Lecture 21- Human nutrition: diseases continued

Question 1

What is the paleo diet fad?

Answer 1

• > 9,000 books on amazon
• http://robbwolf.com/about/
• The idea is to eat like our ancestors • Stared in the 1970’s
• The ‘CrossFit’ diet

Question 2

What is the issue with paleo diet?

Answer 2

• Recent evidence suggests that palaeolithic humans were cannibals
• There was no one paleo diet
• Hunter gatherers would have consumed diets specific to their location
• Without the adaptations that allowed grains to be consumed human brain development is unlikely to have progressed as it has
• The brain needs glucose!
• The argument that grains have caused obesity does not hold up
• We have been eating grains for 10,000 years and obesity has only been a problem for ~50 years
• Paleobread?

Question 3

What are the issues surrounding consumption of eggs?

Answer 3

• Given a bad rep because of cholesterol
• Cholesterol levels are too high in >50% of Australians
• Is cholesterol bad?
• 1989 study of monkeys found 11/15 fed a high cholesterol diet developed atherosclerosis (plaque build up in
arteries)
• BUT this diet was the equivalent of 110 eggs PER DAY.
• Ulterior motives?
• The author of the 1976 USA dietary goals was a vegan running a natural food co-op
• The American “women’s health initiative” (mentioned in previous lecture)
• 160,000 women
• Low fat diet did not reduce heart disease
• Relative risk Vs absolute risk
• 2/1000 meat eaters sick = 0.2 %
• 1/1000 vegetarians sick = 0.1%
• Relative risk of meat eater Vs vegetarian = 50%
• Absolute risk of meat eater Vs vegetarian = 0.1%

Question 4

What is orthorexia?

Answer 4

• Obsessive ‘healthy’ eating
• More common in females
• 12.8% of Australian dietitians were classified as orthorexic in one study
• We earlier defined mal-nutrition • Does this fit?
• Can eliminate many essential nutrients from the diet
• Psychological torment • Restrictive
• Damages relationships and social life
• Is cutting out an entire food group just a “first-world wealthy luxury”?

Question 5

What is this #cleaneating?

Answer 5

1. Buy loads of fresh fruits and veggies
2. Put on your best looking gym clothes or bikini
3. Pretend to prepare food
4. Take a photo and post it on social media

Question 6

Expert advice???

Answer 6

• Pete Evans & Sarah Wilson
• IIN founded in 1992 by Josh Rosenthal
• Mater of Science (Counselling)
• 8 - 10 month online course ~$5,000 to become “health coach”
• No entry requirements
• Certification involves:
• attending / listening to 8/10 workshops
• Complete 6 “health history consultations”
• Enrol 2 clients in a 6 month counselling program
• Pass a multiple choice test
• Attend at least 5 counselling sessions (from a recent graduate)
• Then claim to be “board certified” (American Association of Drugless Practitioners)
• No scientific recognition
• Program focuses on food & eating choices
• Little about biochemistry or physiology
• E.g. Ayurveda etc.

Question 7

What is the human microbiome?

Answer 7

• ~1011 microbes
• Mainly bacteria
• Also viruses, eukaryotes etc.
• Babies are born with a sterile gut
• But the mode of birth is important
• Caesarean born babies acquire organisms from the mothers skin • Normal born babies acquire organisms from the mothers vagina • Also acquired from skin during breastfeeding & from milk
• Differences in obese vs normal weight animals? • Role in the metabolic syndrome?