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How can food contribute to better health?
Jean Seignalet dedicated his lifes work to the question.
Jean Seignalet (1936-2003) was a French surgeon and immunologist
who spent a good part of his working life studying the
interconnection between food and health. Although controversial
among his peers, his rather extreme recommendations still highlight
how important our diet is to our health.
French surgeon and immunology researcher Jean Seignalet was
one
person who dedicated his working life to exploring the links
between the human lifestyle and health, focussing in particular
on
diet. His work was controversial within the scientific
community,
but he nonetheless drew attention to the important issue of how
we
can be the actors of our own well-being.
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Going back to the diet of hunter-gatherers
Jean Seignalet was born in 1936 and first became known as a
surgeon and immunologist: specifically, he worked on
compatibility-related issues for organ donation. He used to
publish
articles in the most serious scientific journals, where his work
would
be reviewed and approved by his peers. In the 1980s, after
becoming
seriously ill, Seignalet started to look into the relationship
between
food and health in more detail.
He soon came to the conclusion that the human lifestyle has
evolved
much faster than our organisms, and that the modern diet is
generally unsuitable for the needs and processes of our bodies
and,
long-term, can trigger or favour the appearance of certain
diseases.
He thus came up with a specific diet, called hypotoxic, intended
to resemble as closely as possible that of the hunter-gatherers of
the
Palaeolithic Age (200,000 to 12,000 B.C.). The diet is strict,
as it
excludes all foods cooked at high temperatures and gluten
for
instance. The consumption of organic foodstuffs and unrefined
oils
is encouraged. As Seignalet was first and foremost a doctor, his
diet
aimed to help patients recover from diseases, some of which
were
considered incurable.
A complex legacy
In a book called LAlimentation ou la troisime mdecine (Food, or
the Third Medicine), he recounted the results he witnessed with
his
patients, which no scientific journal agreed to publish. His
work on
diet and health was never acknowledged by the scientific
community, and he insisted that he did not set out to cure
diseases
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with the hypotoxic diet, but rather to help prevent their
apparition
and support the recovery process. This controversial figure died
in
2003, leaving behind him a community of enthusiastic adepts of
his
diet who live by it every day. Even though his specific
recommendations were never validated by his peers, in a context
of
increasing diet-related issues (such as the spread of obesity in
the
developed and in the developing world), Seignalets work
resonates with the idea that we can, to a certain extent, be our
own healths best helper.
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Dr. Jean Seignalet Ancestral Diet
What conditions is this diet best for?
The author of the Seignalet Diet blog, which is the only
information
available in English on Dr. Jean Seignalets diet thus far, notes
that Dr. Seignalet originally developed the diet for rheumatoid
arthritis,
ankylosing spondylitis and Behcet disease. Good results from
the
diet moved him to eventually expand into treating all
autoimmune
disorders and even other diseases of unknown cause.
What are the main tenets of the diet?
The basic premise of the diet is that modern foods are
chromosomally/genetically different from ancestral foods, and
the
human gastrointestinal tract has not had time to adapt to
these
changes. Dr. Seignalet also believed that cooking at high
temperatures can modify the protein structure of foods, which
can
lead to autoimmunity as well as alteration of the
gastrointestinal
flora (bacteria that colonize the GI tract and play a large role
in
immunity and gastrointestinal function). Dr. Seignalet believed
that
these modified proteins may not be fully digested, which can
change
the bacterial flora from a fermentation flora
(physiologically
preferred) to a putreficaiton flora (not physiologically
preferred).
Bacteria, which work to putrefy proteins, create toxic
by-products,
which can cause many imbalances and lead to disease. The
philosophy of the diet involves eating non-modified foods,
which
can be completely digested and assimilated, or used properly by
the
body.
Foods given up/Foods eaten frequently:
Cereals and grains Wheat and its products (see exceptions
below), oats, corn, barley,
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rye, kamut, millet, bulgur, couscous, farro (even though it
is
marketed as an ancestral grain) are not allowed. Buckwheat,
quinoa,
rice, wheat starch and corn starch are allowed, for the
damaging
proteins do not exist in the starch anymore. Soaking and
sprouting
of allowed grains is preferred.
Dairy All animal-source dairy are avoided.
Meat Raw meat is preferred, such as in the form of carpaccio or
steak
tartare. Gently cooked meat is allowed. Raw deli meats such
as
parma ham, sausages and salami are allowed. Cooked deli
meats
(like cooked ham, turkey, chicken, roastbeef) are not
allowed.
