Wheat and Cow’s Milk: Potential Links to Neurological Disorders and Toxicity

Wheat and cow’s milk are staple foods in the Western diet, but their consumption has raised concerns over potential links to various neurological disorders. This article discusses the relationship between wheat and cow’s milk consumption and the development of Parkinson’s Disease, Glutathione Deficiency, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Vaccine-induced Toxicity, and Brain Inflammation. Key ingredients and compounds from these foods, such as Gliadin, Gluten, Wheat, Cow Milk, Gluten exorphins, Casein, and Infant Formula: Cow’s Milk Based, will be examined for their potential roles in these disorders.

Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms due to the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the brain (Kalia & Lang, 2015). A study by Fasano et al. (2013) suggests that a link between gluten sensitivity and Parkinson’s Disease may exist, as a subset of patients demonstrated improvement in motor symptoms after adopting a gluten-free diet.

Glutathione Deficiency

Glutathione is a critical antioxidant involved in detoxifying reactive oxygen species and maintaining cellular redox balance (Pizzorno, 2014). Some studies suggest that casein, a protein found in cow’s milk, may interfere with glutathione production (Trivedi et al., 2000). Furthermore, there is evidence that gluten intake may also contribute to glutathione deficiency, as patients with celiac disease exhibit lower levels of this antioxidant (Larussa et al., 2012).

Neurodegenerative diseases

Gluten has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis (Biesiekierski et al., 2021). Gluten exorphins, bioactive peptides derived from the digestion of gluten, may contribute to these diseases through their opioid-like effects on the nervous system (Pruimboom et al., 2018). Additionally, cow’s milk consumption has been associated with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis, possibly due to the immunological response to milk proteins (Hedström et al., 2014).

Autism spectrum disorders

Some studies have proposed a link between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and the consumption of gluten and casein (Whiteley et al., 2010). It has been suggested that gluten exorphins and casein-derived peptides may exert opioid-like effects, leading to the neurological symptoms observed in ASD (Pruimboom et al., 2018). However, more research is needed to conclusively determine the relationship between these dietary factors and ASD.