Nutrition and National Health

Sir Robert McCarrison's Cantor Lecture 'Nutrition & National Health' makes fine reading.

• "Man is made up of what he eats. The constituents of his food are those of which his body is composed. His foodstuffs, derived from the vegetable and the animal kingdoms, consist, for the most part, of matter that is living, that was formerly living or that is derived from matter that was formerly living. Man cannot himself build up living tissue from materials which have in themselves no necessary connection with living protoplasm. This, plants do for him. Out of the earth and air, and under the influence of the sun, they transmute certain inorganic substances -- mineral salts, water and carbon dioxide -- into organic foodstuffs suited to his use and to the use of the animals whose produce or whose flesh he uses as food. He is, indeed, created out of the earth; and according as the earth provides, by way of plant and animal life, the materials needed by his body, so is that body well, ill or indifferently made and sustained."

Nothing new here, but ahead of its time for the early part of the 20th Century.  Let's look at McCarisson going 'paleo' on our collective ass:

• "Disorder of the function of nutrition, brought about by faulty food, causes the body to react in a variety of ways, depending on the nature of the food-faults that give rise to it, the part or parts of the body effected by it, and the intervention or the non-intervention of toxic or microbic agents of disease. These reactions, involving as they do disturbance in structure or in functions of various parts of the body, manifest themselves as subnormal states of health or as actual disease in great variety of form"

So whilst dentists may advise those with tooth decay to 'brush better', and obesity specialists tell the obese to 'eat less, do more', and an skin specialist may advise those with acne to 'deep cleanse', McCarisson may well be open to the advise in each case to 'address the quality of your nutrition'.

Looking at the physique and stature of Indians, quoting McCay, McCarisson notes,

• "'As we pass from the North-West region of the Punjab down the Gangetic Plain to the coast of Bengal, there is a gradual fall in the stature, bodyweight, stamina and efficiency of the people. In accordance with this decline in manly characteristics it is of the utmost significance that there is an accompanying gradual fall in the nutritive value of the dietaries."

Here he suggests that grains are actually one of the reasons for the superior physiques of the Northern Indians:

• "In general the races of northern India are wheat-eaters, though they make use also of certain other whole cereal grains. Now the biological value of the proteins of whole wheat is relatively high; and the wheat is eaten whole, after being freshly ground into a coarse flour (atta) and made into cakes called chapattis. It thus preserves all the nutrients with which Nature has endowed it, particularly its proteins, its vitamins and its mineral salts. The second most important ingredient of their diet is milk, and the products of milk (clarified butter or ghee, curds, buttermilk); the third is dhal (pulse); the fourth, vegetables and fruit. Some eat meat sparingly, if at all; others, such as the Pathans, use it in considerable quantity"

One assumes traditional techniques of food preparation would be employed.  Now comes an interesting point; contrary to Paleo 2.0 McCarisson seems to disfavour rice consumption,

• "White flour, when used as the staple article of diet, places its users on the same level as the rice-eaters of the south and east of India. They are faced with the same problem; they start to build up their dietaries with a staple of relatively low nutritive value. If their health and physical fitness are not to suffer, they must spend more money on supplementary articles of diet in order to make good the deficiencies of white flour than if they had begun to build on the surer foundation of whole wheat flour (Fig 2). So it is with rice, which is the staple article of diet of about ninety millions of India's inhabitants. The rice -- a relatively poor cereal at best -- is subjected to a number of processes before use by the consumer; all of which reduce -- some to a dangerous degree -- its already sparse supply of certain essential nutrients. It is parboiled, milled or polished; often all three. It is washed in many changes of water and, finally, it is boiled. It is thus deprived of much of its proteins and mineral salts and of almost all its vitamins. Add to this that the average Bengali or Madrassi uses relatively little milk or milk-products, that by religion he is often a non-meat-eater, that his consumption of protein, whether of vegetable or of animal origin, is, in general, very low, that fresh vegetable and fruit enter into his dietary but sparingly, and we have not far to seek for the poor physique that, in general, characterizes him. In short, it may be said that according as the quality of the diet diminishes with respect to proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins, so do physical efficiency and health; a rule which applies with equal force to the European as to the Indian"

There is something about these old-skool doctors.  They have clinical experience and seem to have been driven by curiousity whilst being unencumbered by modern commercial drivers (they did it for the King and Empire).  Nor were they burdened with modern dietary dogma, which unlike the dogma of their time, would not have had the investment of big pharma nor agribusiness - well certainly not in the capacity it has today.

