Meat-free diet six times more likely to suffer brain shrinkage

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"Vitamin B12 status and rate of brain volume loss in community-dwelling elderly." by Vogiatzoglou A1, Refsum H, Johnston C, Smith SM, Bradley KM, de Jager C, Budge MM, Smith AD., published in Neurology. 2008 Sep 9;71(11):826-32. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000325581.26991.f2.


(after @shashiiyengar Twitter post)

(Sorry for not being able to post any comments figures or quotes, the original paper is paywalled!)

Denise Minger's different kinds of magic

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I love her presentation!

Probably not true!

Who is a bastard who wrote "why"?

Magic rocks!   :)

I highly recommend to listen to her video. She is reviewing some old studies showing therapeutic effects of the very low fat high carbohydrate diets (VLFHC). Low fat means well below 10% preferably about 2%. When I begun my high fat low carb experiment back in 1999, which grew into my ongoing lifestyle nutrition to this day, I was aware that the very low fat natural food diet has been successfully used in halting progression of coronary heart disease and MS. I was familiar about Pritikin and Dr. Swank work. Prior to 1999 I was experimenting with vegetarian nutrition but I found it unpalatable, unless a sufficient amount of fat was added. More than 10%. So for me finding dr. Kwasniewski's Optimal Diet was a "gift from God", or I should say a gift from a friend of mine (Andrew S.)! Kwasniewski's Optimal Diet is high animal fat low carb diet (HFLC). After noticing back then that the VLFHC diets have some therapeutic property, I had many questions (i.e. "question everything"). One of them is about the long term viability and the side effects. Like with every therapy, there may be side effects. Are there side effects of VLFHC diets? How do people do on such nutrition scheme fare in the long term? Longevity issue? Longevity with a robust health or not so well? The same question can also be asked about any other diet, including the HFLC diet.

Unlike most other low carb promoters at that time (1970-ties - 1990-ties), dr. Kwasniewski did acknowledge that a high carbohydrate diet may also be healthy, quoting Japanese rice based diet as an example. He also insisted that, on such a diet (1) fat intake must be limited to abut 10% and (2) a sufficient amount of (lean) protein must be consumed. Insulin sensitivity is very high on such a diet because the intake of fat is very low but the pancreatic insulin secretion is medium. Insulin cannot be too low, due to carbohydrate-based metabolism. Typically it amounts to about 20-30 iu per day, based on my understanding and from reports by t1 diabetics (quoting from memory so verify this before you requote me!)

Dr. Kwasniewski also noticed, based on his patients record, that a particular proportion of macronutrients, consisting of about 35-45% of fat (by calories) and about 45-35% of carbohydrates is particulary unhealthy and makes people prone to developing diabetes and atherosclerotic heart disease. Kwasniewski also noticed that it causes a peculiar form of neuro-degeneration for people in their 40-ties and 50-ties manifesting itself in form character disorder (psychopathy). He called that dietary zone "dangerous middle zone". Pancreatic insulin secretion has to be very high (typically 40-60 iu/day or more) on such a diet in order to overcome the insulin insensitivity induced by the high fat intake.

He also noticed that as soon as you up the total fat intake to above 50% of calories then these pathological effects gradually subside and the diet becomes healthy again, even therapeutically healthy. The widely popular diet he publicized in the 1980-ties, arrived at the macronutrient proportions P:F:C (Protein to Fat to Carbohydrates) in gram per day per 1kg of ideal body weight of 1:3-3.5:0.8 to 1:2-2.5:0.5 . This typically works out at way over 60% (typ about 85%) of fat by calories. Notice that fat has 9kcal/g, glucose 4.5kcal/g and protein 3.5kcal/g (or less if used anabolically). Interestingly, Kwasniewski also found that his patients with coronary heart disease begun reversing and recovering. So his patients with many autoimmune disease such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, IBS, and other - also recovered on his diet! Even though the HFLC diet is the exact opposite of the VLFHC diet, it nevertheless produced surprisingly similar (if not greater) therapeutic effects! Notice that the insulin sensitivity (and the effect of fat upon it) becomes irrelevant due to very low intake of carbohydrates. Kwasniewski quoted insulin requirement at this point, to be about 6-10 iu/day. How did he measured it? By observing his type 1 diabetic patients!

