Debunking raw food myths II (repost as plain text)

[Guest guest]

It came out OK here on a Mac, but maybe you're

using a PC or something ? Anyway, here it is

again in plain text:

 

From <http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2002issue4/rawfoodsdiet.htm>:

 

Raw Foods Diets

 

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

 

by Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, RD

 

It is well established that vegetarian lifestyles

are associated with health advantages. The

American Dietetic Association states that " Š

appropriately planned vegetarian diets are

healthful, are nutritionally adequate, and

provide health benefits in the treatment and

prevention of certain diseases. " (16)

 

Much of what is known about vegetarian diets and

related health effects is based on research on

lacto ovo vegetarian diets. Relatively little

information is available about the health and

nutrition aspects of vegan diets, however, as

well as variants such as raw foods or living

foods diets. A review of the literature was

conducted to determine the extent to which there

is scientific documentation of the health and

nutrition aspects of raw foods diets as a first

step toward further study of this dietary

practice.

 

Worldwide, little research data is available on

the subject of raw foods diets. The majority of

published research has been conducted in Finland

at the University of Kuopio. Of the 24 papers

included in this review, 15 originated in

Finland. The remainder of the research was

conducted in the U.S., the Netherlands, and

Germany.

 

Raw foods diets are variously described as

uncooked vegan diets, uncooked vegetable diets,

and " living foods " diets. In one case, a raw

foods diet included raw liver (8). All other

studies reviewed here referred to vegetarian

diets, most of which excluded all animal products

and derived the majority of calories from

uncooked plant matter. In one study, up to 95

percent of food was consumed in raw form (7). One

study group derived 55 percent of calories from

uncooked fruits, carrot juice, salads and raw

vegetables, and grain products, though 58 percent

of subjects also consumed some animal product

during the recorded week of food intake (4). In

other studies, a " living foods " diet was defined

as an uncooked vegan diet that included

germinated seeds, sprouts, cereals, vegetables,

fruits, berries, and nuts (9, 11).

 

The scientific literature contains relatively

little information about the rationale for a raw

foods or living foods diet. One paper by Kenton

(1985) provides philosophical discussion

examining food energy and its role in sustaining

optimal health. Other papers focus on specific

health effects on adult subjects following a raw

foods or living foods diet for a period of time

ranging from as little as one week (10) to as

long as 3.7 years (14). Study groups ranged in

size from as small as 13 subjects (2) to as many

as 513 subjects (14). Findings include dietary

effects on weight, serum lipid levels, symptoms

of rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, rates

of dental erosion, fecal microflora, cancer

treatment, vitamin B12 status, and antioxidant

and other nutrient intakes.

 

Four studies found uncooked vegan ( " living

foods " ) diets to be associated with substantial

loss of weight (5,12, 14, 20). In one case,

weight loss was associated with reduction of

diastolic blood pressure (5), in one case

reduction of fibromyalgia symptoms (12), and with

amenorrhea in another case (14). Other studies

found subjective improvement of fibromyalgia and

rheumatoid arthritis symptoms with adoption of an

uncooked vegan diet (9, 11, 17).

 

An uncooked vegan diet was associated with

decreased serum total and LDL-cholesterol levels

(2). Another study found that long term uncooked

vegan diets resulted in decreased levels of n-3

fatty acids due to high intakes of linoleic and

oleic acids (1). Two studies found significant

reductions of serum vitamin B12concentrations in

subjects following a raw foods ( " living foods " )

diet, suggesting that long-term adherents to a

raw vegan diet should include a reliable source

of vitamin B12 in their diets (3, 22).

 

Other studies focused on favorable effects of an

uncooked vegan diet on fecal microflora and other

potential chemopreventive factors for cancer risk

(6, 15, 18, 25). One study found overall

favorable changes in biochemical and metabolic

health indicators including serum protein, urea,

and total cholesterol in subjects eating a raw

foods diet for one week but concluded observation

over a longer period was needed (10). One study

found increased risk of dental erosion in

subjects following an uncooked vegan diet (7).

Another study examined coumarin 7-hydroxylation

in subjects consuming a raw foods vegan diet

matched with omnivorous controls and concluded

that plant substances had little effect on

coumarin hydroxylase activity in subjects

consuming a raw foods diet (23).

 

Finally, one study of 141 American long-term

(mean time 28 months) adherents to a raw foods

diet found self-reported improvements in health

and quality of life after adoption of the diet

(4). Measurement was based on survey results of

subjects' current health and retrospectively for

health prior to dietary changes. The study found

that salads, fruits, carrot juice, and cooked

grain products provided 60-88 percent of most of

the nutrients found in the diet. Dehydrated

barley grass juice, nuts and seeds, potatoes and

squash provided the remaining 12-40% of nutrients

in the diet. The diet provided a mean calorie

intake of 1460 kcal/day for women and 1830

kcal/day for men. Fat provided 24% of calories,

and mean protein intake was 0.66g/kg body weight.

