The first vitamin

How long have vitamins been around? For millions of years, you rightly declare, because soon after we had life, we had biochemistry and therefore vitamins to help those biochemical pathways function. But how long have we known about vitamins? Not long at all. The very first vitamin was isolated in 1912. It wasn’t vitamin A as you would predict. It was what we now call vitamin B1 or thiamin.

The man responsible was a Polish scientist called Casimir Funk, working at the Lister Institute in England. He found that a diet lacking thiamin lead to the severe condition beri-beri, and providing an adequate amount of thiamin meant avoidance of the condition. Pretty exciting stuff in 1912.

Thiamin used to be spelled thiamine (with the e) to emphasise that it was a chemical with an “amine” group. Indeed, Funk originally thought that there were many “vital amines” in nature so coined the term “vitamines”. When it became clear that not all “vitamines” were amines, the “e” was dropped, leaving us with the word vitamin.

Vital Amines

To be fair, Funk wasn’t convinced of his own argument. He wrote: I must admit that, when I chose the name, “vitamine”, I was well aware that these substances might later prove not to be of an amine nature.” Funk wrote a stunning 500 page book, published in 1922 with nearly 1600 references, discussing all the science behind this very new avenue in nutrition.

Even in 1922 we only knew of vitamin B (not yet realising it was a group of vitamins, not just one vitamin), vitamin C, vitamin A (not knowing that beta-carotene was a precursor) and an unnamed anti-rickets vitamin (later proved to be vitamin D). Only the chemical structure of thiamin was known.

Disappearing Vitamin C

Not everyone understands why vitamins exist. After I had given a presentation in England, a lady confronted me with the view that “oranges today do not have vitamin C” and therefore we needed her vitamin C supplements. Supplement representatives often parrot the company line and, having no scientific background, do not even think to ask for some proof. As Funk wrote “We already know that vitamine (sic) C is generated on the germination of seeds”, that is, oranges have vitamin C for the health and growth of the oranges. No vitamin C = no orange. They do not produce vitamins for humans, they produce vitamins for themselves. That goes for all plant foods – all those nutrients are for the plants health; you just happen to benefit too when you dine on them.

Fresh is best?

Just a reminder for those that are concerned about the nutrient content of their fresh produce. Foods like fruits and vegetables will have a reasonable amount of vitamins if they look and feel fresh. Prepare and eat them soon after buying, which means it is smart to shop three times a week for fresh produce. Frozen fruit and vegetables also have a high vitamin content.

In Australia only 7% of the adult population eat enough fruit and vegetables for good nutrition. Now, as that is self-reported information, and humans are great fibbers, the number is closer to 12. Not 12%, just 12 people total. So, we would be better off eating more fruit and veg before worrying about issues like conventional vs organically grown.

What does it all mean?

Nutrition is a relatively young science, compared to mathematics, physics and astronomy. There is a lot to learn, but we humans tend to let ourselves speculate way ahead of knowledge. Will a vitamin supplement improve your health? Very likely, if your home is a park bench or under a bridge. Otherwise, I doubt it.

It is more useful to concentrate on things that have a much higher likelihood of extending your life – work hard, be fit and active, eat wholesome food, be social, volunteer, challenge your mind, be resilient when life ain’t pretty and be comfortable in your own skin. (Read  The Longevity Project if you want evidence that there is more to a long life than eating vegetables).

Yes, additional vitamins can be very helpful in certain situations and conditions eg the full range of vitamins in cystic fibrosis, folate pre-pregnancy and the first trimester, vitamin D in the winter if you live far from the equator. Folate and vitamin D were hardly mentioned 30 years ago and now we appreciate the potential benefits of supplements to some people. So, (I note to myself), expect to be further surprised by vitamins over the coming decades, but don’t expect them to be a single, or simple, solution to a long and healthy life.

Paleolithic Diet

First, let’s annoy the Creationists. Human beings evolved over time and we have been in our current form for about 200,000 years. We began in the Rift Valley in Kenya, spread north into Europe and east into Asia, then through to Australia (about 40,000 years ago) and north America (about 12,000 years ago). For most of that time we gathered and hunted for food. About 10,000 years ago we began to settle down and try agriculture as a means of growing our own food.

