William Davis (cardiologist)

Last updated
William R. Davis
Born1957 (age 6566)
Alma mater Saint Louis University
Scientific career
Fields Medicine, Cardiology

William R. Davis (born 1957) is a Milwaukee-based American cardiologist, low-carbohydrate diet advocate and author of health books known for his stance against "modern wheat", which he labels a "perfect, chronic poison." [1] [2]

Contents

Medical experts have criticized Davis for making false assertions about wheat, unsupported by evidence-based medicine. [3] [4] [5] [6] His low-carbohydrate Wheat Belly diet has been cited by dietitians as an example of a fad diet and because of its restrictive nature is likely to be low in B-vitamins, calcium and vitamin D. [7] He is the father of tennis player Lauren Davis.

Wheat Belly in the public forum

Davis's book Wheat Belly became a New York Times bestseller within a month of publication in 2011. [8] 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 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." [9]

The book inspired analyses which compare Davis's 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. [3] [4]

A 2013 review in the Journal of Cereal Science, concluded "we consider that statements made in the book of Davis, as well as in related interviews, cannot be substantiated based on published scientific studies". [3] A review by the American Association of Cereal Chemists which cited a recent review of studies on refined grains, noted that "the great majority [of studies] found no associations between the intake of refined-grain foods and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight gain, or overall mortality." [4]

Harriet Hall has described Davis's wheat belly diet as "another low-carb diet that ignores the bulk of the scientific evidence, makes false associations, and exaggerates grains (pun intended) of truth into delusional mountains." [10]

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. [11]

Selected publications

See also

Related Research Articles

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Gluten is a structural protein naturally found in certain cereal grains. Although "gluten" often only refers to wheat proteins, in medical literature it refers to the combination of prolamin and glutelin proteins naturally occurring in all grains that have been proven capable of triggering celiac disease. These include any species of wheat, barley, rye and some oat cultivars, as well as any cross hybrids of these grains. Gluten makes up 75–85% of the total protein in bread wheat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheat</span> Genus of grass cultivated for the grain

Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus Triticum ; the most widely grown is common wheat. The archaeological record suggests that wheat was first cultivated in the regions of the Fertile Crescent around 9600 BCE. Botanically, the wheat kernel is a type of fruit called a caryopsis.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rye</span> Species of grain

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breakfast cereal</span> Processed food made from grain

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Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) or gluten sensitivity is "a clinical entity induced by the ingestion of gluten leading to intestinal and/or extraintestinal symptoms that improve once the gluten-containing foodstuff is removed from the diet, and celiac disease and wheat allergy have been excluded".

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References

  1. "CBS This Morning: Against the Grain - Doctor on how to fight "Wheat Belly"". CBS News . Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  2. "Are You Addicted to Wheat?". 30 November 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Brouns, Fred; Vincent J van Buul; Peter R Shewry (September 2013). "Does wheat make us fat and sick?". Journal of Cereal Science. 58 (2): 209–215. doi: 10.1016/j.jcs.2013.06.002 .
  4. 1 2 3 Jones, Julie (July–August 2012). "Wheat Belly—An analysis of selected statements and basic theses from the book" (PDF). Cereal Foods World. 57 (4): 177–189. doi:10.1094/CFW-57-4-0177.
  5. "Wheat Belly arguments are based on shaky science, critics say". Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  6. "AACC International Publishes Science-Based Response to Wheat Belly". Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  7. Whitney, Eleanor Noss; Rolfes, Sharon Rady; Crowe, Tim; Walsh, Adam. (2019). Understanding Nutrition. Cengage Learning Australia. pp. 321-323. ISBN   9780170424431
  8. Quick, David (September 11, 2012). "'Wheat Belly' continues its run on NYT Best Seller list, but is demonizing wheat and gluten justified?". The Post and Courier. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  9. Doctor Oz Episode May 24, 2013
  10. Hall, Harriet. (2014). Food myths: what science knows (and does not know) about diet and nutrition. Skeptic 19 (4): 10-20.
  11. Dr. William Davis: Wheat Is Cause of Obesity and "Most Perverted Food on Store Shelves.", By Camille Lamb Thu., Dec. 13 2012 at 12:47 PM, "Miami New Times". Original quote: "Davis is not an advocate of vegan diets, but he says that it is possible to stay wheat- and grain-free on a healthy plant-based diet. For vegans, he recommends replacing grains with non-GMO vegetables, fruits, soy and other legumes, seeds (like chia and hemp), and nuts".