The end of an era

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Drawn by Cecilia Bleszynski

The following Washington Post article "Final NASA shuttle mission clouded by rancor" should have had a different headline. Imagine this:

SIMIAN-SAPIENS ELITES ARE DESTROYING THE HOMO-SAPIENS CIVILIZATION!
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Vitamin K2 Reduces Heart Disease by 57 Percent

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Interesting links, some new some old. Enjoy!

From Natural Health Digest and News

Quote:

Researchers concluded that vitamin K1 had little effect on cardiovacular health, but vitamin K2 dramatically reduced it.
How do you get vitamin K2 into your diet? Vitamin K2 is found largely in meats and eggs.

Also cheese, organ meat, natto. See also my old posts on vitamin K2 related topics

Other interesting links gathered from a vegan forum (thank you Dr. Mc Dougall):


Sci Am: "Carbs against Cardio..." (refresher of an older post)

"Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Do Not Cause Coronary Heart Disease" by Dr. Paul J. Rosch

Quote:

4. No association between cholesterol levels and the severity or extent of atherosclerosis has ever been found in postmortem studies of the general population. No clinical or imaging study has found any relation between the degree of cholesterol lowering and improvement.

In one angiography study, in which blood cholesterol had been reduced by more than 25% in 24 patients, atherosclerosis was increased in 18 and unchanged in eight. Cholesterol rose in 12 other patients but only 4 showed an increase in atherosclerosis. A Mayo Clinic study similarly found that in all patients whose cholesterols had decreased by more than 60, there was a significant increase in coronary atherosclerosis.
...
6. The huge and lengthy MRFIT study (Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial) was designed to prove the links between diet, cholesterol, and other Framingham risk factors with heart disease. Cholesterol consumption was cut by 42 percent, and saturated fat consumption by 28 percent and on long-term follow-up, those adhering to this dietary fat restriction had slightly lower coronary heart disease death rates.

However, this benefit was far outweighed by significantly increased total mortality rates, especially from hemorrhagic stroke, cancer, suicide, accidents and violence. The risk of dying from a cerebral hemorrhage was 500% greater in those with low cholesterol compared to those with high levels. In most other studies, the incidence of stroke was higher in those who ate less saturated fat.

70g carbs per day diet reverses diabetes in 2 months!

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An apparently ketogenic diet consisting of ~70g of carbohydrates/day and 49g protein/day reversed type 2 diabetes in 11 patients.  During the 8 week course of the study, the patients' metabolic energy was derived primarily from fat, that is: 13.4g/day of dietary fat plus an average of 227g of body fat consumed in a day.  (They lost an average of 12.7kg of body fat per person, over 8 weeks!)

Here is the study Diabetologia DOI 10.1007/s00125-011-2204-7

Title: "Reversal of type 2 diabetes: normalisation of beta cell function in association with decreased pancreas and liver triacylglycerol", E. L. Lim, K. G. Hollingsworth, B. S. Aribisala, M. J. Chen, J. C. Mathers, R. Taylor

(Thanks Dav0 for alerting me to this study!)
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Gorillas stay lean by following Atkins

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Mountain gorilla (from wiki )

An article has just appeared in the Irish Times (under the above title - love the title! ).

Quote:

Scientist David Raubenheimer studied gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, who seasonally gorge on protein to meet their needs for carbohydrates and fats.Prof Raubenheimer noticed the primates were doing the opposite of what many overweight humans do in over-eating carbohydrates and fats to attain enough protein.  His study, published in the latest issue of the journal Biology Letters,  found gorillas ate a high protein diet, supplemented with fruits.

Interestingly, gorilla's diet ranges between 19% to 30% in PROTEIN! I wonder what would some well known diet promoting culprits recommending only 10%, say about that?!
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It's the sugar, stupid!

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Sugar (from Wiki)

John Yudkin - High intake of sucrose and heart attacks(*)

Quote:

In spite of these difficulties, such studies have already shown that sucrose, in proportions within the range found in current human dietaries, produces an increase in plasma lipids, uric acid, insulin and cortisol; abnormalities in platelet behavior; reduction in glucose tolerance; tissue resistance to insulin; damage to the liver and the kidney, and an increase in lipid in the aorta.

Potential role of sugar (fructose) in the epidemic of hypertension, obesity and the metabolic syndrome, diabetes, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease, by Johnson et al.