All five sections are available here:

1. Food, Nutrition, and Health
2. Relation of Certain Food Essentials to Structure and Functions of the Body
3. National Health and Nutrition
4. Introduction to 'Studies in Deficiency Diseases'

5. Diseases of Faulty Nutrition

Food & Health in the Scottish Highlands

"Food & Health in the Scottish Highlands" - another great installment from W. W. Yellowlees:

• "The cooking oils, shortening, or margarine manufactured from the oil of maize, cotton seeds, soya beans or sunflower seeds cannot qualify as natural foods. Their mass production requires the use of techniques for repeated heating at high temperatures and of solvents, catalysts and various other chemical additives. The relatively higher levels of blood cholesterol in Western nations have for long been regarded as a major risk factor in the cause of coronary heart disease; the purpose of substituting vegetable oils, especially polyunsaturated oil, is to lower levels of blood cholesterol.
  
  When blood cholesterol has been successfully lowered by changes in diet or by drugs no overall reduction in death rate has been demonstrated. Indeed some trials have seemed to show that we lower blood cholesterol at our peril. In the recent WHO sponsored European study on the primary prevention of coronary thrombosis using the drug Clofibrate, blood cholesterol levels were lowered by approximately 9%. This certainly seemed to reduce non-fatal attacks of coronary thrombosis by some 26%, in the experimental group of men taking the drug.
  
  But there was no reduction in fatal heart attacks and an alarming increase of 37% in the treated group in the death rate from causes other than coronary disease. This unfortunate outcome was due to an increase in cancer deaths, particularly cancer of the gastro-intestinal tract. There was an astonishing increase -- more than double -- in the operations for removal of gallstones in the treated group.
  
  In the two primary prevention trials in which diet was used to lower blood cholesterol it seemed death rates from causes other than coronary diseases were higher in the treated group.
  
  To the ecologist would not these results suggest that cholesterol may have a protective function in the life of human cells, and that the raised blood cholesterol levels observed in Western societies may be a response to faulty nutrition which has nothing to do with animal fat? There appears to be no constant relationship between the incidence of fatal myocardial infraction and levels of blood cholesterol, nor between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol. Some statisticians have pointed out that when the effects of sugar consumption and of smoking are taken into account, eggs, meat, milk and saturated fat cease to be a more statistically significant cause of mortality than heart disease."

Ironically it MUST have been much easier to identify substances that do not qualify as 'natural' food a decade or two ago - familliarity breeds contempt and all that.

Yellowlees concludes with words that could have been written today and which show the glacial progress we seem to have made in Western disease prevention:

• "The minutiae of human pathology are infinitely complex, but the basis of health outlined in this paper is simple. The rise and spread of diseases of civilisation in spite of all the amazing advances in medical technology, in spite of all the efficacy of new drugs, and in spite of State fundings of medical care for everyone, is a demonstration of ecological disaster on a vast scale.
  
  Failure by professional leaders and by Governments to grasp the truth of the ecological basis of the diseases of our time finds both Government and profession faced with ever-mounting expenditure on medical care, groping blindly for priorities in prevention. One example of such blindness is the belief that the integrity of our hearts could only be achieved by substituting unnatural polyunsaturated margarine for natural butter. Another example is the proposal, supported by finds from the DHSS, to achieve dental health by dosing the entire population via the water supply with highly toxic compounds of fluorine derived from the waste products of certain industries."

Amen to that.