True foie gras is allowed and its fat is considered healthy,
although
many people choose to avoid foie gras for ethical reasons. Pate
is
typically not allowed, as it contains both milk and flour.
Fish Just as with meat and eggs, the recommendation is, the less
cooked
the better. The author notes that lightly steamed fish is not
as
dangerous as cooked meat. Shellfish and oysters are allowed,
preferably raw.
Eggs Best raw or poached, never hard-boiled. The reviewer notes
that
soft-boiled would be preferential to hard-boiled.
Fruits and Vegetables All are allowed and recommended in large
quantities. Pulses and
legumes are allowed as well.
Dried Fruits and Nuts Recommended in large quantity, although
the reviewer notes that
these are likely intended to be preservative-free. The author
notes
that nuts should be consumed raw, and the reviewer notes
that
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soaking nuts, as well as pulses, legumes and grains, before
consuming improves digestion and assimilation.
Other foods Dr. Seignalet recommended eating honey and pollen;
chocolate must
be pure and dark with no additives. It may be sweetened with
brown
sugar, agave, honey or maple syrup; white sugar must be
eliminated.
Oils Any oil from a first cold press is allowed.
Condiments All are allowed in pure, additive-free form,
including herbs and
spices. Salt should only be taken in whole form, versus
refined.
Beverages Tap water and mineral water are encouraged. Coffee and
tea are
tolerated in reasonable quantities. Achicoria (Spanish for
chicory
root) consumption is recommended. Chicory root contains
inulin,
which is a type of carbohydrate that serves as a prebiotic.
Prebiotics
are indigestible carbohydrates for humans, but friendly
gastrointestinal flora are able to digest them and use them
for
energy. All alcoholic beverages (excluding beer and drinks
with
added sugar) are allowed in moderate amounts. Drinks with
added
sugar, such as soda and commercial juices and prohibited.
Cooking Dr. Seignalet recommended avoidance of cooking as much
as
possible, with over 70% of diet consumed as raw. He
recommended
that cooking temperatures, when cooking is unavoidable, to
remain
below 212 Fahrenheit, with a preference for steaming. Over
this
temperature (and especially over about 400), he stated that
many
mutagens, Maillard molecules and isomers are created, which
turn
into toxins once inside the body.
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Light sauting, stewing, steaming and dehydrating are
allowed,
since all of these methods dont reach high temperatures.
Frying
and oven cooking are not recommended, since these methods
allow
very high temperatures to be reached. Eating smoked foods
with
moderation is recommended because of the carcinogen effect in
the
stomach.
Meal Frequency and Portion Sizing:
No specific recommendations given.
Vitamins/Supplements:
No specific recommendations, although bee pollen can be
considered a supplement.
Will this diet require shopping at a specialty or organic
grocery
store, or buying the diets pre-packaged food (aka, is this diet
going to be very expensive to sustain)?
This diet will require some shopping at a specialty or
organic
grocery store. Genetically modified foods are not recommended,
so
organic foods would be the obvious choice. Also, since quinoa,
rice
and buckwheat are the only recommended grains, one may wish
to
find flours made of these to use in cooking, as well as nut,
bean and
banana/plantain flours. All of these will require specialty
shopping. There are no pre-packaged diet foods associated with
this
diet. This diet can be expensive, although careful meal planning
and
the minimization of eating out (which is implied) can help to
off-set
costs.
What other autoimmune diets is this diet similar to?
This diet is similar to most autoimmune diets in that organic
and
unprocessed foods are highly recommended. It is also similar
to
elimination diets for autoimmunity, since dairy, gluten,
additives/preservatives are excluded. This is diet is unique to
other
autoimmune diets with its recommendation for mostly raw
foods,
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including meats, fish and eggs. The reviewer notes, however,
that
the concept of consuming mostly raw or gently cooked
meats/foods
is not new or unique to this diet. The idea of protecting the
structure
of proteins as well as fats is an idea that the reviewer
believes is
worth considering for optimal health and well-being. Anytime
raw
meat is consumed, one must make sure the meat has been
handled
appropriately prior to consumption.