Quote:

It is our opinion that the potential mechanisms underlying the epidemic should be carefully reappraised. On the basis of both he experimental studies performed in our laboratories and an extensive review of the literature, we revisit an old hypothesis hat a simple dietary substance may have a significant role in driving the epidemic. Interestingly, reappraising the role of sugar nd its influence in the development of cardiorenal disease may lead to a new understanding of why certain populations, such as African Americans, Native Americans, Maori, and Australian Aborigines, are at greater risk of developing the disease. Similar to the relation between high intakes of salt or protein and the risk of developing kidney disease or to the relation between a high-fat diet and the atherosclerotic phenotype, we propose that sugars containing fructose may play a major role in the development of hypertension, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome and in the subsequent development of kidney disease. Although physical inactivity and overeating are major contributors to the obesity epidemic, we present evidence that fructose may be the "caries" to the epidemic’s root.

...

One unique aspect of fructose is that it is the only sugar that raises uric acid concentrations, and this can be shown in both humans (56) and rodents (57). Fructose enters hepatocytes and other cells (including tubular cells, adipocytes, and intestinal epithelial cells), where it is completely metabolized by fructokinase with the consumption of ATP; unlike in glucose metabolism, there is no negative regulatory mechanism to prevent the depletion of ATP. As a consequence, lactic acid and uric acid are generated in the process, and uric acid concentrations may rise by 1–4 mg/dL after the ingestion of a large fructose-based meal (58). Although the rise in uric acid concentrations has historically been viewed as simply a potential risk factor for inducing gout, recent studies suggest that this may be a key mechanism to explain how fructose causes cardiovascular disease. In addition, it also provides a mechanism to explain why rodents are relatively resistant to the effects of fructose (see below).

FRUCTOSE-INDUCED HYPERURICEMIA AS A MECHANISM FOR CARDIORENAL DISEASE

Nakagawa et al (51) recently showed in experimental animals that lowering uric acid concentrations could largely prevent features of the metabolic syndrome induced by fructose, including weight gain, hypertriacylglycerolemia, hyperinsulinemia and in-
sulin resistance, and hypertension. The protective effect of lowering uric acid concentrations on the development of the metabolic syndrome was shown regardless of whether the uric acid concentrations were lowered by using a xanthine oxidase inhibitor or a uricosuric agent (51). These studies were surprising, because most authorities had considered uric acid to be either biologically inert or an important antioxidant in the plasma (59). However, uric acid was found to have numerous deleterious biologic functions. For example, uric acid stimulates both vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and the release of chemotactic and inflammatory substances (60–62), induces monocyte chemotaxis (63), inhibits endothelial cell proliferation andmigration (64, 65), and causes oxidative stress in adipocytes, which results in the impaired secretion of adiponectin (66).

In animals, the effect of elevated uric acid concentrations is even more pronounced. For example, mildly hyperuricemic rats develop hypertension because of the inhibition of nitric oxide synthase in themacula densa, the stimulation of intrarenal renin, and a reduction in endothelial nitric oxide bioavailability (67). Over time, hyperuricemic rats develop renal arteriosclerosis that then causes the animals to develop a salt-sensitive form of hypertension.
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WHY ARE AFRICAN AMERICANS SUSCEPTIBLE TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE?

It is well known that African Americans have higher rates of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, and heart disease. ... Recent studies also have documented that the sugar intake of African Americans is greater than that of whites (110, 111). Similar high sugar intakes were noted in studies of Australian Aborigines and Samoans living in New Zealand (112,113). Furthermore, it is known that African Americans have higher concentrations of uric acid (114); in the African American Study of Hypertension and Kidney Disease, the average uric acid concentration was 8.3 mg/dL (115).

...

If the hypothesis is correct that fructose has a role in the epidemic of cardiovascular disease, then a number of predictions should arise from future studies. First, fructose intake will be a risk factor for hypertension, insulin resistance, hypertriacylglycerolemia, obesity, type 2 diabetes, preeclampsia, chronic kidney disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and mortality.  Second, reducing uric acid in patients with uric acid concentrations [greater than] 6.0 mg/dL will improve endothelial dysfunction, decrease systemic vascular resistance, lower blood pressure, lower triacylglycerol concentrations, improve body weight, lower the risk of the progression of renal disease, and reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Third, low-fructose diets coupled with mild purine restriction will improve weight and reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Fourth, fructokinase will be identified as a key enzyme mediating the cardiorenal disease syndrome; genetic polymorphisms will be associated with cardiovascular disease risk, and blocking the enzyme will provide a novel way to prevent cardiorenal disease. Clearly, much more work needs to be done to prove or disprove this hypothesis.

