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Up to one percent of the U.S. population (and about ½% worldwide) is believed to have
Celiac Disease, an autoimmune reaction to gluten proteins found in wheat, barley and rye.
While sorghum has long been thought safe for celiacs, no clinical testing had been done until
researchers in Italy made a study. First, they conducted laboratory tests; after those tests
established the likely safety, they fed celiac patients sorghum-derived food products for five
days. The patients experienced no symptoms and the level of disease markers (anti-
transglutaminase antibodies) was unchanged at the end of the five-day period.
Clinical Nutrition. 2007 Dec;26(6):799-805. Epub 2007 Aug 24
Sorghum has been widely consumed as a staple food and in beverages throughout Africa.
More recently, corn has replaced sorghum in some areas. Researchers from the University of
Witwatersrand Medical School in South Africa believe that “the change of the staple diet of
Black South Africans from sorghum to maize (corn) is the cause of the epidemic of squamous
carcinoma of the esophagus.” They link the cancers to Fusarium fungi that grow freely on
maize but are far less common on sorghum and note that “countries in Africa, in which the
staple food is sorghum, have a low incidence of squamous carcinoma of the esophagus.”
Medical Hypotheses. 2005;64(3):658-60
Joseph Awika and Lloyd Rooney, at Texas A&M University, conducted an extensive review
of scores of studies involving sorghum, and concluded that the phytochemicals in sorghum
“have potential to signiciantly impact human health.” In particular, they cited evidence that
sorghum may reduce the risk of certain cancers and promote cardiovascular health. Click
here to download the full paper.
Phytochemistry. 2004 May;65(9):1199-221
Scientists in Madrid studied the effect of three different components from wine and one from
sorghum, to gauge their effects on the growth of human melanoma cells. While results were
mixed, they concluded that all four components (phenolic fractions) “have potential as
therapeutic agents in the treatments of human melanoma” although the way in which each
slowed cancer growth may differ.
Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry. 2001 Mar;49(3):1620-4