What Denise Minger has done, is rediscovering and publicizing that fact that there are 2 dietary zones that have therapeutic properties, not just one diet!

What I would disagree with, is her presumption that the VLFHC diet would:

- "results in healthier gut microbiome long term"

There is not proof or comparison studies done for VLFHC vs HFLC on that, while there is enough reports indicating the long term gut flora deterioration among vegans (I would put refs to Dr. Stanley Bass and Dr. Gian-Cursio reports on Natural Hygienists).

- "may do best for ApoE4 carriers"

No proof either, other than high serum cholesterol which does not always translate to a health risk, except for people eating in the dangerous middle zone.

- "may be able to restore and heal glucose tolerance which does not happen on the high fat..."

This is not true based on my personal observation. Initially yes, HFLC diet did not restore my glucose tolerance, it only allowed my body to bypass the issue by not showering my body with the excess carbohydrates. Whenever I tried to eat a little bit more than 50g of carbohydrates in a day, I would inevitably come to regret it! Carb-headache and nausea. Beer was especially bad for me. However, after about 2 years I noticed that I was able to increase that limit and add more than previously and after about 6-7 years I noticed that my carbohydrates tolerance has been totally restored! For example I can now consume a high carb dinner if I have no other choice without any adverse side effects. I don't do it often, but it is nice to know that my metabolism has completely been restored. I suspect it has to do with the mitochondrial regeneration. It takes about 7 years to regrow and renew most of our muscular tissues from our stem cells. I also found it that initially I had to watch not only the total carbohydrates intake, but I also had to limit the overall caloric intake from fat as well. Initially the total limit was about 1800kcal. Believe it or not that is actually perfectly sufficient for an adult leading an active life on the high fat diet, without any problems (I was 43 in 1999 when I begun HFLC and I weigh 64k, 173cm height) It was as if my metabolic channels were impaired for both macronutrients, for carbs as well as for fat, except the metabolism of fat, being more effective, allowed me to live better and have more energy in spite of the limitations. Again, that restriction is no longer applicable and lifted itself after about 7 years.

Stan (Heretic) Bleszynski

vegan diet lowers muscle mass and doesn't protect against oxidative damage

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"Effect of restriction vegan diet's on muscle mass, oxidative status, and myocytes differentiation: A pilot study", Vanacore D. et al., J Cell Physiol. 2018 Dec;233(12) 

Quote:

...we observed a significant decrease in muscle mass index and lean body mass in vegan compared to vegetarian and omnivore groups, and higher serum homocysteine levels in vegetarians and vegans compared to omnivores. ... The results obtained in this study demonstrated that restrictive vegan diet could not prevent the onset of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases nor protect by oxidative damage.

Wiki veganism

vegan diet may make one mentally disabled

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Being Vegan Makes You Mentally Disabled, Warns Top Danish Doctor

Dr. Allan Lund of Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen highlighted the risks of a vegan lifestyle for young people in an ​appearance last week on Danish TV.

“Such a diet may involve developing different brain symptoms, with muscle weakness, poor contact, and epilepsy,” he told TV4. "And in the long term mental retardation."

According to Lund, his hospital has recently treated a number of vegan kids with such problems.

The news program aired amid a national debate in Denmark over the growing phenomenon of parents putting their children on a plant-based diet.

Wiki: By Ferdous - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,

Update 24/12/2018
For adults, also infertility risk and bone fractures:

Food intake diet and sperm characteristics in a blue zone: a Loma Linda Study."

Veganism, vegetarianism, bone mineral density, and fracture risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis

"Save" the World at your own risk, without actually saving anything. All risk (of wiping-out humanity) and no benefit!

To reduce nitrates eat less vegetables

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5 times more dietary nitrates come from vegetables than from cured meats!

Not as bad ...  (Wiki - Saussage)

Not as healthy ...(Wiki Healthy_diet)

"Contribution of vegetables and cured meat to dietary nitrate and nitrite intake in Italian population: Safe level for cured meat and controversial role of vegetables"
Rossana Roila et al., Italian Journal of Food Safety, Vol 7, No 3 (2018)

Paper

Table 1 from the quoted paper.

The paper found that most nitrates in an average diet studied, come from vegetables not cured meats!