*) Found that through Mark's blog - The Definitive Guide to Saturated Fat
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Low-level ionising radiation protects against cancer!

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Quote:

The projections of thousands of late cancer deaths based on LNT, are in conflict with observations that in comparison with general population of Russia, a 15% to 30% deficit of solid cancer mortality was found among the Russian emergency workers, and a 5% deficit solid cancer incidence among the population of most contaminated areas.

Paper :   
Observations on the Chernobyl Disaster and LNT. (thanks Peter for pointing it out)

LNT stands for "Linear Non-Threshold" hypothesis that postulates that no matter how low level of radiation, its harmful effects accumulate and add up over time.

This and other papers posted in this blog ( Gamma radiation protects against cancer, in low doses seems to indicate that this theory is dead.
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Ketogenic diet reverses kidney failure caused by sugar

... in diabetic mice!

Chinese braised pork belly

New study was just reported on the BBC Health: Diet 'can reverse kidney failure' in mice with diabetes

Quote:

A controlled diet high in fat and low in carbohydrate can repair kidney damage in diabetic mice, according to US scientists. The study, published in journal PLoS ONE, showed a "ketogenic diet" could reverse damage caused to tubes in the kidneys by too much sugar in the blood. ... After eight weeks the researchers noted that kidney damage was reversed. Professor Charles Mobbs, who led the research at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, said: "Our study is the first to show that a dietary intervention alone is enough to reverse this serious complication of diabetes.

The study:

Reversal of Diabetic Nephropathy by a Ketogenic Diet

Quote:

In mouse models for both Type 1 (Akita) and Type 2 (db/db) diabetes, diabetic nephropathy (as indicated by albuminuria) was allowed to develop, then half the mice were switched to a ketogenic diet. After 8 weeks on the diet, mice were sacrificed to assess gene expression and histology. Diabetic nephropathy, as indicated by albumin/creatinine ratios as well as expression of stress-induced genes, was completely reversed by 2 months maintenance on a ketogenic diet. However, histological evidence of nephropathy was only partly reversed. These studies demonstrate that diabetic nephropathy can be reversed by a relatively simple dietary intervention. Whether reduced glucose metabolism mediates the protective effects of the ketogenic diet remains to be determined.

Let's look at this detail, quote:

None of the conditions influenced blood pH, although there was a non-significant trend toward reduced blood pH (i.e., acidification) in diabetic mice, and the ketogenic diet reversed this trend.

In other words:

-- KETOGENIC DIET REVERSED DIABETIC ACIDIFICATION! --

Which totally undermines all the bullshit that the mainstream medical authorities together with vegetarian promoters used to hurl against Atkins! Furthermore:

-- KETONE PROTECTS AGAINST GLUCOSE TOXICITY AND AGAINST OXIDATIVE STRESS --

As the authors explain, quote:

The ketone 3-OHB is cytoprotective
To further assess potential mechanisms mediating the protective effects of the ketogenic diet, and since glucose toxicity in diabetes is thought to be mediated by glucose-induced oxidative stress, we assessed if the ketone 3-OHB would protect cells from oxidative stress enhanced by either high or low glucose. As shown in Figure 6, 3-OHB produced a dose-responsive cytoprotective effect at both elevated and reduced glucose.

The authors also concluded that:

-- REDUCTION OF GLUCOSE METABOLISM MAY BE GENERALLY BENEFICIAL --

Quote:

...we hypothesize that at least part of the restorative effect was mediated by reduction of glucose metabolism. This hypothesis is supported by several lines of evidence. First, the ketogenic diet appears to reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures by reducing glucose metabolism [11], [12]. Second, molecular responses to the ketogenic diet indicates a re-routing of cellular metabolism away from glucose utilization and toward the use of alternative fuels [13], [14]. Finally, we have shown that ketone 3-OHB blocks molecular effects of glucose [9]. We therefore hypothesize that the ketogenic diet reverses diabetic nephropathy by raising blood levels of 3-OHB which subsequently reduce glucose metabolism in at least some tissues including kidney. Since ketones and the ketogenic diet are neuroprotective in a wide range of conditions [31], a phenomenon we have corroborated in the present study (Figure 6), it seems highly likely that the ketogenic diet will be protective in diabetic neuropathy and possibly retinopathy as well.

