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E-Mail Edition Volume 7 Number 3 |
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Originally published Summer, 2010 Published by Piccadilly Books, Ltd., www.piccadillybooks.com. Bruce Fife, N.D., Publisher, www.coconutresearchcenter.org |
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Contents
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Study Shows Heart Disease Absent in Coconut Eating Population
A study published in the medical journal Tropical and Geographical Medicine found that coronary heart disease, the world's number one cause of death, is virtually unknown in a coconut eating population of Sri Lanka. The Veddas or "Forest People" are the indigenous people of Sri Lanka. The Sinhalase race, which makes up the majority of the Sri Lanka population, migrated from India some two thousand years ago. The lifestyle, social characteristics, language, and religious beliefs of the Veddas are quite different from those of the Sinhalese.
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Sri Lanka is just off of the Eastern tip of India. |
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At the beginning of the 20th century there were still many Vedda communities in the South Eastern jungles of Sri Lanka, existing as they have for thousands of years, living in huts constructed of mud bricks and eating wild fruit, yams, and coconut, and hunting for game using bows and arrows. Over time, the Vedda communities gradually adapted the modern culture of the expanding Sinhalese population. By the 1980s there were only two traditional Vedda communities remaining, isolated from the general population deep in the jungle. As part of a massive development project, the jungle homeland of the Veddas was declared a Natural Reserve and the Veddas were forced to resettle to other areas. Unable to hunt or gather foods as they had in their jungle home, they adapted an agrarian lifestyle. This study was carried out in the mid 1980s, before the resettlement scheme commenced. The coconut palm is very important to the Veddas. It provides them with materials for making tools, eating utensils, and rope, to build fires, and most importantly provides a steady source of food. Veddas live off the land and eat whatever they can gather and kill. Most fruit bearing plants produce seasonally. The coconut palm, however, produces coconuts year round, providing them with an unending supply of food. The majority of dietary fat in the traditional Vedda population comes from coconut and wild game, both high in saturated fat. Researchers at the University of Sri Lanka department of medicine were interested in how their high-fat diet affected their health, particularly their cardiovascular health. Before the Veddas were integrated into Sinhalese culture and adopted to agriculture and modern foods, the researchers wanted to study their health. What effect did their traditional high-saturated fat diet have on their health? That was the question they wanted to answer. The study examined 207 adults 20-83 years of age. A detailed medical history was taken of each subject, which included level of daily physical activity, dietary and smoking habits, and any adverse symptoms, with special emphasis on the presence of cardiac chest pain. A complete physical examination and blood analysis was performed with special attention to the cardiovascular system. None of the subjects reported any heart related symptoms such as angina (chest pain) or myocardial infarction (heart attack). Using an electrocardiogram, there were no features of heart disease found in the any of the subjects. Despite the fact that 39 percent of the men smoked, only 3.8 percent demonstrated elevated blood pressure, which is much lower than in the Sinhalese population. Blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels were average and comparable to those of the Sinhalese, although the Veddas' HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol which protects against heart disease) was higher. Coconut consumption is known to raise HDL cholesterol, so this may have been the reason for the superior HDL levels. In summary, there was absolutely no evidence of heart disease among this population.1 This is not surprising, similar studies of coconut eating populations in other parts of the world have produced the same results.2-3 Coconut is not only important for the Veddas, but for all Sri Lankans. The Sinhalese also enjoy coconut, which is used in many of their traditional dishes. In fact, coconut oil provides the primary source of oil in their diet, or so it did until recent years. In 1978 each man, woman, and child in Sri Lanka consumed the equivalent of 120 coconuts a year. That is a lot of coconut and a lot of coconut oil. That would equate to drinking nearly 30 quarts of coconut oil per year. If coconut oil caused heart disease or even just encouraged it, heart disease would be clearly evident in this population. Keep in mind that this was an average rate of consumption for all people, even babies and young children who ate very little oil or none at all. Which means that the adult population was consuming far more than 30 quarts of coconut oil annually, 40 quarts is more like it. However, during that year Sri Lanka had one of the lowest rates of heart disease in the world. Only one death out of every 100,000 was cause by coronary heart disease. In the United States coconut oil constituted less than 1 percent of the fat consumed and people were increasingly turning to polyunsaturated soybean oil and margarine as their preferred choices of fat, the heat attack death rate was 280 times higher! Despite the fact that Sri Lankans were consuming about 40 quarts of coconut oil each year, heart disease was rare. Over the past several decades coconut and coconut oil consumption in Sri Lanka has drastically declined. In 1953 average consumption was 136 coconuts a year. In 1978 it dropped to 120. By 1991 it was down to 90 and has continued to fall. The theory that saturated fat promoted heart disease was introduced in the late 1950s and gradually gained acceptance. People became fearful of coconut oil and other saturated fats and began to replace it with polyunsaturated oils. Even in coconut growing areas of the world, like Sri Lanka, people began eating soybean oil and margarine in place of coconut oil. During this time, an interesting thing happened. As coconut oil consumption declined, the incidence of heart disease increased! As people began to eat less coconut oil and eat more soybean oil, the heart attack death rate climbed. Yet, among those populations within the country where coconut oil was still the primary source of fat in the diet, heart disease remained a rarity. Today Sri Lanka no longer has the lowest heart disease death rate. While certain groups of people in the country who use coconut oil liberally are not as affected, the general population has experienced an epidemic of heart problems thanks to the introduction of imported polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Heart attack is now, like in most other countries, the number one cause of death, accounting for 11 percent of all deaths in the country. This is still lower than in the US and most other western countries, but far higher than it was just a few decades ago when coconut oil was a mainstay in the diet. ■
References 1. Mendis, S. Coronary heart disease and coronary risk profile in a primitive population. Trop Geogr Med 1991;43:199-202. 2. Hunter, J.D. Diet, body build, blood pressure and serum cholesterol levels in coconut eating Polynesians. Fed Proc 1962;21:36-43. 3.Maddocks, I. Possible absence of essential hypertension in two complete Pacific Island populations. Lancet 1961;1:396-399.