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Diet basis
JEAN SEIGNALET worked as a doctor and professor in the
Montpellier Hospital (France). He was the administrator of the
renal
graft department during 30 years, and a pioneer in organ
transplantation, especially renal. His wide knowledge as a
doctor
and biologist allowed him to create a global theory that related
a big
part of autoimmune diseases with modern diet, designing a diet
that
applied with success to his patients. At first, he designed a
diet to
eliminate the possible stimulators of the immune system in
autoimmune diseases, especially in rheumatologic ones:
rheumatoid
arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Behcet disease The good
results obtained moved him to apply his diet to autoimmune diseases
from
other specialties, and after that even to other diseases of
unknown
cause. The results are shown here. In 1998 published
LAlimentation ou la Troisime Mdecine (Alimentation, the third
medicine) where he exposes the basis of a healthy diet, and
healing/preventive for many diseases.
JEAN SEIGNALET sets his proposal of diet following a basic
idea:
some modern foods are modified from ancestral ones, whereas our
digestive system has not modified. This modification of the food
is
given by the genetic mutation caused by agriculture, in the case
of
some cereals, or by cooking at high temperatures, that modifies
the
protein structure. Thus, the proteins we eat may not be
digested
completely, altering the balance of the intestinal flora and
passing
from a fermentation flora (physiologic) to a putrefaction flora
(non
physiologic). This alteration of the flora and of the intestinal
content
creates toxins that are absorbed and disturb the body balance.
This
alteration may be given by the elimination of the excess of
toxins, in
the case of the elimination diseases, by the accumulation of
this
excess of toxins, in the accumulation diseases, or by the
stimulation
of the immune system by strange proteins, in the case of the
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autoimmune diseases. The philosophy of the diet involves
eating
non-modified foods that are completely absorbable.
Basic principles:
Exclusion of cereals, with some exceptions.
Exclusion of dairy and dairy products.
Preferential consumption of raw products (more than 70% of
the diet should be raw).
Use of virgin oils, obtained by cold pressure.
Priority to biologic products.
Frequent consumption of probiotics.
EXPLANATION:
1.- Cereals:
- Modern cereals are forbidden, as they are mutated because
of
agriculture selection. It is known that modern wheat has
21-23
chromosomes, whereas ancestral wheat had 7. This modification
affects the protein structure, which can act as a toxin not
being
completely digested. This toxins act in the intestine too,
modifying
the intestinal flora and creating a putrefaction flora that
affects the
intestinal wall and creates even more toxins.
- Wheat is dangerous, for the reasons above. Thus, foods
containing
it must be eliminated: bulgur, couscous, Italian pasta,
cakes,
bakery Spelt is not admitted, because despite being sold as
ancestral wheat, it has 22 chromosomes. Kamut isnt valid either for
the same reasons. Only the variety minor escanda is valid,
because it contains 7 chromosomes.
- Corn is dangerous for the same reasons that wheat: the
original
plant measured half a meter, whereas the modern plant measures
3
meters high.
- Barley, rye and oat are from the wheat family: must be
excluded.
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- Rice is accepted. It has remained in his wild prehistoric
form, and
the clinical experience proves that its rarely harmful, even
cooked.
- Buckwheat is very well-tolerated by the patients and is
allowed.
Probably sesame is very good too.
- About the African cereals (millet, sorghum) and others
(amaranth, quinoa), Seignalet doesnt have a clear opinion. They are
probably inoffensive, as have never reached massive farming.
Recent studies show that millet is also probably a mutated
cereal,
and so should be excluded.
- It is possible to use flour, but from the accepted foods:
buckwheat
flour, quinoa, soya, chickpea, rice, banana
- Thus, the traditional Italian pasta is not allowed (made of
wheat
semolina), nor couscous, nor bulgur. Many other foods also
contain
wheat of other forbidden cereals; carefully read the ingredients
on
the labels to be certain.
- The corn and wheat starch are allowed, as they dont
contain
proteins if purified.
2.- Dairy and dairy products:
- Cows milk is a very nutritive foodfor a growing calf. Humans
can only digest milk from our specie, and during the lactation
period. The main protein from milk, casein, is hard to
digest
completely by humans, creating the problems mentioned above.
- Dairy is forbidden (cow, sheep, goat), and dairy products as
well (butter, cheese, cream, yogurt)
- This suppression doesnt provoke a calcium deficiency, as
the
foods we eat are already rich in calcium, and the body will
absorb
calcium depending on its needs.
-
- Soya milk and yogurt are good substitutes for classic dairy.
