Bread Could Give You A Heart Attack

For millions of susceptible people, bread can be a deadly food, doubling their chances of a heart attack. Are you among this unlucky group?

According to research at the Cleveland Clinic if you suffer from celiac, an autoimmune sensitivity to the gluten in wheat, rye and barley, eating bread puts you at serious risk for heart disease.

It is estimated that about 1 percent of Americans have celiac and most don’t know they have it. That adds up to almost 3 million people who are risking cardiovascular disease by eating bread.

“People with celiac disease have some persistent low-grade inflammation in the gut that can spill immune mediators into the bloodstream, which can then accelerate the process of atherosclerosis and, in turn, coronary artery disease,” says researcher R.D. Gajulapalli, M.D., clinical associate at the Cleveland Clinic. “Our findings reinforce the idea that chronic inflammation, whether it’s from an infection or a disease, can have an adverse role in coronary artery disease and heart health in general.”

The 14-year study showed that 9.5 percent of people with celiac in the research group experienced coronary artery disease. People without celiac, developed the condition 5.6 percent of the time.