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Exercise Builds A Better Brain
"If exercise could be packaged in pill form, it would immediately become the number one anti-aging medicine, as well as the world's most prescribed pill. —Dr. Robert Butler, International Longevity Center at Manhattan's Mt. Sinai Hospital.
Have you ever misplaced important items such as your keys, glasses, or wallet and couldn't remember where you put them? Have you walked into a room and when you got there forgot why you entered? Have you ever been introduced to someone and within minutes were unable to recall the name? As we grow older, these senior moments become more common. The rate at which we lose memory and cognitive skills varies from individual to individual. In some people the decline in mental function is quick, leading to Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative conditions. And in others the rate of decline is more gradual. Brain health isn't something only seniors need to be concerned about, the health of your brain when you reach 60 or 70 is in large part determined by factors throughout your life. As brain cells or neurons age and die the brain shrinks and cognitive ability declines. Shrinkage begins as early as your 30s. The brain shrinks at a rate of about 0.5 to 1 percent a year. There are many factors that influence the rate at which the brain shrinks. One of these is exercise. We all know that exercise strengthens the muscles, but research shows it also strengthens the brain. Although the brain is not a muscle, when we exercise, the brain gets a vigorous workout. Exercise, whether it is lifting weights or running on a treadmill, tones the brain, slowing down the aging process. According to Dr. Arthur Kramer and colleagues at the University of Illinois-Urbana, we can dramatically slow down the rate at which the brain ages with just three hours of aerobic exercise a week. Kramer divided up a group of 59 adults, aged 60-79, into two groups and followed them for six months. One group participated in 1 hour of aerobics three times a week at a level of 60-70 percent of their maximum heart rate, which is pretty moderate. The other group spent 1 hour three times a week doing stretching and toning exercises. Kramer found that after only six months, the percipients who exercised aerobically had the brain volumes of people three years younger. Exercise not only prevented brain shrinkage, but stimulated neuron growth. There was no improvement in the brains of those who did only the stretching.1 |
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Three-dimensional MRI scans of the participants' brains were taken at the beginning and at the end of the study period. These images visually demonstrated neuron growth in the aerobic exercisers. Most of the growth occurred in the frontal lobe of the brain, which is involved in memory and reasoning. According to Dr. Kramer, the reason exercise improves brain health is due in part by the improved circulation. More blood, carrying oxygen and nutrients, is carried into the brain. In addition, exercise stimulates the activation of special neuroprotective proteins such as brain derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), both of which defend the brain against oxidative stress and promote neuronal growth and repair.2 |
MRI brain scan. |
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Exercise not only slows down the normal aging process but protects against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Dr. E.B. Larson and colleagues at the Center for Health Studies in Seattle, Washington, found that persons 65 years of age or older who exercised three or more times a week experienced a much lower rate of Alzheimer's disease than those who exercised less or not at all.3 Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh demonstrated that exercise increases the brain's capacity for self-repair. When Parkinson's disease is chemically induced in lab animals, exercise protects the animal's brains from the damaging effects of the neurotoxin.4 The researchers suggest that exercise can not only protect against parkinsonism but potentially can provide protection against a variety of neurodegenerative conditions. In essence, exercise acts as an antidote against neurodegeneration.
