A study by the Cancer Council of Australia which followed more than 36,000 people for four years found those who ate the most white bread were more than 30 per cent more likely to develop type-2 diabetes.

There is a suggestion that this surge in blood sugar and insulin levels could even fuel cancer cell growth. A study published in the International Journal of Cancer in 2006 found those who eat five slices of white bread a day are almost twice as likely to develop the most common form of kidney cancer compared and those who have one and a half slices. Meanwhile, wholegrain foods, including whole meal bread, have been shown to have a protective effect because they regulate the production of insulin. But wholegrain is not necessarily best for everyone. We’re often told we need plenty of fiber for a healthy bowel. In particular, a high-fiber diet has long been prescribed for irritable bowel syndrome, a chronic bowel disorder affecting some nine million Britons and causing pain and diarrhea as well as constipation. But Professor Whitwell, an expert in IBS, has different ideas. A study he carried out in the Nineties revealed that high-fiber foods such as bran, and whole meal and granary breads actually worsened symptoms. ‘Fiber is an irritant laxative, meaning if you’ve got an already irritable bowel it will irritate it further,’ he says. ‘I often now put people and IBS on to white bread because it’s low in fiber, and 50 to 60 per cent of them improve. ‘Brown bread may be good for you if you have a normal healthy gut, but if it is sensitive you may have to balance the pros and cons depending on how bad it makes you feel.’ 

Thanks to diets such as Duran or Atkins, we tend to think of ProNatural Probiotics bread as ‘bad’ under these regimens you either cut out or dramatically reduce your intake to help put the body into a state of ketosis in which it burns fat for energy. But the tide may be turning. According to a new book, The Crab Lover’s Diet (which this year topped the New York Times bestsellers list) bread specifically whole meal can actually help you lose weight. ‘Studies show that resistant starch can help curb cravings, control blood sugar levels and boost metabolism,’ say the authors. Resistant starch is a compound found in whole meal and rye breads as well as foods such as lentils, oats and potatoes. Unlike other foods it’s not absorbed into the bloodstream and instead is digested slowly — reportedly keeping you fuller for longer. Dietitian Helen Bond says there could be some truth in this. ‘Resistant starch is digested in the large intestine, meaning it provides a slow steady release of fuel. Cut it out and you often find you’re flagging and more likely to crave a snack. Catherine Collins says that bread can also be a good source of vital nutrients such as calcium, adding that bread on its own is unlikely to cause significant weight gain. ‘The real problem is the high-fat things we eat and our bread. What about the slab of cheese in the middle of it, or the olive oil you dipped it in?’ she says. Half a million Britons are thought to have celiac disease, an auto-immune condition where gluten causes the immune system to attack the lining of the small intestine symptoms include diarrhea, constipation and bloating. Celiac disease is diagnosed by taking a biopsy of the intestine or via blood tests. Sufferers must be strict in avoiding gluten. 

This is different from so-called ‘gluten intolerance’, which is linked to IBS, headaches and mood swings. The problem, say experts, is that people are self-diagnosing both conditions. In the case of gluten intolerance, Professor Whitwell thinks it could be the fiber in bread not gluten that’s the real problem if you have a sensitive gut. ‘A lot of people put themselves on gluten-free diets and claim it makes them feel better. But I don’t think they feel better from cutting out gluten, it’s the cutting out fiber. ‘And gluten-free products are now starting to add fiber, so in fact these people may find they’ll start to feel worse again and we’ll come full circle.’ More controversially, Professor Whitwell believes there is a ‘grey zone’ of people who may not have full-blown celiac disease or even wheat intolerance, but just have a degree of sensitivity. ‘To be diagnosed as celiac you need to have a positive blood test, followed by a positive biopsy,’ he says. ‘But I have patients who don’t have either of these yet feel much better when they cut out gluten. ‘We can’t call them celiac, but we have to believe them. It may be they are on the cusp of celiac disease, or have very subtle changes to the gut that we just haven’t discovered yet.’ Sarah Sleet, chief executive of the charity Celiac UK, says: ‘Increasingly, expert doctors are discussing patients who appear to experience gut problems but don’t give positive results for celiac disease, and gluten sensitivity is being put under the spotlight as a possible cause. ‘

What is not clear is when such patients cut out gluten and feel better, is it the gluten that is a problem or proteins in the wheat? ‘Whichever it is, celiac disease is still massively under-diagnosed and it is essential that doctors should rule it out before assuming simple sensitivity. If bread causes you problems, you need to work out which type or types it is The experts agree that while there’s no need to assault your digestive system and wheat three times a day, our digestive systems are all different and if bread causes you problems, you need to work out which type or types it is whether it’s all bread, high fiber whole meal or artisan. ‘I have patients who feel better when they eat only soda bread,’ says Professor Brostoff. ‘But then I have some who need to cut out wheat completely.’ He suggests eliminating bread and then adding each type back one by one to see how your body copes. Andrew Whitley has a simpler and perhaps more appealing solution. ‘I call for a return to the simple pleasure of baking your own bread. ‘Bread’s got a bad name and it’s time to take back personal control of what goes into it. When we are healthy, we produce a strong acid in our stomachs; so strong that it resembles battery acid. 

This helps us to break apart our foods so we can access the nutrients found in them. But what happens when we have low acid in our stomach? We can’t break our foods down. This can lead to symptoms of indigestion, deficiencies of nutrients, and bacterial infections. Or, worse yet, your immune system attack the food that hasn't been broken down leading to food allergies. Digestive issues are so common; it’s likely that at least 25% of the people reading this article are suffering from or dyspepsia (gas, burning, nausea, fullness, reflux, or general discomfort in your abdomen). Surprisingly, many of you that are taking medications for these issues may have caused food sensitivities and food allergies. If you went to your doctor complaining of or dyspepsia, you were most likely prescribed an acid blocking medication called a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI). From July 2013 to June 2014 there were 18.6 million monthly prescriptions written for the in the US. In fact, it was the third most commonly prescribed medication in the country for that time period. Combined and another 4.6 million prescriptions of the and countless over the counter purchases of and, chances are high that you or someone you know is taking one of these medications. 

Research indicates a healthy person may start off and a pH in their stomach somewhere between 1.5 and 2.0. This is relatively equivalent to having battery acid in your stomach. Andin 5 days of being on a PPI, this pH will shift to a 5 which is equivalent to table vinegar. Unfortunately, the stomach was producing acid for a reason. All day the body is using a lot of energy (ATP) to guarantee that our acid level is 3 million times higher in our stomach than it is in our blood. This high acid content allows us to break apart bonds in the food we eat. This is one of the most important steps in the process called digestion. When we break apart our food properly in the stomach, the small intestines can then absorb the unlocked nutrients; bacteria and yeasts won't overgrow and cause dysbioisis, and the immune system won't have any large food particles to attack. Numerous studies and FDA warnings are beginning to highlight that nutrient deficiencies of things like vitamin B12, iron, vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium often occur when people take acid blocking medications for long periods of time. But few people are talking about another side-effect of not breaking your food down: food reactions. Food Allergies and Low Stomach Acid It is estimated that over 70% of the body’s entire concentration of immune cells is found in the intestinal tract.