Quote:

The average consumption among population resulted 3.45 g/kg bw/die [gram per kg body per daily dietary intake] and 0.62 g/kg bw/die for vegetables and cured meat respectively. The obtained data confirm that nitrate ADI was higher than the limits of 3.7 mg/kg bw/die for infants and was the highest exposure level for people of all ages. Cured meat consumption did not contribute to nitrate ADI exceedance neither as a mean nor as 99th percentile of exposure.

Study finds vegetarians have twice the rate of depression

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A new study by Bristol University of almost 10,000 men in the south west of England:

Vegetarian diets and depressive symptoms among men

The study full text is paywalled but a Daily Mail article describing the study says this:

Quote:

A study by Bristol University of almost 10,000 men in the south west of England found that those who gave up meat were almost twice as likely to suffer depression as those on a conventional balanced diet. It found the 350 committed vegetarians had a higher average depression score compared to others.

The paper, in the Journal of Affective Disorders, said a veggie diet led to lower intake of vitamin B12 and greater consumption of nuts rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which may be linked with greater risk of mental health problems. The report added: ‘Other potential factors include high blood levels of phytoestrogens – consequent mainly on diets rich in vegetables and soya. Another potential contributing factor is that lower intakes of seafood are thought to be associated with greater risk of depressive symptoms.’ Around one in 20 Britons are committed vegetarians and the majority are women.

Is vegetarianism an eating disorder?

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From Wiki 

After reading this article, especially the reference papers, my conclusion is 'yes'!

ttp://www.brendadavisrd.com/eating-disorders-in-vegans-and-other-vegetarians-setting-the-record-straight/

Quote:

Many experts believe that vegan diets (and other types of vegetarian diets) can increase the risk of eating disorders. Some treatment centers consider the reintroduction of meat a necessary part of recovery. These beliefs are based on data released between 1997 and 2009 that reported significantly higher rates of disturbed-eating attitudes and behaviors, restrained eating, and disordered eating among vegetarians compared to nonvegetarians.1-5
Currently, approximately 50 percent of adolescents and young women with anorexia nervosa eat some form of vegetarian diet; whereas only 6 to 34 percent of their nonanorexic peers in the general population eat a vegetarian diet.6

References

1. Lindeman M et al. Vegetarianism and eating-disordered thinking. Eating Disorders. 2000; 8(2):157–165. 85.

2. Bas M et al. Vegetarianism and eating disorders: Association between eating attitudes and other psychological factors among Turkish adolescents. Appetite. 2005; 44(3):309–315.

As a conclusion, the present study indicated abnormal eating attitudes, low self-esteem, high social physique anxiety, and high trait anxiety in Turkish vegetarian adolescents. The vegetarian adolescents may be more likely to display disordered eating attitudes and behaviors than nonvegetarians.

3. Klopp SA et al. Self-reported vegetarianism may be a marker for college women at risk for disordered eating. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2003; 103(6):745–747.

A significantly higher (P less than 0.0001) proportion of the vegetarians (37%) compared with nonvegetarians (8%) had EAT scores greater than 30 (indicating eating disorder risk). There was no difference in supplement use or meal skipping between the two groups. In conclusion, self-reported vegetarian college women may be more likely to display disordered eating attitudes and behaviors than nonvegetarians.

  4. Neumark-Sztainer D et al. Adolescent vegetarians. A behavioral profile of a schoolbased population in Minnesota.  Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. 1997 Aug;151(8):833-8.

Vegetarians were almost twice as likely to report frequent dieting (P less than  .001), 4 times as likely to report intentional vomiting (P less than .001), and 8 times as likely to report laxative use (P less than .001) than nonvegetarians. Overall, associations with other health-compromising and health-promoting behaviors were not apparent. 

5.  Robinson-O’Brien R et al. Adolescent and young adult vegetarianism: better dietary intake and weight outcomes but increased risk of disordered eating behaviors. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109(4):648–55.

This study shows that in a group of 17 year old, binge eating with loss of control occurs among 21.2% (current vegetarians), 16.0%(former vegetarians) and 4.4%(never-vegetarians).

6. Bardone-Cone AM et al. The inter-relationships between vegetarianism and eating disorders among females. J Acad Nutr Diet. 201;112(8):1247–52.

