BBC NEWS Going ape By Claire Heald BBC News Magazine What if humans cast aside processed foods and saturated fats in favour of the sort of diet our ape-like ancestors once ate? Nine volunteers gave it a go... and were glad they did so. Being locked in the zoo and offered bananas to eat is the kind of extreme diet scenario to wake some of us screaming in the night. But that was how a group of volunteers opted to try to cut their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. EVO DIET: WHAT THEY ATE # 5kgs or 2,300 calories of fruit, vegetables, nuts and honey # On a 3-day rota, typically: # Broccoli, carrots, radishes # Cabbage, tomatoes, watercress # Strawberries, apricots, bananas # Mangoes, melons, figs, plums # Satsumas, hazelnuts One volunteer's story They set up home in a tented enclosure at Paignton Zoo, Devon, next to the ape house, in an experiment filmed for TV. The idea, says Jill Fullerton-Smith, who helped organise the trial, was that modern diets, often dominated by processed foods and saturated fats, cause costly health problems. For example, nearly half Britain's 117,000 annual deaths from coronary heart disease are linked to high cholesterol, according to the British Heart Foundation. And while the government urges everyone to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day, obesity is still rising. So could an experiment on ordinary people's lives deliver the healthy eating message? Nine volunteers, aged 36 to 49, took on the 12-day Evo Diet, consuming up to five kilos of raw fruit and veg a day. Hunter-gatherer style The regime was devised by nutritionist and registered dietician Lynne Garton and King's College Hospital. It was based on research showing such a diet could have health benefits for cholesterol levels and blood pressure, because it is made up of the types of foods our bodies evolved to eat over thousands of years. Ms Garton looked for inspiration to the plant-based diet of our closest relatives, the apes, and devised a three-day rotating menu of fruit, vegetables, nuts and honey. The prescribed menu was: ⢠safe to eat raw; ⢠met adult human daily nutritional requirements; and ⢠provided 2,300 calories - between the 2,000 recommended for women and 2,500 for men, Volunteers could also drink water. In the second week, standard portions of cooked oily fish were introduced - a nod to a more hunter-gatherer lifestyle. â There was a lot of farting going on â Jill Fullerton-Smith Producer Among the volunteers was Jon Thornton, 36, a driving instructor from Sheffield, who had never eaten vegetables, from childhood upwards. Weighing in at almost 19-stone, his typical diet read like the children's book, Mr Strong. Breakfast was four slices of toast; at 10am a bacon sausage and egg sarnie followed; fish and chips for tea and a Chinese take-away before bed. That was before his wife signed up Mr Thornton for the experiment. Over 12 days he lost 5.7kg (12.5lbs), and reduced his cholesterol by 20%. His blood pressure also fell. Despite nearly backing out at the start - the first day's food arrived in a cool-box, was raw and he was distinctly uncomfortable with the idea of broccoli - he was converted to eating vast portions of fresh fruit and veg. "I didn't feel any loss of energy, I didn't feel ill at all," he says. "It's not a diet you'd recommend as a diet itself, but it worked to bring my cholesterol and blood pressure down." Harmony in camp With so much food bulk and plenty of calories the subjects did not go hungry - indeed most failed to finish their daily ration. And once they were over the withdrawal from caffeinated drinks and some foods, says Ms Garton, they enjoyed good energy levels and mood. So the "moments of unhappiness and grumpiness" that the TV crew was primed to capture failed to happen. The proved to be a motivated group, although the one odorous side-effect from all that roughage couldn't be ignored. Overall, the cholesterol levels dropped 23%, an amount usually achieved only through anti-cholesterol drugs statins. The group's average blood pressure fell from a level of 140/83 - almost hypertensive - to 122/76. Though it was not intended to be a weight loss diet, they dropped 4.4kg (9.7lbs), on average. The regime provided an education for all, and a permanent change for some. "The main lesson that they took away was to eat more fruit and veg," says Ms Garton. They also cut salt intake from a group average of 12g a day, to 1g (against a guideline maximum of 6g) and reduced saturated fat - which makes cholesterol - from 13% to 5% of calories (recommended, 11%). At the same time, they increased the soluble fibre which binds cholesterol in the gut, so that it is expelled, and increased the intake of plant sterols - which help to lower cholesterol. For Jon, life has changed since he was "released" from the zoo. He has gained a little weight but now says he only eats when hungry and knows good food can help health and longevity. He can play football because his knees no longer hurt under the extra weight and he goes cycling. He even managed to hold out at the most tempting time of year. "For the first time in 36 years this year I had vegetables with my Christmas dinner," he says. "Usually, I say no to them and have a few extra roast potatoes instead." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6248975.stm GOOOOOO APE! EAT LIKE AN APE!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From that article, "The idea, says Jill Fullerton-Smith, who helped organise the trial, was that modern diets, often dominated by processed foods and saturated fats, cause costly health problems." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ok? Now take this from that part. "modern diets, often dominated by processed foods and saturated fats, cause costly health problems." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok? Now take this part from that part "diets, often dominated by processed foods and saturated fats," ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok? Dominated is the problem. So you have many trans fat from the processed food (and trans fat is NEVER GOOD) and you have too many calories from too much saturated fat (but saturated fat is good, but not dominated) So yes, eat some saturated fat, eat vegetables, fruits, nuts...but no trans fat. http://www.stop-trans-fat.com/benefits-of-saturated_fats.html
IF REAL MEN EAT BEEF? A low intake of antioxidant nutrients is associated with poor semen quality in patients attending fertility clinics. CONCLUSION(S): A low intake of antioxidant nutrients was associated with a poor semen quality in this case-control study of Spanish men attending infertility clinics. PMID: 19147135 Food intake and its relationship with semen quality: a case-control study. CONCLUSION(S): Frequent intake of lipophilic foods like meat products or milk may negatively affect semen quality in humans, whereas some fruits or vegetables may maintain or improve semen quality. PMID: 18314116 WHO WANTS TO BE THAT MANLY! Not me! ROFL! NUTTS TO THAT! !
