idea how much of this dysmotility can be blamed on gut dysbiosis as opposed to diet.

Conclusion

Again I reiterate that flinging open the gastric-barrier door by taking PPIs or impairing intestinal peristalsis predisposes to small bowel overgrowth whether by bacterial or fungal organisms or both.

Powerful drugs always have powerful side effects, and PPIs are no exception. For more on what those side effects are, I again refer you to this post.

As for delayed transit time, evidence is robust that the more often peristalsis is inhibited, the more likely a person is to suffer from recurring small bowel infections. Diet is surely a factor with both opioid peptides and binge drinking high on the list, but it’s not the only one.

Opioid drug use and thyroid disorders like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or euthyroid sick syndrome (ESS) are also contributors. But even here, ESS is related to diet as it’s often caused by either prolonged fasting or chronic ketogenic dieting.

I strongly caution against the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen to treat your pain and discomfort. I fully recognize that doing so may aggravate your symptoms. However, the well-documented negative effect these types of analgesics have on gut barrier function is the last thing you need when confronting a severe case of endotoxemia.

A survey of fibromyalgia patients rated NSAIDs more effective than acetaminophen in relieving their pain and hinted at their widespread use in this population. (7) The long-term consequences of using these drugs, however, are clearly self-defeating when intestinal “leakiness” is suspected.

While the use of non-NSAID tramadol has been found effective in managing pain, reports of its constipating side-effects concern me greatly. This isn’t surprising as this drug works on opioid receptors, including those in the gut.

Constipation exacerbates endotoxemia. Peristalsis not only propels partially digested food and feces along, it also serves a vitally important housekeeping function by preventing pathogens from attaching to and breaching the gut wall. Once peristalsis is compromised, the risk of gram-negative bacteria entering the portal vein to the liver and translocating to systemic circulation increases.

Also recall that impaired peristalsis is the number one reason colonic gram-negative pathogens are able to migrate to the small intestine. Opioids, including those formed by the partial digestion of gluten or A1 beta-casein, always impact peristalsis for the worse.

The dysbiosis at the heart of fibromyalgia, not to mention IBS, cannot be overcome without clearing up the infection and repopulating the gut with beneficial flora. Anything less will guarantee the persistence of these conditions.

"Hey, China, fuck you! Now you can deal with this little island of uber warriors that's been kicking your ass since boats." US

"...To students, Socialists, intellectuals, and many other elements of society, he seemed to be an unreconstructed fascist. They were suspicious of his every action, but particularly of his intention to revise the constitution, rearm, and extend the security treaty with the United States..."

Actually describing Abe's grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi. "His term as prime minister was marked by turbulent opposition to the U.S.-Japan security treaty signed in 1960..."

http://biography.yourdictionary.com/nobusuke-kishi

I expect you also noticed this companion article on the opposition from the youth of Japan: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/16/japanese-anti-war-protesters-challenge-shinzo-abe

what does this mean ? =W=

To lighten the thread up a bit:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/commuter-sent-picture-of-mans-penis-in-first-cyberflashing-case-10453890.html

Lucky we have the authorities to run to every time we are offended!

I saw something recently about reprogrammable routers being banned so these may become harder to come by in the future. I don't remember the details.