Let’s not get caught up in the actual dates, and focus on simple concepts. That is, trace your ancestors back far enough and they would be African. For most of human history we ate mainly animal foods, root vegetables, seeds, nuts, berries, fruits and eggs. Only fairly recently have we consumed dairy food, grains, alcohol, coffee and legumes.

The Pro side 

The argument for the Paleo Diet is that our digestive system has not evolved to handle the more recent foods we have added to the diet, such as grains and dairy. That is, we should be eating foods that were around through most of our evolution. As the diet comprises of minimally processed food and has a high protein content, it is quite filling, therefore it is unlikely that you will over-consume and start packing on the kilos/pounds.

A wide variety of nutrients are present if you include the full range of foods and, equally important, it is low in the components that we know can cause harm, such as excess salt, alcohol and saturated fat. All biscuits, cakes, pastries, confectionery, french fries and Krispy Kremes have gone, so the nutrient density will improve..

The Glycemic Index of the diet is low, probably a bit lower than regular healthy eating. When people move from standard fare to a Paleo diet their insulin sensitivity improves, blood pressure drops and body weight improves. To be frank, you could scoop up 100 people in any shopping mall, get them to cut out all treats, alcohol and takeaways and they too would all lose weight and feel better.

The Con side

There is accumulating evidence that the domestication of cattle, camels and goats provided a survival advantage when we started consuming their milk and, subsequently, yogurt and cheese. Domesticated animals became a guaranteed source of nutrient-rich food, with the earliest evidence being 7000 years ago in sub-Saharan Africa.

There is evidence that peoples in Europe were consuming grains 30,000 years ago, although it probably was gathered rather than cultivated.

With an emphasis on meat and seafood, the diet may be a bit more pricey than plain healthy eating, although you will save money once that nice bottle of red, your favourite chocolate and the gourmet ice cream has been deleted. It will be difficult to follow the diet to the letter because all meat was wild, so unless you shoot your own kangaroo, elk, moose, rabbit then you will be dining on domesticated animal flesh.

As far as we can tell Paleolithic man had an average lifespan of 35 years, with only 10-20% clocking up six decades. That doesn’t stack up well against the 80+ years we expect from non-smokers who eat their vegetables, walk the dog, give to charity, catch up with friends and laugh when they confuse the travel toothpaste tube for the tinea cream (which, believe me, doesn’t have a minty flavour).

Want to know more?

Should you follow a Paleo Diet? First note, that it will be tricky because you will be preparing virtually all your own meals, unless you are happy to relax the rules once a week or so. You can also do some reading of your own to determine your viewpoint. A free publishedreview article for those with a science background is a good place to start. It seems that humans turning to meat had a significant role in our evolution. If you prefer a more gentle read, then get hold of Loren Cordain’s book. He is a researcher from Colorado State University with a special interest in the Paleo Diet.

What does it all mean?

The argument for the Paleo Diet can be quite compelling, however we don’t know of a long-lived group of humans that have existed solely on the Paleo Diet. That’s not to say they wouldn’t live a long life. Naturally it won’t suit vegetarians, Meatless Mondayers, Mediterranean and Asian cultures with a lower reliance on animal flesh.

Of course, there is no single Paleolithic Diet. If we plonked you in the Tardis and set the dial for 10,000 years ago, your diet in north America, central Australia, France, and Viet Nam would all be different.

Anyway, it’s not for me. I enjoy a plant-based diet, which includes the tea leaf, the grape in the form of wine, and a little animal food because life is so much less without camembert. You, on the other hand, are your own boss.

Nuts

Nuts did fall victim to the fat paranoia of the 1980s and1990s. Remember Nathan Pritikin and his diet? All nuts, except chestnuts were excluded if you wanted to follow his version of health. When his son Robert produced a “new” version of the Pritikin diet in 1990, nuts were permitted, with the exception of macadamias and coconut. But by then, the Pritikin Diet was forgotten. Pity, because Robert’s version was pretty sensible.