Other
vegetable milks are also available: almond, hazelnut, rice
3.- Meat:
- Its preferable to eat raw meat (carpaccio, steak tartare) or
just a bit done.
- Raw grocery is allowed (parma ham, sausages, salami) and
cooked grocery is forbidden (cooked ham).
- True foie-gras (goose duck liver ) is allowed, as its fat is
known to be healthy. Common pat isnt, because it usually contains
milk
and flour.
4.- Fish:
- As for meat and eggs, the less cooked, the better. However,
cooked
fish is less dangerous than cooked meat. It can be steamed or
cooked
at low temperature.
- Shellfish is allowed. And if eaten raw (oysters) even
recommended.
5.- Eggs:
Better raw or poached, never hard-boiled.
6.- Greens and fruits:
- All greens and fruits are allowed (and recommended). They
should
be eaten in big quantities.
- Pulses or leguminous are allowed the same as greens, its
admitted
as an exception cooking in a pressure-cooker.
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7.- Dry fruits:
He advises to eat a lot of them: figs, dates, almonds,
walnuts,
hazelnuts, olivesBut always raw, never toasted.
8.- Other foods:
- Seignalet advises eating honey and pollen. Also aprouted
grains of
leguminous (soya, lentils).
- Chocolate has to be black, biologic and with brown sugar or
other
natural sweeteners (agave, maple syrup, honey).
- White sugar must be eliminated and replaced by brown
sugar,
much richer in minerals and vitamins.
9.- Oils:
Seignalet recommends the following oils:
- olive oil because it contains monoinsaturated fatty acids.
- walnut, soy and canola oil that bring alfa-linoleic acid.
- onagra and borage oil that bring beta-linoleic acid. But any
oil is
good whenever its virgin and extracted by first cold
pressure.
10.- Condiments:
All allowed: salt, pepper, vinegar, lemon, garlic, parsley,
mustard,
curryHe recommends to limit the salt consumption and not taking
refined one, but complete salt (Maldon salt, Himalaya salt)
11.- Drinks:
- Tap water and mineral water bring us oligoelements and
minerals.
- Drinks rich in white sugar are excluded: soda, commercial
juices.
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- Beer is excluded, because it contains barley proteins.
- Coffee and tea are tolerated in reasonable quantities.
- Chicory consumption is recommended.
- All alcoholic beverages are allowed (beer excluded) in
moderated
amounts.
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
- Avoid as much as possible cooking food. Its important to eat
as
much raw food as possible (over 70% of diet should be raw),
and
when cooking is necessary/inevitable, temperatures shouldnt
overpass 110C or even 100C, preferably steaming. Over this
temperature (and especially over 200C) a lot of mutagens,
Maillard
molecules and isomers are created, that turn into toxins once
inside
our body.
- Its ok to fry very lightly, stewing, steaming or
dehydrating,
because all of these methods dont reach high temperatures.
- Frying is not recommended if 200C or more are reached, nor
is
oven-cooking, which can even reach 280C.
- Eat smoked foods with moderation because of the carcinogen
effect in the stomach.
COMPLEMENTARY MEASURES OF THIS DIET
- Not smoking.
- Doing physical exercise as a routine
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- Taking probiotic products to regulate intestinal flora.
This is a diet that needs the person to understand the reason
that
lies under this type of alimentation, and then using his
intelligence and willpower to follow it correctly.
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Alimentation or the third medicine:
The origin of most diseases appears mysterious. Consequently,
treatments cannot be directed against the cause, but are only
symptomatic or palliative. Treatment is often disappointing and
many illnesses are considered as uncurable or incurable.
Why do the mechanisms remain unexplained?
Partly because most doctors and researchers are excessively
specialized and they only consider a single facet of a pathological
state, which in fact possesses many other aspects. A larger vision,
using the date provided by all branches of medicine and biology,
allows a much deeper analysis and results in a plausible conception
of the physiopathology of different diseases. Favouring hereditary
factors, named susceptibility genes, are present but not
sufficient. The intervention of environmental factor is necessary.
In many cases most factors can be eliminated (radiation, chemical
products, tobacco and other toxic substances, medication,
allergens, viruses) and two suspects are retained : bacteria and
food. A great number of bacterial and alimentary macromolecules are
able to penetrate the human organism and modern food is mainly
responsible for this phenomenon.