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Fatty meal may reduce heart risk

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(Beefsteak Tartare, wiki)

The findings were presented April 14 2011 at the 2011 Experimental Biology meeting in Washington DC.

Quoting after "Fatty splurge may reduce heart risk" article publishd yesterday in the Irish "Indo".

The surprising findings show that a short saturated fat "splurge" can actually reduce damage to the heart. Scientists who conducted the research in mice are still trying to explain the effect. But they believe it could have important implications for human health, possibly leading to a way to "pre-treat" people at high risk of heart attacks. Previous studies have found that certain patients with high cholesterol levels are more likely survive heart attacks than those with lower levels. Yet the idea that fatty food can reduce injury from heart attacks is completely at odds with general thinking about diet and heart health.

"at odds", yeah right...

Heretic
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Value fulfillment and ‘specism’

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(Drawn by Kinka & Cecylka Bleszynski (c) 2010)

We are postulating that there are two species of consciousness, as : Wolves and Dogs are of the same species, with the Alsatian and the Wolf barely distinguishable from each other. Yet each exhibits consciousness appropriate to its kind to fulfill its inherent values. The difference manifests itself in their behavior – they have a different consciousness (or “software”).

Value Fulfillment and Collectivists (They), and Individualists (Us)

Humans have also stratified into two species of consciousness. They are Collectivists (i.e. Baby Boomers ) whose consciousness dictates that they exist within a social network which they create by forging strategic friendships, partnerships and alliances, and that they climb up their power ladder to attain the higher positions within their structure. Their “success” is not contingent on any actual production of tools, goods, products or services, or on the actual creation of art or scientific progress. Their success is measured by their status on the corporate ladder. Their titles designate their merit – and their merit reflects their social climbing skills, and, incontrovertibly, their salaries and benefits. Their worth is in “being”.
The Individualists’ worth is in “doing”. Often stigmatized as social outcasts, they work, often unrecognized, un-applauded and underpaid, to follow their ideals, to produce the dies for tools, designs for goods, products, services. They spend lonely years creating sculptures, music, or canvasses or proving a new scientific theory. Their worth is in “doing”.
We refer to the collectivist consciousness as “simian” in that it may be viewed as a regression to our ancestral primate life in a group or herd, in a “paradise” where nature produced the fruits/food, and work did not matter, but obedience to social order did, If the social hierarchy was disobeyed, the rebels were expelled from “paradise” and were condemned to an exile where they had to work for their living….. “Thou shalt labour…etc.” Further allegory might be drawn from the need for a “Saviour” to lead these unfortunates back to their paradise. For the simians, being expelled from the social order and having to work was a punishment. For the Individualist, it was – and still is - an opportunity for self-fulfillment and enrichment.

Neither the simian consciousness, nor the individualist consciousness, though, should be rejected out of hand, because both species have their validity. The collectivists are inherently better at keeping society cohesive and functioning. That said, the individualists do give them headaches : The insistence of the individualists to follow through on their curiosity and also for following through with their inventions tends to disrupt the comfort level of the older and more inflexible managers. Just because the simians are better at playing politics, forging alliances and working out compromises does not mean they are all cold-blooded, emotionless beings. Neither can all individualists be classified as caring, either.


Seeking Perfection

One wonders if there is any way of explaining the social pathologies that Ayn Rand was describing in her books, other than assuming that her looters and moochers were dysfunctional and pathological humans? Is there some way of explaining their failures while acknowledging that they really are perfect in their existing roles just as they are ?

”Seeking Perfection” was an idea that did not make sense to us, and seemed irrelevant. Until now.

If one entertains theories pertaining to nature and living things, but has to resort to pathologies in order to explain certain behaviours, then most likely the theories are wrong ! "Simian” theory removes the idea of social pathologies from Ayn Rand’s model. “They are perfect the way they are, so are we !” They are just different and happened to live outside of their natural environment. Therefore they have no choice but to rely on the work of gifted individuals, their intelligence, skills and creativity to keep both species of consciousness alive. As an example, had the decision-making politicians consulted with engineers at the time Japan was buying its Fukushima reactors from G.E., they would not have bought them.