Nuts looking good

Now we are much more confident about our advice on food and fats, although the debate will continue for decades (eg at a conference recently it was claimed that there is no link between dairy fats and heart disease. Is that a double cream camembert I see?).

Certainly, we are pretty sure that nuts, particularly tree nuts and peanuts, are very good for your health. Yes, we are talking about unsalted nuts; and, you are right, peanuts are a legume and not a true nut, but I do include them because they have a very similar nutrient profile to tree nuts, like Brazil nuts and walnuts. Remember that there is no cholesterol in plant foods, therefore none in nuts.

Big study

There is now a good deal of research on nuts and there is mounting evidence that around 30g (1oz), about a small handful, each day could well be protecting you from conditions like heart disease and diabetes. One big European trial (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea - PREDIMED) has tracked 7400 folk aged 60-80 years for five years as they followed either 1) low fat control diet; 2) Mediterranean diet with 50 mL olive oil daily; or 3) Mediterranean diet with 30g nuts daily.

The diet was controlled to some extent, making sure that soft drinks (sodas), cakes and sweets were limited. All three groups received educational sessions and were assessed for compliance.

Waist, brain & blood glucose all improve

Those who closely followed either Mediterranean diet had half the risk of type diabetes when compared to those on the low fat diet. They also had better cognitive function and a lower rate of brain decline. The better the adherence to the Mediterranean diet, the greater improvement in abdominal obesity ie there was less dangerous fat around the middle, especially in the nut lovers. Interestingly, their waist circumference was lower, even though their total weight may not have changed, suggesting a healthier distribution of body fat. And it is your waist circumference, not the number on the scales, that has the greatest effect on your health.

An important message

This study is just another nail in the coffin of the extremist low fat diets. We have reached a time when the concept of the Pritikin Diet, or the very low-fat diet, is no longer in favour for personal health. Fat in itself is not a problem. The fat found in nuts, avocados, seeds, good quality chocolate and oils does not cause a long-term health problem. As expected, it all comes back to the quality of your eating.

What does it all mean?

Eat unsalted nuts regularly. Forget the fat content. They won’t make you fat. Chances are that nuts will help install another barrier to health problems. I have nuts on my breakfast cereal (oats + 2 brand cereals who need to hand over some free product before I name them), with dried fruit (cranberries, yum) and skim milk. It is too early to give a league table of nuts, so the smart thing is to have a mix of your favourite nuts. Help your body and help nuts make a comeback by enjoying some everyday, or whenever you can.

References:

PLOSone August 2012; 7 (8)  entire paper

Sage advice from the past

My favourite wellness thinker, Don Ardell, alerted me to a book with some dietary advice. Here is a quote:

"Another argument, and to my mind also a conclusive one, in favour of vegetarianism, is the true theory of population. If ever the earth becomes very densely inhabited with human beings, a great number of such animals as are raised for food can not possibly coexist. And as ten times the number of “rational creatures” can be sustained on the direct productions of the earth, that could subsist indirectly on the flesh of animals, the presumption is at least very strong at the races of domesticated animals will become extinct as the races of man progress."

As you have guessed, it wasn’t written recently. This is from the Hydropathic Cookbook published in 1854. (Click on the right hand arrow to scroll through the pages). His sentiment is proclaimed by many: less animal food, more plant food. The author RT Trall concludes his preface with the comment:

"I trust the time is not too far distant when the foundation for a better development of the human race will be established, in “teaching the young idea how to eat’” so as to secure uniform health, and realize the first and essential condition of universal happiness – “sound minds in healthy bodies.”

Well, we’ve been doing the teaching. It is not a young idea any more. The message is being transmitted but only a few have their tuners on the correct frequency. Maybe in another 150 years.

Reference:

Trall RT, MD. Hydropathic Cookbook with Recipes for Cooking on Hygienic Principles  1854; Fowlers & Wells, New York