Fields Medicine, Cardiology Alma mater Saint Louis University | Nationality American Residence United States of America | |
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William R. Davis is a Milwaukee-based American cardiologist and author of health books known for his stance against "modern wheat", which he labels a "perfect, chronic poison." This view had previously been rejected by the medical and agricultural industry based on conjecture, minimal controlled studies, and challenges inherent to clinical research, however anecdotal evidence such as Dr. Davis's and among many patients in the western populace suggest more research is necessary to understand and measure physiological and psychological influences that gluten and today's contemporary cultivars of wheat may have on human health apart from non-therapeutic dietary trends. In a recent double-blind placebo controlled challenge, approximately 14% of patients experienced symptomatic relapse upon gluten challenge, suggesting those individuals to have a bona fide non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS).
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Wheat Belly in the public forum
Wheat Belly became a New York Times bestseller within a month of publication in 2011. Davis says that all modern wheat, which he refers to as "Frankenwheat", is as toxic and as addictive as many drugs and makes people want to eat more food, especially junk foods. In an appearance on the The Dr. Oz Show he said, "The wheat of today is nothing like the wheat of 1960, 1950—that is, the wheat that our moms or grandmothers had—so it has been changed. This new crop has implications for human health that have never been anticipated. So this is appropriate for nobody, no human, nobody in this audience, should be eating this modern creation of genetics research."
The book inspired analyses which compare Davis' conclusions with the current evidence-base published in the established scientific literature. One analysis found that Davis used some data that was associated, but did not prove causality (false analogy), compared food data that is not naturally comparable (that is, incommensurable), made false assertions, ignored studies that disproved some of his claims, made assertions that were not backed up by any case studies, made self-contradictory statements and, while he made some statements that were true, they were not catastrophic as he claimed.
One reviewer cited a recent review of studies on refined grains, which concluded: "The great majority [of studies] found no associations between the intake of refined-grain foods and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight gain, or overall mortality."
On veganism
While Davis does not advocate vegan diets, he says that it is possible to stay wheat and grain free on a healthy plant-based diet. He says vegans should eat non-genetically modified fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and other seeds.