Human enzymes and mucines are adapted to prehistoric food,
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but not to modern food which is very distant. The principal
changes are the following :
* Consumption of animal milks and their derivatives * Ingestion
of muted and cooked cereals * Absorption of many over cooked
products * Utilisation of hot extracted vegetal oils * Presence of
numerous chemical additives * Partial deficit for some minerals and
vitamins Modern food appears as the first cause of many unexplained
diseases. It provokes three modifications in an essential organ,
the small bowel :
1) Some aliments are incompletely degraded, for the digestive
enzymes are not adapted to their structure. The consequence is an
excess of alimentary macromolecules.
2) Gut flora is altered and turns into a putrefaction flora,
with proliferation of some dangerous bacteria. The metabolism, the
death or the destruction by an immune response of these bacteria
release an excess of bacterial macromolecules.
3) This abnormal intestinal content is agressive towards the gut
mucosa, which is fragile, because it is very extensive (100 square
meters) and very thin (1/40 of millimeter). The gut barrier becomes
too permeable. Stresses aggravate the small bowel
hyperpermeability, for they induce a gamma interferon secretion.
This mediator binds to gut mucosa epithelial cells, leading to a
spacing
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between these cells. Later on, some bacterial and alimentary
macromolecules arrive in blood circulation. The composition of
these molecules varies according to individuals, for it is
conditioned by variations in gut flora, alimentary habits and
efficacy of enzymes which cut proteins, lipids and glucids at
different sites. According to their structure, these molecules will
have an affinity for various types of cells and tissues. They can
provoke three categories of pathology :
1) The peptides are going to bind with HLA molecules, which
present these peptides to T cells. These lymphocytes are unable to
recognize a whole agressor : bacterium, virus ou protein. Their
little membrane receptors only allow the recognition of relatively
small peptides, and these peptides must be associated with HLA
molecules. Activated T cells induce an immune response directed
against the cells which express the peptide. The consequence will
be an autoimmune disease :
* Rheumatoid arthritis (Proteus mirabilis peptide in synovial
and chondral cells, coupled with HLA-DR4 or HLA-DR1). * Ankylosing
spondylitis (Klebsiella pneumoniae peptide in enthesis, coupled
with HLA-B27). * Grave's disease (Yersinia enterocolitica peptide
in thyroid epithelial cells, coupled with HLA-DR3). * Coeliac
disease (gluten gliadine peptide in small bowel mucosa epithelial
cells, coupled with HLA-DR53 ou HLA-DQ2) and so on ...
2) The non peptidic molecules essentially include bacterial ADN,
bacterial lipopolysaccharides, products of Maillard's
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reaction, isomeres of proteins, lipids and glucids. These
substances are poorly recognized or not recognized by lymphocytes
and do not stimulate an immune response. But they may settle in
extracellular medium, they may block some membrane receptors and
they may accumulate in cytoplasm and nucleus of cells. The outcome
is a "clutter" pathology :
* Maturity onset diabetes mellitus (cluttering of endocrine
pancreas, muscles and adipose tissue) * Fibromyalgia (cluttering of
molecules, tenders and brain) * Arthrosis (cluttering of chondral
cells) cancers (cluttering provoking some genetic alterations which
transform a normal cell into a malignant cell) and so on ... 3) The
human organism attempts to evaluate these nocious wastes. The
macromolecules which are unbreakable by enzymes, remain whole. They
must be carried by macrophages and neutrophils, escorted by
lymphocytes, from blood circulation to the outside, through various
tissues. The tissues infiltrated by leukocytes become inflammed and
the chronic inflammation leads to the elimination pathology :
* Through the skin : acnea, psoriasis * Through the colon :
irritable bowel, Crohn's disease * Through the bronchia :
bronchitis, asthma * Through the mucosa of ORL sphera : recurrent
infections, hay fever, Behet's disease and so on ... The logical
treatment of all quoted diseases is the return to an ancestral
diet, close to that practiced by prehistoric men :
* Suppression of animal milks and their derivatives *
Suppression of cereals, except rice which has never muted
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* Consumption of products, either crude, or cooked at a
temperature lower than 110C * Use of oils obtained by first
pression, at cold temperature * Preference for biological aliments
* Supplementation with physiological quantities of minerals and
vitamins. In practice, this diet is very often and very intensely
efficient. To show some examples, it considerably improves or leads
to a complete remission :
1) Among autoimmune diseases :
* 80 % of patients in rheumatoid arthritis * 95 % in ankylosing
spondylitis * 80 % in psoriatic rheumatism * 70 % in Sjgren's
syndrome
2) Among cluttering diseases :
* 75 % of patients in maturity onset diabetes mellitus * 80 % in
fibromyalgia * 75 % in arthrosis And an evident preventive effect
on cancer (except skin tumors) : only one case occurred among 1000
subjects who practiced the ancestral diet since a mean of 5 years
(the expected number was 18 cases).