Compared to controls, individuals with an eating disorder history were significantly more likely to ever have been vegetarian (52% vs. 12%), to be currently vegetarian (24% vs. 6%), and to be primarily motivated by weight-related reasons (42% vs. 0%). The three recovery status groups (fully recovered, partially recovered, active eating disorder) did not differ significantly in percentiles endorsing a history of vegetarianism or weight-related reasons as primary, but they differed significantly in current vegetarianism (33% of active cases, 13% of partially recovered, 5% of fully recovered). Most perceived that their vegetarianism was related to their eating disorder (68%) and emerged after its onset.

Vegetarian diet causes genetic adaptation that raises risk of heart disease and cancer

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- which was found by an Indian/American study "Positive selection on a regulatory insertion-deletion polymorphism in FADS2 influences apparent endogenous synthesis of arachidonic acid" published in Mol Biol Evol (2016) doi: 10.1093/molbev/msw049 on March 29, 2016.

The study found a specific genetic adaptation to vegetarian diet that is detrimental to cardiovascular health and causes higher susceptability to cancer, due to enhanced production of arachidonic acid. Such adaption is not observed among populations consuming diets that are not exclusively plant-based.

From Wiki 

More discussion of the study can be found in:

Science Daily / Are we what we eat?
Evidence of vegetarian diet permanently shaping human genome to change individual risk of cancer, heart disease

Quote:

Summary:
In a new evolutionary proof of the old adage, 'we are what we eat,' scientists have found tantalizing evidence that a vegetarian diet has led to a mutation that -- if they stray from a balanced omega-6 to omega-3 diet -- may make people more susceptible to inflammation, and by association, increased risk of heart disease and colon cancer.

Daily Mail - Vegetarian diet 'raises risk of heart disease and cancer'

Quote:

Vegetarianism over generations can result in genetic mutations which increase the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Researchers found a long-term vegetarian diet means populations are more likely to carry DNA that makes them vulnerable to inflammation.
The mutation is believed to make it easier for vegetarians to absorb necessary fatty acids from plants, but also boosts their production of arachidonic acid, which increases inflammatory disease and cancer.

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Added 2/04/2016

This is an important study because it is not only describing statistical correlation which may or may not reflect the real causes, but it also described specific biochemical and genetical mechanisms underlying the effects they have observed. I am tempted to draw the following conclusions, some of them may be a bit stretched, some not. Time will tell.

1) The key factor in the chronic diseases are polyunsaturated fats - not the carbohydrates and not the other types of fats (for example not the mono-unsaturated or saturated fats).

2) Adaptation to a low fat plant based nutrition takes place over many generations of people, works through epigenetic mechanisms, predisposing such populations to efficiently process and convert the little amount of total and mostly polyunsaturated plant fat that they eat. This adaptation allows them to very efficiently convert the small amounts of vegetable oils they consume to some essential fatty acids required for the body, preventing malnutrition related deficiency diseases.

3) The same adaptation allowing low fat plant based food eaters to survive, causes chronic diseases risk once they add too much polyunsaturated fat into their diet, due to hyperactivity of metabolic pathway involving arachidonic acid and prostaglandins. The threshold is probably 5-10% of calories. This threshold applies to polyunsaturated fats of all kinds, including fish fat - BUT IT DOES NOT APPLY TO SATURATED FATS!

4) Both population groups - the one adapted to a low fat plant based diet and the one unadapted could safely consume larger amounts of saturated fats (i.e animal saturated fat, dairy fats, coconut fat etc) if they choose so, without a detriment to their health because saturated fats do not partake in the biochemical pathways involving arachidonic acid and prostaglandins.

5) Population adapted to low fat plant based diet should not consume more than a few percent (in total calories) of polyunsaturated fats such as vegetable oils (and fish oil!), otherwise the risk of chronic diseases increases.

6) Population not adapted to low fat plant based diet, not only can but should consume somewhat higher amounts of polyunsaturated fats including fish fat. How much would be OK and how high is too high? This is to be determined, I am not sure! This will ensure adequate supply of some essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, that their bodies cannot synthesize as efficiently as the adapted group! At the same time, the non-adaptation to low fat makes this group particularly well adapted to consuming larger amounts of polyunsaturated fish fat!