Another positive aspect of letting both species of consciousness live together is that it seems conducive to scientific progress – with research being conducted by free-spirited, curious people living in settled, stable and prosperous societies – in other words by individualists living among collectivists.

The collectivists’ best hope of survival is to embrace their antitheses, the creative individualists, rather than purging them from corporate management. There really is no hope of restoring their natural habitat (“paradise”), where they survived on their own.

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Stan (Heretic), based on Dozent's theory (Stanley P.), edited by Margo the Heretic (Margo W.)
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US gov nationalizing J&J Tylenol division!

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Johnson & Johnson's drug problem
U.S. takes over three Tylenol plants

- what are they trying to cover-up???

Does autism mean being more human?

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I was threatening to write on this topic under my November post "Lack of social skills made us human". See also, or I should say - especially Emily Deans, M.D. comment!.
Here we go.

It is about people with Aspergers' or mild Autism working in business environment (software consultancy), intermingling with the "normal" office employees and the ensuing culture clash.

An interview with Thorkil Sonne on CBC Radio 1 (Canadian) a couple of months ago, has sparked my interest in this as around the same time I started researching some issue involving anthropology and society. The following article from The Independent titled "Better, faster... and no office politics: the company with the autistic specialists" is fairly close to what was told on Sonne's radio interview. Let me quote:

I know lots of companies with noisy, chaotic, open-plan offices, where the work is like fire-fighting most of the time, and people from Specialisterne wouldn’t be able to work there. That said, the environment they need is the kind of environment we should all be working in anyway.”

Remarkably, about 70 per cent of Specialisterne’s employees are stationed in client premises. I asked Sonne how easy it is for them to fit in with other working environments. “We create virtual Specialisterne environments in our clients’ offices. Everyone who will be in contact with our consultants is briefed about the conditions they require. They have to be nice to our people, avoid stressing them. In Denmark, we use a lot of irony and sarcasm, but people with autism can’t decode that. We make sure that the clients know how important it is to be direct, to outline tasks precisely and to stick to routines, particularly if any queries arise.”

“That’s how you avoid an ‘I only fly with Qantas’ freak-out?” I blurt. “Yes,” says Sonne. “We’ve never had a ‘freak-out’. In fact, saying what you mean, meaning what you say, being nice, avoiding stress are all good things in general for companies to take on board. Many have said to us that having one of our consultants has softened the atmosphere.”

It must actually be a relief to work with colleagues for whom office politics, backbiting and bitchiness are anathema. “Yes, they are a happy and loyal group, no one ever talks badly about anyone else. It’s nice to work with people who are honest, without filters. In fact I am working on a new management technique based on our experience with working conditions that are more open and direct.”
...

You do have to have the right environment for people with Asperger’s to function – there needs to be an acceptance that I am special, that I might not work regular hours, that I might have down periods – but if you have that in place, we can do any job.”

Most Specialisterne employees tend to work 20- to 25-hour weeks, but Jacobsen has brought his hours up to 35. “You really blossom here. I see it with so many Aspergerians who join the company and get proper training. I have a lot of friends at the company now, and we socialise and go out together in town. We know we all have that twist.”
...
Of course, some experts have identified autistic traits in people such as Mozart, Da Vinci, Newton, Einstein. If they were alive today, perhaps they would be recognised as having Asperger’s, and look at what they achieved. Unfortunately, there is such an emphasis on being a team player and social skills in the workplace that there is still this resistance.
...

Comments? We should draw our own conclusions, but I could not help noticing that the attributes of the corporate culture that the Specialisterne Aspergers' people found unbearable are the same that _I_ find unbearable! They are the same attributes and habits that most of my fellow engineers find unbearable!

More articles, links and comments on the subject of corporate culture, "baby boomers'" etc., can be found under "anthropology" search term .
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Obesity + high carb diet = liver disease!