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3) Among elimination diseases :
* 99 % of patients in acnea * 99 % in irritable bowel * 97 % in
Crohn's disease * 90 % in asthma * 99 % in hay fever
The hypotoxic diet often cures a disease, but cannot repair some
definitive lesions : articular deformations in rheumatoid
arthritis, destruction of lachrymal and salivary glands in Sjgren's
disease, scars in acnea, stenosis, abcess, fistula or fissure in
Crohn's disease, and so on... Chronic bronchitis is curable, but
not bronchectasia, for the elastic tissue of bronchia is distented.
Therefore, it is essential to start the nutritional change as soon
as possible.
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Catherine Kousmine: a pioneer in the study of
the relationship between health and food
Summary
Catherine Kousmine was a Russian physician who lived and
worked
in Switzerland. In the mid- 20th century, she was among the
first
researchers to work on the influence of food on health and, more
precisely, on medical treatments. Her works gained her fame,
and
some controversy too.
The relationship between health and food might seem obvious to
us
in our society today: we are constantly exposed to public
health
messages urging us to take care of our bodies through
physical
activity and by adopting healthy eating habits, and we follow
them.
But we have not always been aware of the link or at least not
with such a degree of accuracy. There was of course always a
major
element of common sense in understanding that a balanced
diet
helps keep us in better shape than excesses would. Also,
this
concerns the general publics knowledge of the relationship
between health and food: the much more precise and complex link
between
medicine and food has a lower public profile, simply because
-
medicine as an area of expertise leaves the issue of medical
nutrition
to professional researchers, doctors and caregivers. But there
are
figures who have explored this issue and brought it into view of
the
general public.
One of them is Dr Catherine Kousmine (1904-1992), a pioneer
in
the study of the help that food can give to medicine. This
controversial scientist mothered a method and a Foundation
that
now perpetuate her findings and teachings.
Curing cancerous mice with natural food
Catherine Kousmine was born in Russia in 1904. Her family
was
wealthy; in 1918, the Russian Revolution forced them into exile,
and
they moved to their holiday home in Switzerland. Catherine
thus
attended school in Lausanne, and later specialised in medicine
and
paediatrics. After having lost two young patients to cancer,
she
started to research the link between the disease and food almost
by accident. She said she was examining cancerous mice and that,
in
order to save money, she alternated the food she gave them; one
day
they received bread, milk, carrots, beer, etc. and the next
nutrition
pills, as are usually given in labs.
This proportion of 50% of good food and 50% of bad food
coincided
with the cancers dropping by 50%,
says the Kousmine Foundations website. She thus became convinced
that some diseases that were thought to be incurable
could be fought using a complementary healthy diet which
provided
elements required by the body. Retrospectively, Catherine
Kousmine is now considered as one of the founders of
orthomolecular medicine, an approach that favours substances
naturally known to the human body over the use of molecules
-
created by man for therapeutic purposes. In 1949, Dr
Kousmine
claimed to having cured a man suffering from generalised
reticulosarcoma thanks to her complementary nutritional method a
result that has not been documented in any other case ever
since.
She also specialised in other diseases, such as multiple
sclerosis and
polyarthritis.
At the time, Kousmines findings were criticized for a lack of
scientific rigour, especially in the testing methods used. She
always
claimed that her conclusions were based on consistent
experience
and that her recommendations showed results, but she was
never
recognized by the scientific community. Despite this, she
achieved a
degree of fame, notably through her books: Soyez bien dans
votre
assiette jusqu 80 ans et plus (Eat Well and Be Well till 80 and
Beyond), La Sclrose en plaque est gurissable (Multiple Sclerosis is
Curable) and Sauvez votre corps (Save Your Body). She died in
Switzerland in 1992, and the people who had known her
and worked with her decided to continue her work through a
Foundation which undertook to teach her method all around
the
world. Whether Catherine Kousmine was right or wrong, it is
still
difficult to say with certainty. What is sure is that she opened
the
way for greater attention to be paid to the strong
interconnections
between food and health.
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What is nutrition economics?
