Cookies + Milk = Drugging Yourself?
Analyzing the impact of Dairy and Gluten on your brain health
A few days ago, I came across a video on X that explained this: Cookies + Milk (taken together) = drugging yourself.
Wait, what? Surely not (and don’t call me shirley).
I assured myself that this was clickbait and moved on. But the nagging of the need for truth was too strong for my will. So, like any good scholar, I googled it.
Turns out, this video was 100% correct. Here’s why:
Contents to Know
A main ingredient found in cookies is gluten. Gluten, especially in the United States, is found in most breads, pastas, and even beer. Gluten intolerance is not uncommon, and new research may suggest gluten is not all that great for you, but that isn’t the point of this post. Gluten mainly plays a role in helping foods to keep their shape.
A main ingredient in dairy is casein. Casein is found in milk, cheese, yogurt, and in most dairy derived products. Casein is a great protein for muscle recovery and bone health.
But what do these have to do with drugs? Let’s turn to the research from the Journal of Experimental and Basic Medical Sciences, June 2022.
Digestion Turned Drug
When both of these proteins are consumed, humans, have a hard time digesting these proteins. Both Gluten and Casein’s “chemical properties turn into similar structures to morphine”.
Gluteomorphine and casomorphine are formed and become permeable to our cells, giving way to the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and bind to opiate receptors.
Here is an excerpt of the article linked above (bolding by author for emphasis):
It has been suggested that, with the resulting increased permeability, food-based or similar-sized peptides entering the bloodstream may subsequently induce allergic sensitization or cause “pharmacological” effects. This study attempted to address a theory known as the “opioid excess theory.”[62,65]
Digestion of food containing casein and gluten produces small peptide molecules that act as exogenous opioids. In one study, peptides identified as milk-derived casomorphin and gluten-derived gliadorphin were detected in the urine of patients with schizophrenia and autism. These peptides have been shown to bind to opioid receptors in vitro. It is therefore presumed to cause central nervous system effects by modulating opioid levels in the brain.[62]
Whoa.
Impact
This study looked at how these two proteins impact psychological disorders, however, more studies have begun to emerge to show this chemical reaction occurs in “everyday folk” as well.
The video I saw on X relayed that you feel so great and sleepy after you have had cookies and milk because you are drugging yourself. This study would back that statement up.
To my mind, this brings a hypothesis: How would this effect individuals who do have opiate addiction or drug addiction? Would supplementing gluten and dairy satiate the craving for the drug, or would it create an obstacle for sobriety. Or even further, when chasing sobriety, does one need to abstain from gluten and casein? I digress.
By biggest takeaway from this new discovery is this:
No wonder Santa can deliver gifts all in one night to the entire world. Every house he goes to fills him with another shot of narcotics.
Someone ought to check on him.
-Kegan