Ill Fares The Land

W.W Yellowlees 1978 lecture 'Ill Fares the Land' was pioneering, profound, perceptive but only 'politely applauded' by a cynical audience who thought that saturated fat was the scourge of modern life and who also thought that by 1990, everyone would have one of these to do housework, and one of these to get to work.  Probably.  But Yellowlees was obviously on to something.

Yellowlees came from a Scottish settlement that earned its living from the land.  Yellowlees soon realised that this self-same land was perhaps the source of health in the community.  As modern foods became increasingly available, Yellowlees noticed a decline in health.

This is masked by a delusion noted by Yellowlees,

• "...that if only everyone had unfettered access to the best available medical services, people would get healthier."

This question itself was a natural extension of that asked by Dr. Robert MaCarrison in 1936,

• "Where do we go for prevention?"

This latter question was apparently met with a 'deafening silence by the medical community!  And it gets better,

• "The simplicity of the idea that so much disease could be caused my modern malnutritn may be difficult to accept, and the though of nature's laws quite baffling.  Man bestrides a natural world.  He dominates all living things but he is utterly dependent on them.  He is supported by the plants, the trees, and the animals.  The whole system rests on the soil which is itself vibrant with life.  If any part of the supporting system is taken away, man will begin to fall off his perch.
  
  ...
  
  The laws of nature applied to nutrition simply require that the flow of nutrients from the soil through the plants and the animals to man should be as little meddled with as possible.  The flow is dependent on an infinite number of biological relationships which can neither be counted not measured."

Simple, yet profound - and pretty much where the modern science is pointing at the moment.  Yellowlees also throws in this caveat (so we cannot say we were never warned, nor that politicians listen beyond the rustle of cash),

• "At a time of ever-increasing centralisation of government control there is a grave danger of such beliefs being enshrined as dogma and incorporated in programmes for prevention, of unproven value and of possible danger...This danger is well illustrated by the dogma f animal fat and the branding of animal fat as the villain of human nutrition."

Yellowlees concludes with this profound quote by Professor Ross Hall of McMaster University, Ontario,

• "We are moving gradually into a world of designed consumer foods.  Natural farm produce such as milk, potatoes, and grains are no longer just complete foods to be eaten as part of a meal.  They have become ever-expanding sources of raw material to be utilised as building blocks for new and more diverse synthetic foods."

It is great to know we walk in the shoes of others, but disappointing to know that in nearly 35 years, we are further from the revolution in health and nutrition we really need, than ever before.

Baise moi.

Volume Week 4 W/O2

Time to add a rep to the second set of DLs. Same with the chins!  The UK is experiencing unseasonally fine and sunny weather (28 degrees), so what I really intend to push is the D3.

Warm Up (5 minutes)
Main (40 minutes).
1a. Deadlift (4/5x137, 6/7x124)
1b. OACs (4/5x48kg, 5/6x43kg, 2-arm 10xBW)
2. HSPU (assisted 10, 10, 10, short rests)
3. Backbridge (15s, 15s)
4. 5-Way DB Rotator Cuff (10)
5. Reverse DB Wrist Curls (10)

November 8, 2011

It is hard to comprehend how precarious our existence is at times.  On November 8th 2011 a 1300-foot-wide  (400 metres) asteroid will pass within 0.85 lunar distances of earth.  There is no cause for alarm - well not for another 100 years anyway (click on the graphic above).

You might also considering freeing up your diary beyond 2028 when another asteroid (153814) 2001 WN5 will pass to within 0.6 lunar distances.

Should this latter asteroid impact the earth, it is anticipated that although mankind will, by necessity, have to return to a hunter gatherer existence, the various heart/diabetes/nutrition NGOs around the world will recommend we hunt only lean meat whilst focusing our foraging skill on wild grains*.



*I might have made this bit up.

All Aboard!

A few times each month I stumble across some "WTF" news story.  Today was one such day.  I was listening to NaturalMessiah favourite 'The Food Program' on BBC Radio 4.  The program looked at junk food advertising to kids:

• Sheila Dillon explores the issue of advertising junk food to children, and how companies have changed their marketing since the banning of the showing of food advertisements during children's television programmes four years ago.