A number of studies have shown a clear benefit with aerobic exercise—exercise that involves continuous vigorous movement such as jogging, swimming laps, or hiking. But weight lifting—a nonaerobic exercise—can also be beneficial. Researchers at the University of British Columbia, Canada found that older women who did 1-2 hours of strength training exercises each week had improved cognitive function a year later.5 The researchers randomly assigned 155 women ages 65 to 75 either to strength training with dumbbells and weight machines once or twice a week, or to a comparison group doing balance and toning. The strength training classes were fairly intense. All major muscles from the shoulders and arms to the lower legs and feet were covered, so the participants received a hearty workout. The balance and toning classes consisted of a more leisurely regimen of stretching, range of motion exercises, exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, balance exercises, and relaxation techniques. A year later, the women who did strength training improved their performance on tests of so-called executive function by 10.9 percent to 12.6 percent, while those assigned to balance and toning exercises experienced a slight deterioration of 0.5 percent. The improvements in the strength training group included an enhanced ability to make decisions, resolve conflicts, and focus on subjects without being distracted by competing stimuli. How strength training compares with aerobic exercise has yet to be determined, but it appears that an exercise program that combines aerobic exercise with some strength training may give the greatest brain boost. How much exercise is needed to achieve adequate protection for the brain? Fortunately, you don't need to run a marathon every day to benefit. Moderate exercise is adequate. The above studies show significant improvement with just 1-3 hours per week. A recent study out of Germany confirms this. The study included 3,903 people over the age of 55. All of the participants completed a cognitive impairment test and a questionnaire that divided them into one of three levels of activity: none, moderate, or high. Moderate activity was defined as exercising fewer than three times a week. High activity was defined as three or more times a week. The type of exercise included walking, hiking, biking, swimming, and similar activities. At the end of 2 years, the researchers found that 13.9 percent of the non-exercisers had developed cognitive impairment. However, in the moderate and high activity groups only 6.7 and 5.1 percent respectively developed cognitive impairment.6 The researchers were amazed by the magnitude of the findings. "Physical activity cut in half the odds of developing incident cognitive impairment. We were also surprised that moderate physical activity had nearly the same effect as high physical activity," says Thorleif Etgen, MD, the lead author of the study. "The take-home message is: keep on moving," said Etgen. It appears that if you want to protect your brain from premature aging and neurodegenerative disease, you should be exercising regularly.
References
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Herbal Supplements
Graviola: Natural Cancer Cure or Dangerous
Neurotoxin? If you haven't heard of Graviola by now, you probably will sooner or later. Graviola, is the Portuguese name for a South American fruit-bearing plant called pawpaw or soursop. In Spanish-speaking countries it is known as guanabana. You may hear of this herb under any of these names. The plant has been highly praised as a natural cure for cancer. Numerous websites actively promote this obscure herb as a miracle treatment for cancer. Dietary
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Graviola, also known as pawpaw or soursop.
supplements are peddled on the Internet and in health food stores.
However, what does the science say? Is it really a miracle cancer
cure or a lot of hype? And how safe is it? Just because it comes
from a "natural source" does not mean it is automatically free from
risk. Science writer Ralph Moss, Ph.D., sums up his experience
researching the herb. His article is reprinted below. A FRIENDLY SKEPTIC LOOKS AT GRAVIOLA
Ralph Moss, Ph.D. At this point, the cancer-fighting effects of Graviola outside the test tube are unknown. Is it worth a try? Many of the websites marketing the product promote it as not only as an effective treatment for cancer but as a "harmless" herbal preventative as well. The impression one gets is that we should all be using it daily to prevent cancer. Such action however, could be disastrous. Pawpaw fruit is often sold in markets throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America, and some islands of the Pacific. It has a sour-sweet fruity taste and a banana-like texture. The soft pulp of the pawpaw is often mixed with the juice of other fruits. Some of these are packaged and sold commercially. Historically, the native people used all parts of the tree in herbal medicines for a variety of uses. The fruit was used to expel intestinal worms. The bark, leaves, and roots were made into tea and used as a sedative and applied to the scalp to kill lice. It was also known as an effective aborticide, used to end pregnancies. Annonacin, the primary active ingredient in pawpaw, is the same compound that is hailed as a potent cancer fighter. It is most concentrated in the leaves, but is also found in the fruit. While preliminary research has shown that annonacin can kill cancer cells, unfortunately, it also kills brain cells. It is particularly toxic to dopamine producing neurons in the area of the brain that controls physical movement. Annonacin is 1000 times more toxic than MPP+, a chemical that is used to induce Parkinson's disease in laboratory animals. Indeed, studies show that the daily consumption of annonacin produces brain lesions in animals similar to those found in Parkinson's disease patients.1-2 Can the amount of annonacin in the fruit cause harm? For many years doctors were perplexed by an epidemic of Parkinson's disease on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. Investigators eventually discovered that the culprit was the pawpaw. Eating the fruit and beverages made from the pulp was destroying the people's brains. A similar epidemic on the island of New Caledonia in the South Pacific was attributed to the same fruit. The leaves and bark are made into products marketed and sold as natural insecticides and animal repellents. Bugs won't touch the fruit or the tree, those that take a nibble, don't live long enough for a second helping. Jerry McLaughlin, Ph.D., who has published studies using pawpaw extracts, describes it as "very good against cancer, and also terrific at killing insects." Small animals are just as vulnerable. A crude extract of pawpaw twigs killed brine shrimp at a concentration of just 0.04 parts per million (ppm)—well below the 70 ppm concentration of strychnine needed to elicit the same effect. Are dietary supplements that are made from the leaves, which have a higher concentration of annonacin than the fruit, safe to eat? Since there have been no clinical trials evaluating either the effectiveness or the safety of the supplement, it is probably prudent not to act as a human guinea pig. While most herbal remedies are harmless. Not all "natural" remedies are harmless or effective. Before taking the next new wonder herb you should do your homework. ■ References
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Copyright © 2010, Bruce Fife. All rights reserved.
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