Jul 10, 2026 · 21 min
Hidden constipation and crop chemicals often mimic gluten intolerance
Most Replayed Moment: Are You Really Gluten Intolerant? It Could Be This Instead!
Misdiagnosing gut issues leads to unnecessary dietary restrictions while leaving the true root causes of digestive distress unaddressed.
- 1Constipation is the leading cause of bloating because trapped stool allows microbes to ferment and produce excess gas.
- 2Glyphosate sprayed on American wheat crops damages gut motility, causing sensitivities not experienced with European wheat.
- 3Fructans are often the true trigger for wheat sensitivity, but traditional sourdough fermentation makes them easier to digest.
Don't miss
Dr. Will Bulsiewicz explains how the fermentation process in traditional sourdough bread breaks down difficult-to-digest fructans.
The brief
Many people who suffer from chronic bloating and gas blame gluten, but gastroenterologist Dr. Will Bulsiewicz reveals that the true culprit behind these uncomfortable gut symptoms is often underlying, unrecognized constipation.
A bowel movement is not just waste. Microbial mass makes up sixty percent of stool weight, and when poop gets gridlocked in the intestines, these microbes ferment the trapped material, producing excess gas that causes painful bloating.
Wheat sensitivity in the United States is frequently tied to agricultural processing rather than the grain itself. Spraying wheat crops with the herbicide glyphosate disrupts gut motility, a problem rarely encountered with European wheat.
For those struggling with wheat, the real trigger is often fructans, not gluten. Fructans are long-chain carbohydrates found in wheat, garlic, and onions, but the natural fermentation of sourdough bread helps break them down for easier digestion.
Industrialization, ultra-processed diets, and the overuse of antibiotics have damaged the human microbiome. Rebuilding gut health takes time, but understanding the difference between motility issues and food intolerances is the first step.
What was said on this episode
26 statements · 4 positive · 12 negative · 3 mixed · 7 neutral
Chronic recurring digestive symptoms indicate an underlying problem requiring personalized intervention.
“if it's a chronic health issue, if you're the type of person who you wake up in the morning and you say, I hope today's gonna be a good day, I hope I don't have to deal with that specific issue. You have a problem”
Listen at 1:22
Constipation means inadequate bowel emptying, not merely infrequent bowel movements.
“constipation is what happens when you're not adequately emptying your bowels”
Listen at 2:31
Asymptomatic people who normally defecate every other day may not be constipated.
“They poop every other day. That's their normal. They feel fine. They don't have any gut symptoms. They don't have a constipation problem.”
Listen at 2:56
Frequent bowel movements can coexist with incomplete emptying, bloating, and constipation.
“You might not still be fully emptying your bowels. Right. And so that. So that's an example of a person who can actually be struggling with bloating and constipation and not think because they're like, doc, I'm pooping three times a day.”
Listen at 3:47
Intestinal gas travels alongside stool through the bowel.
“The gas travels with the poop.”
Listen at 4:31
Microbial material constitutes approximately 60% of stool weight.
“your poop is predominantly your microbiome. 60% of the weight of your stool is microbial.”
Listen at 4:41
Stool retention gives microbes more time to ferment contents and produce gas.
“when the poop is in gridlock and it's not moving through, then those microbes are basically sitting there with unlimited time to ferment and produce gas.”
Listen at 5:49
Gut microbes can ferment protein and produce gas.
“Anything they come into contact with, it could be protein. They will ferment it, they will produce gas.”
Listen at 6:08
Constipation is strongly associated with gas and bloating.
“this is a big part of the reason why constipation is so strongly associated with gas and bloating.”
Listen at 6:14
Constipation is arguably the leading cause of gas and bloating, among multiple possible causes.
“I would argue that constipation is the number one cause of that particular issue. But there's many potential causes.”
Listen at 6:30
Abnormally fast intestinal motility causes diarrhea, while sluggish motility causes constipation.
“if the intestines move too fast and out of rhythm, you get diarrhea. If the intestines slow down too much sluggish, you get constipation.”
Listen at 6:42
A weakened microbiome impairs digestion and contributes to gas and bloating.
“When your gut is not happy, they're weak, the microbes are weak, and you're asking them to do work and they can't handle that, and you end up with sloppy digestion, and that's gas and bloating.”
Listen at 7:59
A gluten-free diet can cause problems without appropriate dietary adaptations.
“it can cause problems to be gluten free, unless you know what adaptations to make.”
Listen at 9:56
Glyphosate disrupts the microbiome, depletes beneficial bacteria, and favors inflammatory bacteria.
“we know that glyphosate disrupts the microbiome, that it depletes the beneficial bacteria, and the ones that tolerate it the best are the inflammatory ones.”
Listen at 11:53
Fermenting wheat dough reduces its fructan content.
“When you ferment your wheat, when you ferment your dough, you actually reduce the fructan content.”
Listen at 12:51
People with gut damage may tolerate sourdough better because fermentation reduces fructans.
“people who have a slightly damaged gut, they struggle to process and digest them. So this would explain why some people, they eat wheat containing gluten containing foods, and they struggle, but they do okay with sourdough because if you ferment the bread, it reduces the fructane content, and actually, then you can tolerate it.”
Listen at 13:17
In a cited study, fructans triggered symptoms while gluten caused fewer symptoms than placebo.
“When they ate the gluten containing bar, they actually had less symptoms than the placebo. So in other words, the gluten is not the problem, but when they ate the fructan containing bar, they were triggered.”
Listen at 14:30
Many presumed gluten intolerance cases are better characterized as fructan intolerance.
“we have been taking this concept of gluten intolerance and we've misnamed it. It's not a gluten intolerance, It's a fructane intolerance.”
Listen at 14:53
Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease involve especially severe gut dysbiosis.
“for the people who have ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease, those are forms of inflammatory bowel disease. Those people have the deepest dysbiosis.”
Listen at 16:08
Inflammatory bowel disease can potentially enter deep remission without flares.
“It's possible to put them into remission so deeply that they don't have a flare”
Listen at 16:22
A healthy microbiome during the first three years supports a healthier immune system.
“when the microbiome is healthy during childhood, during those first three years, it results in a healthier immune system.”
Listen at 18:23
Inflammatory bowel disease has a genetic component.
“there's clearly a genetic component.”
Listen at 19:02
Inflammatory bowel disease increases as countries industrialize.
“as countries industrialize, there's a takeoff, and they start ramping up.”
Listen at 19:42
U.S. ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease cases rose by up to 55% from 1970 to 2010.
“within the United States, over the course of 40 years, from 1970 to 2010, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease cases were increasing by up to 55%.”
Listen at 19:46
Antibiotic use doubles inflammatory bowel disease risk during the following year.
“If you take antibiotics, your risk of developing an inflammatory bowel disease in the next year just doubled.”
Listen at 20:09
Antibiotics reduce gut diversity, disrupt the gut barrier, and activate the immune system.
“reducing gut diversity, disrupting the gut barrier by 50% during a course of antibiotics and activating the immune system.”
Listen at 20:24
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