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High carbohydrate diet was associated with 7 times HIGHER risk of steatosis among morbidly obese bariatric surgery patients, while high fat correlated with 6 times LOWER risk, according to the following study:

Dietary composition and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Quotes from the abstract:

... all patients underwent a preoperative dietary evaluation using a standardized 24-hr food recall. Food intake was evaluated for total calories and macronutrients and compared to liver histopathology from biopsies routinely obtained during surgery. Associations with the severity of steatosis [FATTY LIVER DISEASE] and the presence of inflammation or fibrosis were assessed separately using chi-square for categorical variables and ANOVA for continuous variables. ... There were no significant associations between either total caloric intake or protein intake and either steatosis, fibrosis, or inflammation. However, higher CHO [CARBOHYDRATES] intake was associated with significantly higher odds of inflammation, while higher fat intake was associated with significantly lower odds of inflammation. In conclusion, present dietary recommendations may worsen NAFLD [NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE] histopathology.

Unfortunately, the full text is not available but this article provides more interesting details:

"Compared with patients with the lowest carbohydrate intake, a high-carbohydrate diet was associated with an odds ratio of 7.0 (p = 0.02) for liver inflammation. A high fat diet appeared to be protective, with those in the highest fat intake group having an OR of 0.17 (p = 0.009). Dr. Clark noted that the study appears to support diets such as the Atkins Diet, but she declined(*) to make a recommendation."

*) see this ancient text ...
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Low-energy diets render motor neurons vulnerable to degeneration

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This paper is a bit old but I am posting it to keep it in focus for a discussion.   Please notice that low fat vegan diets often tend to be "low energy"!

Mattson MP, Cutler RG, Camandola S. Energy intake and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neuromolecular Med. 2007;9(1):17-20

Abstract

Roy Walford, a physician and scientist who pioneered research on the anti-aging effects of caloric restriction and subjected himself to a low-energy diet, recently died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Information from his case, epidemiological findings, and recent controlled studies in mouse models of ALS suggest that low-energy diets might render motor neurons vulnerable to degeneration, whereas high-energy diets are ameliorative. This contrasts with the effects of low-energy diets on various neuronal populations in the brain that respond adaptively, activating pathways that promote plasticity and resistance to disease. One reason that motor neurons might be selectively vulnerable to low-energy diets is that they are unable to engage neuroprotective responses to energetic stress response involving the protein chaperones, such as, heat-shock protein-70 [*].


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*) In addition to that, ketone bodies (often very low on low-energy diets) would have been protective against neural damage caused by the stress response, see:
Ketone bodies protect neurons from stress hormone-induced damage

------- added 28/01 -------------------

This video  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-PzhyTlODc illustrates what kind of diet did Dr. Walford followed for about 10 years before his death (see around 7m into video). 

Vegan promoter warns vegans against Parkinson's!

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This is 2 years old, I just rediscovered it in my heretical files.  Worth reading.

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From Dr. Fuhrman's latest e-mail [around Apr 02, 2009] :

Leaders of the Vegan Movement Develop Parkinson's: Case Studies

Herbert Shelton (1895 - 1985) a naturopath and chiropractor and the influential founder of the American Natural Hygiene Society and Nature Cure movement in America and prolific health writer advocated a natural food vegetarian diet of mostly raw fruits, vegetables and nuts. I read all of his highly motivating books, newsletters and writings in my teens. He lived in Texas, was physically fit, grew lots of his own food and ate carefully and fasted periodically. Of course he did not get cancer, he did not get heart disease, but he died of Parkinson's disease and was so severely affected by the age of 78 that even walking was difficult. In 1973 when I met him he was already severely hunched over and had a difficult time walking and caring for himself. Though he lived many years with this significant disability, the quality of his later years was extremely poor.

Prominent Vegetarian and Health Advocate - this leader in the natural health movement and a personal friend to me also suffered from and eventually died from a fall related to his Parkinson's disease. During his young adult life he embarked on the path of healthy living and vegetarianism. A follower of Shelton's works, he operated a large health food store, one of the first to sell organic fruits and vegetables in America; he became a leader in the health food industry. Of course he was not at risk of cancer or heart disease with his excellent diet, but he developed Parkinson's which limited the quality of his later years.

When he was developing his Parkinsonian tremors, I ordered blood tests and was shocked to see his blood results showing almost a zero DHA [*] level on his fatty acid test, in spite of adequate ALA consumption from nuts and seeds eaten daily. I had never seen a DHA level that low before. Since that time I have drawn DHA blood levels on other patients with Parkinson's and also found very low DHA levels.
Was it a coincidence, that these leaders in the natural food, vegetarian movement, who ate a very healthy vegan diet and no junk food would both develop Parkinson's? I thought to myself--could it be that deficiencies in DHA predispose one to Parkinson's? Do men have worse ability to convert short chain omega-3 into long chain DHA? Is that why Parkinson's affects more men than women? Is there evidence to suggest that DHA deficiencies lead to later life neurologic problems? Are there primate studies to show DHA deficiencies in monkeys leads to Parkinson's? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding, yes. 
....
 [read further on  http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11105 ]

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*) DHA - Docosahexanoic acid, omega-3 type of fat commonly present in animal produce, especially in brain, spinal cord, nerves and egg yolks.  This type of fat is generally not present in plant based products, with very few exceptions (some algae).