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This does not prove to eat NO SATURATED FAT like YOU SAY. What the men did not have is enough antioxidants BECAUSE they do not eat enough fruit and vegetable, very low. Conclusion is for them to eat more fruit and vegetable, but nothing is saying to take away ALL saturated fat. Here is more from the study. "The objective was to find out whether a higher or lower intake of vitamins, which act as antioxidants, could affect semen quality. These molecules, which are present in foods such as citrus fruits, peppers and spinach, work by lowering the level of oxidative stress that can affect semen quality, and improve sperm concentration parameters as well as sperm mobility and morphology." AND "The results of the European study Differences in seminal quality and reproductive results, carried out between 2000 and 2008 by the Valencian Infertility Institute show that Spanish semen is at the bottom of the league table in terms of volume (9th position), mobility (10th position) and concentration. However, after analysing the quality of sperm, the research team evaluated its functioning, in other words its capacity to successfully lead to pregnancy. In this analysis, the Spanish sperm came second, only behind Portugal." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Killthesunshine, is possible toxins, pollution is the problem for the sperm. With more fruit and vegetables, then more antioxidants to fight the toxins. But this study does not show cause to saturated fat is the problem. It show LOW antioxidant is the problem possibly.
Interesting, how much saturated fat is healthy? ps it's very disingenuous for you to continue to ignore this perfectly reasonable question put to you. one might think you have an agenda
This question you ask already MANY times before. You go in circles all the time. In USA the DRV (Daily reference Value) for fat is 30% of the calories. Of that all fat the DRV is 10% saturated /10% polyunsaturated/ 10%monounsaturated. This is what before they tell people to do for health. NOW they question the relation of the low fat/high carboyhdrate diet to heart disease. Heart disease is increase EVEN with lower saturated fat in the diet recommended. Hmm? Why?
Appendix G-5: History of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans In early 1977, after years of discussion, scientific review, and debate, the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, led by Senator George McGovern, recommended Dietary Goals for the American people. The Committee recommended that the American diet Increase carbohydrate intake to 55 to 60 percent of calories Decrease dietary fat intake to no more than 30 percent of calories, with a reduction in intake of saturated fat, and recommended approximately equivalent distributions among saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats to meet the 30 percent target Decrease cholesterol intake to 300 mg per day Decrease sugar intake to 15 percent of calories Decrease salt intake to 3 g per day http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/report/HTML/G5_History.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Killthesunshine, 2010 is the year for update of the guidelines. So that is when maybe something will change because of observation in science from past guidelines.
Right. "Decrease dietary fat intake..." The trend is for decreasing dietary fat not increasing fat as YOU claimed in a previous post. YOUR own source says: :"Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acid..with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids" "Population-based studies of American diets show that intake of saturated fat is more excessive than intake of trans fats and cholesterol. Therefore, it is most important for Americans to decrease their intake of saturated fat. However, intake of all three should be decreased to meet recommendations." http://www.health.gov/DIETARYGUIDELINES/dga2005/document/html/chapter6.htm The Mayo Clinic recommends NO more than 7% sat fat calories. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-diet/NU00200 The American Heart Assoc advises NO more than 7% too. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=532 Those recommendations are made keeping in mind that people must change their present lifestyle to meet those new goals, and too severe a change will be discouraging to that end. So they slowly lower the guidelines over time to healthier levels. YOU still have not answered the question: How much saturated fat do we need in our diet for gealth? ANSWER THE QUESTION!