Banking on bread: How better carb consumption can improve the world’s health

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Banking on bread: How better carb consumption can improve the world’s health

26 Oct 2021

Liz Goodwin

Liz Goodwin is a Texas-born journalist and photographer. Although a Southerner at heart, she fell in love with the Midwest at the University of Missouri where she earned her bachelor's of journalism. When she’s not writing or behind a camera, she loves to cook, find new restaurants, and spend time outside. Her favorite baked goods include croissants and crackers, especially when topped with fig jam and brie.

MUNICH— If you’re still brainstorming a good accessory for a scary Halloween costume, your best bet might be to put away the Michael Myers mask and grab a bagel instead. At least that’s what Ryan Reynolds would tell you.

Michael Gusko, global director of innovation for GoodMills Group GmbH, quoted the actor, who said people in Los Angeles are so scared of gluten that “you could rob a liquor store in this city with a bagel,” during his presentation at iba.CONNECTING EXPERTS, a virtual tradeshow being held Oct. 25-28. His seminar focused on how carbohydrates are often characterized as the culprit of the world’s health problems when they might just be the solution.

There’s no doubt that health problems around the world are on the rise. More than 90% of adults over 65 have at least one chronic condition as of 2018 according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and numbers continue to rise. Gusko said that as people begin taking their health more seriously, consumers are flocking to low-carb and high-protein diets such as paleo, keto and gluten-free — the dietary trend with the strongest grip on American shoppers.

“Especially in the US, gluten is a huge topic,” Gusko said. “Low-carb is coming back, and there’s pressure on grains and cereals now … especially on keto when you nearly eat no carbs.”

Looking at the science, eating carbs can cause glucose and insulin spikes which stimulate fat storage and blood sugar changes. But not all carbohydrates — and not all metabolisms — are created equal, and each person reacts to diets differently. What causes large glucose spikes in one person might barely affect the other, and the answer to this puzzle could be the gut microbiome.

“There is no single diet that works best,” Gusko said. “It really depends on what your metabolism is, and the main missing piece is the microbiome.”

A person’s microbiome consists of trillions of microorganisms inside the body that synthesize vitamins, break down food and stimulate the immune system. This important collection of organisms can easily be thrown out of balance by infectious illnesses, excessive antibiotic use or a person’s dietary habits. But each microbiome is vastly different from one person to the next, one of many reasons why the German company E-research says that 73% of people do not believe that general dietary recommendations are the best advice for an individual.

Although no food product will affect two people the same way, there are some carbs that are better than others when it comes to blood sugar fluctuation and glucose response. Grains like tartary buckwheat and desert wheat provide different phytochemicals and fiber content with more positive effects on the human body, including the ability to revitalize a microbiome. And as consumers continue to take a personal approach to their health through smart watches and personalized tests, they are going to want personalized food options too.

There, Gusko said, lies the potential for bread to be a “superfood of the future.”

“There is a huge potential for your health by using nature’s biodiversity,” he said. “The ideal bread will be tailored for each individual. We only have one health, so make the most of it.”

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