Summary
The relation between food and health has been documented
sufficiently for a new discipline to emerge: nutrition
economics.
This rising research field focuses on the interdependency
between
dietary habits, health and public expenses. A paper recently
published in the British Journal of Nutrition tells us more
about how
social & public spending, everywhere in the world, could
be
checked through the adoption of healthier diets.
In fact, it is a topic that guides our whole reflection on
nutrition,
because it is key to improving peoples well-being everywhere in
the world. This idea is at the heart of Danones mission: to bring
health through food to as many people as possible.
Developed and developing countries are facing challenging
health
issues, and a growing number of them are diet-related
undernutrition, diabetes and obesity for example. The latter two
fall
into the category of non-communicable diseases (NCDs),
recently
highlighted by the World Economic Forum as one of the three most
significant risks to global well-being. We cant talk about risk
without talking about cost: these threats to global health
necessarily
imply economic burdens for public health systems. This idea lies
at
the heart of a new research field called nutrition economics. It
explores the close links between dietary habits, health and
public
expenditure.
The aim of the research is to offer concrete solutions to help
prevent
the spread of NCDs and food-related conditions, in order both
to
improve peoples well-being and to help health budgets shed a
little weight.
In March 2013, five experts (including one from Danone
Research)
published a paper in the British Journal of Nutrition
entitled:
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Nutrition Economics Food as an Ally of Public Health. It is an
interesting read which sheds some light on nutrition economics,
its
findings and its recommendations.
The rising challenge of preventing diseases
What actually is nutrition economics? A merging of health
economics and nutritional sciences, write I. Lenoir-Wijnkoop, P. J.
Jones, R. Uauy, L. Segal and J. Milner, who co-authored the
piece.
The term was coined in 2010 by a group of multidisciplinary
experts
who defined it as
a discipline dedicated to researching and characterising health
and
economic outcomes in nutrition for the benefit of society.
The central idea here is to improve health maintenance and delay
the
onset of disease: if the links between diets and health are
uncovered, then appropriate policies can be defined to
prevent
diseases from erupting, thereby efficiently fighting
diet-related
health concerns. The stakes are huge: in most developed
countries,
health care expenditure continues to rise faster than economic
growth, write the authors. In the past 10 years, it has increased
by 50% in the countries of the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation,
while the economic cost of diet-related NCD in China was
estimated at 2.4% of gross domestic product in 1995. The paper
reminds another striking information: cancer, diabetes, heart
disease
and lung disease kill 36 million people worldwide every
year,
making up 63% of global deaths and a majority of cancers occurs
in high-income countries. It thus becomes obvious that the
commitment by governments to eradicate hunger and
undernutrition
is not only an ethical imperative, but also a sound investment
that
will yield significant economic gains and major social benefits.
A
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win-win opportunity, you might say. Public health efficiency is
in
fact a key to a sustainable health care organisation, and
nutrition
economics supports the development of sound, persuasive
public
policies to promote health through food. Now the main question
is:
how? Science has some answers in store.
Let thy food be thy medicine
The methodology used by nutrition economics researchers can
be
broken down into three steps: first, they measure and establish
the
actual cost of diseases; second, they evaluate the economic
impacts
of food habits in real, everyday life; and third, they define
precise strategies to help actually change dietary and nutritional
behaviours.
As they write in the conclusion of the paper, this work must
help
raise awareness as well as recommending turnkey actions: There
is a need to improve awareness among health authorities and
decision
makers of the very considerable benefits of better-quality diets
and
of the effective and cost-effective policies that can achieve
that goal.
Nutrition economics has a major role in informing this
desirable
policy direction. Here is a strong example of how science can
and must guide public action, by providing clear information on
the
costs and benefits of a particular policy. Science has a
responsibility
to demonstrate the approaches that will be most beneficial to
all. As
highlighted by the paper, governments and public authorities
can
strive to alleviate undernutrition, deficiencies and NCDs by
promoting healthy dietary habits as part of everyday life
(communication to the public has a major role to play here), and
by
supporting the use of functional foods (foods where an
additional ingredient has been included to provide a supplementary
function).
These are effective ways to prevent diseases,on the long term,
and
every effort must be made to help the public understand that it
truly
matters.
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As Hippocrates once said: Let thy food be thy medicine. In these
times of crisis, nutrition economics highlight how this principle
must
guide modern societies towards both offering better health
to
everyone and reducing public expenditure.