All very much as I expected - the marketing men placing subtle adverts in online games and so on.  The usual yada yada (but very much worth listening to), and then my world was rocked!

Sh*t Sometimes Floats Upstream
Suddenly there was mention of Nestle's latest attempt to push their First World produce in to Third World markets; Nestle actually has a maritime supermarket that it floats up and down the Amazon:

• The first Nestlé floating supermarket will set sail on the Brazilian Amazon to extend its reach to over 800,000 customers.Named Nestlé Até Você a Bordo – or Nestlé Takes You Onboard – the barge will journey to 18 small cities from July 1 for nearly 3 weeks, docking one day in each city. Leaving the Brazilian port of Belém, the vessel will sail to the region of Marajó Island to the city of Almeirim, into the Baixo Amazonas, or the Amazon Lowlands region, before returning to Belém.

My God, those poor ignorant souls subsisting without the help of 'Honey Nut Shredded Wheat', 'Drumstick Ice Cream' and Baby Milk?

• Offering over 300 well-known Nestlé brands on-board including Ninho, Maggi and Nescafé, the Company has adapted its products to the region by offering smaller and cheaper versions for more accessibility for low-income customers.

Now I am fully aware of caveat emptor and all those vacuous arguments about 'why should we deny others foods that we in the West enjoy', and I am all for free markets and what-not, but this to me looks like the nutritional equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. This isn't about feeding hungry people, this is about markets and mark-up; about selling 'food-like' products - engineered to be more-ish, to those ignorant of the consequences - and like all good dealers, the first hit comes at a discount.

What this is in NO uncertain terms, is selling crapinabox to slum dwellers.  Sure that crapinabox will taste good, but it comes at a price - and perhaps if nutritional education was in place, then the folks of the Amazon wouldn't be prepared to pay that price.  Oh wait a minute, Nestle IS offering nutritional advice on board this supermarket:

• The floating supermarket develops another trading channel which offers access to Nutrition, Health and Wellness to the remote communities in the north region of Brazil.

That's all alright then.  Glad to see that Nestle will not be taking advantage of uneducated folk by offering non-impartial advice on 'health and wellness'.  Ideally they'd include a copy of Good Calories, Bad Calories (an audio book version if necessary), in their information packs which would give the locals a pretty graphic illustration of what happens to the health of indigenous peoples when they forsake their local and seasonal foods.

Time have already reported on the problem of obesity in Brazil,

• Already one-quarter of hospital beds are taken up by people suffering from weight-related ailments such as heart attacks, back surgeries and hip and joint replacements, says Luiz Vicente Berti, president of the Brazilian Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Unless preventive action is taken to educate people, he warns, Brazil faces a sick and expensive future. "If we don't teach people how to eat properly and exercise, then in 10 years no one will have the money to pay the hospital bills that will arise," Berti says, adding that the number of stomach-reduction surgeries carried out in Brazil had risen 500%. "The U.S. can't solve its problem, and it is the biggest economy in the world."

We know how this will end.  I give it a decade.

Baise moi!

Volume Week 4 W/O1

I felt slighlty lethargic today.  I'd been out for a heavy bouldering session yesterday so that probably explains feeling below par today.  There will be no 321s or fingerboard action in general today.

Warm Up (5 minutes)
Main (40 minutes).
1. Stairgators (1)
2. Barefoot Sprinting (1x10s, 1x10s, 1x10s, 1x10s)
3a. MU to Ring Routine (4, 4)
      Rope Climbing (1)
3b. Pistols (assisted: 9, 9, 9)
4a. Scissor Splits (2L, 2R, 3C)
4b. Planche Variations (20s, 25s, 20s)
4c. Golfers Elbow Drumstick Rotation (10)
5. Barefoot Kill Carry (2)
6. 321 (All 4 down the rung sizes)