In addition, a high carb nutrition would probably offer less natural protection against neuro degenerative diseases because of low level of ketone bodies.  For example non-ketogenic diet would be less protective against stress-induced neural damage, see:  Ketone bodies protect neurons from stress hormone-induced damage
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46% sugar diet causes breast cancer...

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Underfunded Scientists Force Lipstick-Covered Rat With Cancer To Run Through Maze

... in mice, as medical "scientists" have recently discovered in this study.   Strangely, that is not what they officially concluded, that's why I put the word in quotes!   The lethal mice diet consisted of 46% of sugar (31% sucrose + 10% maltodextrin + 5% dextrin), 21% of milk fat and 19% of casein.   Read more about that in this post by Denise Minger.

Heretic

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"... a flea without legs cannot jump when told, because it cannot hear - concluded the leading biologist Professor Lysenko"  (old Soviet joke) 

"You need a computer to obfuscate things properly but to really foul things up you need a scientist!" (anonymous, 1960-ties)

The Myths of Losing Weight

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(From Wiki)

Short Reader's Digest interview with Gary Taubes, for people who like "executive" summaries.

Another "executive" summary by Eric Westman: Limit Your Carbs and Lose Weight.

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Criminals

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This is important article, enjoy!

ECB Allows Irish Central Bank to Counterfeit 51 Billion Euros

Low fat diets could increase heart disease risk...

... say nutrition experts.

Home-made(*) pork lard. Obviously, it has to be good!

Saw this article link on THE SPARK OF REASON blog (thanks!).

The article describes a symposium called "The Great Fat Debate: Is There Validity In the Age-Old Dietary Guidance?" at the American Dietetic Association’s (ADA) Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo. It would have been a usual boring scientific waffle following a vacuous hedge-all-bets type of philosophy, had it not been for some quotes of Dr. Walter Willett's presentation. He is one of the few prominent medical officials (director) not following the "speak but say nothing" strategy. At least not since a couple of years ago.

Quotes (of Dr.W.Willett):

"If anything, the literature shows a slight advantage of the high fat diet," he said. "The focus on fat in dietary guidelines has been a massive distraction. ... We should remove total fat from nutrition facts panels on the back of packs."

He added that while the pervasive dietary guidance given to consumers has been to eat fats sparingly, to load up on starch and eat non-fat products, "the food industry quickly realized sugar was cheaper than fat and laughed all the way to the bank."

And assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School Dr. Mozaffarian:

... agreed with the other speakers about a lack of evidence linking total fat consumption and cardiovascular disease risk.

___________________
Footnote:

*) Chop pork belly into finger-sized slices or mince, put in a slow-cooker overnight, sieve-out the cracklings from liquid lard, while hot. Pour to plastic tubs. Feed the cat.

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Mainstream media hinting that Atkins was right!

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A reversal on carbs

I am going to put a big quote from this article, since it puts this better than any abstract of mine would have done:

Fat was once the devil. Now more nutritionists are pointing accusingly at sugar and refined grains....


Carb consumption has risen over the years. So have U.S. obesity levels. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) ...




Most people can count calories. Many have a clue about where fat lurks in their diets. However, fewer give carbohydrates much thought, or know why they should.


But a growing number of top nutritional scientists blame excessive carbohydrates — not fat — for America's ills. They say cutting carbohydrates is the key to reversing obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.


"Fat is not the problem," says Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. "If Americans could eliminate sugary beverages, potatoes, white bread, pasta, white rice and sugary snacks, we would wipe out almost all the problems we have with weight and diabetes and other metabolic diseases."


It's a confusing message. For years we've been fed the line that eating fat would make us fat and lead to chronic illnesses. "Dietary fat used to be public enemy No. 1," says Dr. Edward Saltzman, associate professor of nutrition and medicine at Tufts University. "Now a growing and convincing body of science is pointing the finger at carbs, especially those containing refined flour and sugar."