7) For the people who are not adapted to a low fat plant based diet, or those who tried it but could not or would not do it, I would say this: - a high animal fat diet will automatically make it low to moderate in polyunsaturated fats (suitable to both adapted and non-adapted) as long as you avoid using vegetable oils! If in addition, you avoid also consuming excessive amounts of carbohydrates then you will avoid other risk factors involving metabolic dysfunctions involving hyper-insulinemia and glucose overload.

8) Last but not least, I am directing this message to my vegetarian on-line friends and real life friends: - if you find yourself thriving on a low fat plant based diet then you are probably genetically adapted to it, therefore ABSOLUTELY avoid consuming more than a few % of daily calories in form of plant oils and fish (or fish fat)! Stay with it - it will probably work for you, however you most likely DO NOT NEED TO AVOID SATURATED FAT! You do not need to avoid meat, dairy and poultry either but watch out for the polyunsaturated contents of some animal fat! In this respect, if you wanted to add meat to your low fat plant based diet, you are probably better off adding beef rather than chicken or fish!

[3/04/2016]

9) Limiting consumption of polyunsaturated oils, especially Linoleic Acid present in commercial vegetable oils, will likely reduce mitochondrial damage alleviating the risk of metabolic syndrome, even on a high carbohydrate diet. This is key point of the Cardiolipin hypothesis that postulates that the primary cause of metabolic syndrome is mitochondrial degeneration due to incorporation of the linoleic acid into cardiolipin molecules, which makes mitochondria exceedingly vulnerable to oxidative damage. Such oxidative damage may be triggered be glucose overload as in a high carbohydrate diet, or by other factors. This is a two step process the primary factor (a) being the linoleic acid making mitochondria vulnerable and in the second stage (b) carbohydrate overload (or other toxins) actually damages the mitochondria. For further details on Cardiolipin hypothesis read Tucker Goodrich comments under my previous post and this blog.
I thoroughly enjoyed this article by Dr. Kendrick, very much on the topic of polyunsaturated fats: "Greater Cholesterol lowering increases the risk of death" , I hope you too. Here are some quotes:

The original researchers who set up and ran the SDHS did not fully publish their data at the time (one can only speculate as to why this may be so). When this current group of researchers finally managed to get hold of the full data from the SHDS, it was found that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat did lower cholesterol, however:
REPLACEMENT OF SATURATED FAT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE RISK OF DEATH FROM CORONARY HEART DISEASE AND ALL CAUSES.

and another one:

The Minnesota Coronary Experiment (MCE), a randomized controlled trial conducted in 1968-73, was the largest (n=9570) and perhaps the most rigorously executed dietary trial of cholesterol lowering by replacement of saturated fat with vegetable oil rich in linoleic acid.
...
Now, a few years later, the researchers who re-analysed the Sydney Diet Heart Study decided to try and find all the unpublished data from the Minnesota Coronary Experiment (MCE). (One can again only speculate as to why the original researchers did not reveal all of their data). The main points from this re-analysis were the following

* Though the MCE intervention lowered serum cholesterol, this did not translate to improved survival

* Paradoxically, MCE participants who had greater reductions in serum cholesterol had a higher, rather than lower, risk of death

Stan (Heretic)

USDA dietary recommendations of fruit & veg increase energy use and greenhouse gasses emission

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New study:

Energy use, blue water footprint, and greenhouse gas emissions for current food consumption patterns and dietary recommendations in the US

...This study finds that shifting from the current US diet to dietary Scenario 1 [eat less] decreases energy use, blue water footprint, and GHG emissions by around 9 %, while shifting to dietary Scenario 2 increases energy use by 43 %, blue water footprint by 16 %, and GHG emissions by 11 %. Shifting to dietary Scenario 3, which accounts for both reduced Caloric intake and a shift to the USDA recommended food mix, increases energy use by 38 %, blue water footprint by 10 %, and GHG emissions by 6 %. These perhaps counterintuitive results are primarily due to USDA recommendations for greater Caloric intake of fruits, vegetables, dairy, and fish/seafood, which have relatively high resource use and emissions per Calorie.

I like this. It makes me think I should be supporting the plant based lacto-ovo-pesco vegetarian diet since a little bit warmer climate is better for the environment than a new ice age (that we may be perilously close to).

Which is more "Climatologically Correct" ?
From  publicdomainpictures.net  

Lettuce-nibbling veggies menace Mother Earth /
'Three times worse in greenhouse gas emissions than eating bacon'