Re: Human guinea pigs eat "ape diet" for 12 days, experience remarkable health improvements

- wrote:
> http://www.organicconsumers.org/arti...ticle_3847.cfm
>
> Human guinea pigs eat "ape diet" for 12 days, experience remarkable
> health improvements
> By Claire Heald
> BBC, 1.11.07
>
> Straight to the Source
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6248975.stm
>
>
>
> 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.
>
> 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.
>
>
> EVO DIET: WHAT THEY ATE
> 5 kgs or 2,300 calories of fruit, vegetables, nuts and honey
> On a 3-day rotation, typically: Broccoli, carrots, radishes
> Cabbage, tomatoes, watercress Strawberries, apricots, bananas
> Mangoes, melons, figs, plums Satsumas, hazelnuts
>
>
>
> 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.
>
> 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."

Yes, will work. be prepared to break wind loud and long. Hell, make a
contest of it!

ted
>
>
>
>
> Organic Consumers Association
> 6771 South Silver Hill Drive
> Finland MN 55603
> E-mail: Staff ú
> Activist or Media Inquiries: 218-226-4164 ú Fax: 218-353-7652
>
>
>
> Fair Use Notice: The material on this site is provided for educational
> and informational purposes. It may contain copyrighted material the
> use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the
> copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance
> the understanding of scientific, environmental, economic, social
> justice and human rights issues etc. It is believed that this
> constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided
> for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title
> 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed
> without profit to those who have an interest in using the included
> information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use
> copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go
> beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright
> owner. The information on this site does not constitute legal or
> technical advice.

tedorn44@hotmail.com wrote:

>- wrote:
>> http://www.organicconsumers.org/arti...ticle_3847.cfm
>>
>> Human guinea pigs eat "ape diet" for 12 days, experience remarkable
>> health improvements
>> By Claire Heald
>> BBC, 1.11.07
>>
>> Straight to the Source
>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6248975.stm
>>
>>
>>
>> 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.
>>
>> 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.
>>
>>
>> EVO DIET: WHAT THEY ATE
>> 5 kgs or 2,300 calories of fruit, vegetables, nuts and honey
>> On a 3-day rotation, typically: Broccoli, carrots, radishes
>> Cabbage, tomatoes, watercress Strawberries, apricots, bananas
>> Mangoes, melons, figs, plums Satsumas, hazelnuts
>>
>>
>>
>> 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.
>>
>> 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."
>
>Yes, will work. be prepared to break wind loud and long. Hell, make a
>contest of it!
>
>ted
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Organic Consumers Association
>> 6771 South Silver Hill Drive
>> Finland MN 55603
>> E-mail: Staff ú
>> Activist or Media Inquiries: 218-226-4164 ú Fax: 218-353-7652
>>
>>
>>
>> Fair Use Notice: The material on this site is provided for educational
>> and informational purposes. It may contain copyrighted material the
>> use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the
>> copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance
>> the understanding of scientific, environmental, economic, social
>> justice and human rights issues etc. It is believed that this
>> constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided
>> for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title
>> 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed
>> without profit to those who have an interest in using the included
>> information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use
>> copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go
>> beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright
>> owner. The information on this site does not constitute legal or
>> technical advice.

Interesting

tedorn44@hotmail.com wrote:
> - wrote:
>> http://www.organicconsumers.org/arti...ticle_3847.cfm
>>
>> Human guinea pigs eat "ape diet" for 12 days, experience remarkable
>> health improvements
>> By Claire Heald
>> BBC, 1.11.07
>>
>> Straight to the Source
>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6248975.stm
>>
>>
>>
>> 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.
>>
>> 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.
>>
>>
>> EVO DIET: WHAT THEY ATE
>> 5 kgs or 2,300 calories of fruit, vegetables, nuts and honey
>> On a 3-day rotation, typically: Broccoli, carrots, radishes
>> Cabbage, tomatoes, watercress Strawberries, apricots, bananas
>> Mangoes, melons, figs, plums Satsumas, hazelnuts
>>
>>
>>
>> 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.
>>
>> 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."
>
> Yes, will work. be prepared to break wind loud and long. Hell, make a
> contest of it!
>
> ted

Yeah, it will work, but even our closest primate relatives are
not strict vegetarians. Chimps are aggressive and often engage
in hunting and the whole "tribe" is always delighted when meat
is to be had.