Americans, on average, eat 250 to 300 grams of carbs a day, accounting for about 55% of their caloric intake. The most conservative recommendations say they should eat half that amount. Consumption of carbohydrates has increased over the years with the help of a 30-year-old, government-mandated message to cut fat....


The first sign of insulin resistance is a condition called metabolic syndrome — a red flag that diabetes, and possibly heart disease, is just around the corner. People are said to have the syndrome when they have three or more of the following: high blood triglycerides (more than 150 mg); high blood pressure (over 135/85); central obesity (a waist circumference in men of more than 40 inches and in women, more than 35 inches); low HDL cholesterol (under 40 in men, under 50 in women); or elevated fasting glucose.


About one-fourth of adults has three or more of these symptoms.


"Put these people on a low-carb diet and they'll not only lose weight, which always helps these conditions, but their blood levels will improve," Phinney says. In a 12-week study published in 2008, Phinney and his colleagues put 40 overweight or obese men and women with metabolic syndrome on a 1,500-calorie diet. Half went on a low-fat, high-carb diet. The others went on a low-carb, high-fat diet. The low-fat group consumed 12 grams of saturated fat a day out of a total of 40 grams of fat, while the low-carb group ate 36 grams of saturated fat a day — three times more — out of a total of 100 grams of fat.


Despite all the extra saturated fat the low-carb group was getting, at the end of the 12 weeks, levels of triglycerides (which are risk factors for heart disease) had dropped by 50% in this group. Levels of good HDL cholesterol increased by 15%.


In the low-fat, high-carb group, triglycerides dropped only 20% and there was no change in HDL.


The take-home message from this study and others like it is that — contrary to what many expect — dietary fat intake is not directly related to blood fat. Rather, the amount of carbohydrates in the diet appears to be a potent contributor.


"The good news," adds Willett, "is that based on what we know, almost everyone can avoid Type 2 diabetes. Avoiding unhealthy carbohydrates is an important part of that solution." For those who are newly diagnosed, he adds, a low-carb diet can take the load off the pancreas before it gets too damaged and improve the condition — reducing or averting the need for insulin or other diabetes meds.


Americans can also blame high-carb diets for why the population has gotten fatter over the last 30 years, says Phinney, who is co-author of "The New Atkins for a New You" (Simon & Schuster, 2010).


"Carbohydrates are a metabolic bully," Phinney says. "They cut in front of fat as a fuel source and insist on being burned first. What isn't burned gets stored as fat, and doesn't come out of storage as long as carbs are available. And in the average American diet, they always are."


Here's how Phinney explains it: When you cut carbs, your body first uses available glycogen as fuel. When that's gone, the body turns to fat and the pancreas gets a break. Blood sugar stabilizes, insulin levels drop, fat burns. That's why the diet works for diabetics and for weight loss.


When the body switches to burning fat instead of glycogen, it goes into a process called nutritional ketosis. If a person eats 50 or fewer grams of carbs, his body will go there, Phinney says. (Nutritional ketosis isn't to be confused with ketoacidosis, a dangerous condition that can occur in diabetics.)


Beyond the fat-burning effects of ketosis, people lose weight on low-carb diets because fat and protein increase satisfaction and reduce appetite. On the flip side, simple carbs cause an insulin surge, which triggers a blood sugar drop, which makes you hungry again.


"At my obesity clinic, my default diet for treating obesity, Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome is a low-carb diet," says Dr. Eric Westman, director of the Lifestyle Medicine Clinic at Duke University Medical Center, and co-author of the new Atkins book. "If you take carbohydrates away, all these things get better."

See also this:

Was Atkins Right? Scientists Say Carbs -- Not Fat -- Are the Biggest Problem with America's Diet

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Study: add more carbs be more hungry!

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A new study: "A Paleolithic diet is more satiating per calorie than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischemic heart disease"

What is remarkable about it, is that the patients felt more satiated and thus ate automatically 24% less by their own choice, and the only major difference between the two tested diets was the amount of carbohydrates (grains)! Everything else was very similar.

Think about it: both groups eat some typical basic foodstuff, then just let one group add 82g more carbohydrates (grains!) plus 13g more fat (oil) per day and what is the main result? - THEY FEEL MORE HUNGRY!

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