Mean calcium intakes were 580 mg/day for women

and 690 mg/day for men. As compared to mean

nutrient intakes of people in the United States,

as reported in the National Health and Nutrition

Examination Survey (NHANES III), intakes of

several nutrients were significantly higher in

subjects eating a raw foods diet, and intakes of

several nutrients were lower. Intakes of fiber,

vitamins A, B6, C, and E, folate, copper, and

potassium were significantly higher in subjects

eating a raw foods diet as compared with those

reported in NHANES III, and intakes of protein,

total and saturated fat, cholesterol, vitamin

B12, phosphorus, sodium, and zinc were

significantly lower.

 

Overall, the body of scientific literature

describing health and nutrition aspects of raw

foods or living foods diets is limited. Only one

survey of American individuals consuming a raw

foods diet has been reported. Little or no

information is available describing the rationale

for a raw foods diet, nor has the range of

practices among individuals consuming raw or

living foods diets been documented. The majority

of available research findings related to raw

foods diet is confined to studies of European

populations.

 

1. Agren, J. J., Tormala, M. L., Nenonen, M. T.,

Hanninen, O. (1995). Fatty acid composition of

erythrocyte, platelet, and serum lipids in strict

vegans. Lipids, 30, 365-369.

 

2. Agren, J. J., Tvrzicka, E., Nenonen, M. T.,

Helve, T., Hanninen, O. (2001). Divergent changes

in serum sterols during a strict uncooked vegan

diet in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

British Journal of Nutrition, 85, 137-139.

 

3. Donaldson, M. S. (2000). Metabolic vitamin B12

status on a mostly raw vegan diet with follow-up

using tablets, nutritional yeast, or probiotic

supplements. Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism,

44, 229-234.

 

4. Donaldson, M. S. (in press). Food and nutrient

intake of Hallelujah vegetarians. Nutrition &

Food Science.

 

5. Douglass, J. M., Rasgon, I. M., Fleiss, P. M.,

Schmidt, R. D., Peters, S. N., Abelmann, E. A.

(1985). Effects of a raw food diet on

hypertension and obesity. Southern Medical

Journal, 78(7), 841-844.

 

6. Gaisbauer, M., Langosch, A. (1990). Raw food

and immunity (article in German). Fortschr Med,

108(17), 338-340.

 

7. Ganss, C., Schlechtriemen, M., Klimek, J.

(1999). Dental erosions in subjects living on a

raw foods diet.Caries Research, 33, 74-80.

 

8. Gerson, M. (1978). The cure of advanced cancer

by diet therapy: a summary of 30 years of

clinical experimentation. Physiol Chem Phys,

10(5), 449-464.

 

9. Hanninen, O., Kaartinen, K., Rauma, A. L.,

Nenonen, M., Torronen, R., Hakkinen, A. S., et

al. (2000). Antioxidants in vegan diet and

rheumatic disorders. Toxicology, 155, 45-53.

 

10. Hanninen, O., Nenonen, M., Ling, W. H., Li,

D. S., et al. (1992). Effects of eating an

uncooked vegetable diet for 1 week. Appetite, 19,

243-254.

 

11. Hanninen, O., Rauma, A. L., Kaartinen, K.,

Nenonen, M. (1999). Vegan diet in physiological

health promotion. Acta Physiologica Hungarica,

86, 171-180.

 

12. Kaartinen, K., Lammi, K., Hypen, M., Nenonen,

M., Hanninen, O., Rauma, A. L. (2000). Vegan diet

alleviates fibromyalgia symptoms. Scandanavian

Journal of Rheumatology, 29, 308-313.

 

13. Kenton, L. (1985). Raw energy - nutrition of

the future? Nutrition and Health, 4, 37-50.

 

14. Koebnick, C., Strassner, C., Hoffmann, I.,

Leitzmann, C. (1999). Consequences of a long-term

raw food diet on body weight and menstruation:

results of a questionnaire survey. Annals of

Nutrition & Metabolism, 43(2), 69-79.

 

15. Ling, W. H., Hanninen, O. (1992). Shifting

from a conventional diet to an uncooked vegan

diet reversibly alters fecal hydrolytic

activities in humans. Journal of Nutrition, 122,

924-930.

Messina, V. and Burke, K. (1997). Position of the

American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian diets.

Journal of the American Dietetic Association,

97(11), 1317-1321.

 

16. Nenonen, M. T., Helve, T. A., Rauma, A. L.,

Hanninen, O. O. (1998). Uncooked,

lactobacilli-rich, vegan food and rheumatoid

arthritis. British Journal of Rheumatology, 37,

274-281.

 

17. Peltonen, R., Ling, W. H., Hanninen, O.,

Eerola, E. (1992). An uncooked vegan diet shifts

the profile of human fecal microflora:

computerized analysis of direct stool sample

gas-liquid chromatography profiles of bacterial

cellular fatty acids. Applied Environmental

Microbiology, 58, 3660-3666.

 

18. Peltonen, R., Nenonen, M., Helve, T.,

Hanninen, O., Toivanen, P., Eerola, E. (1997).

Faecal microbial flora and disease activity in

rheumatoid arthritis during a vegan diet. British

Journal of Rheumatology, 36, 64-68.

 

19. Rauma, A. L., Nenonen, M., Helve, T.,

Hanninen, O. (1993). Effect of a strict vegan

diet on energy and nutrient intakes by Finnish

rheumatoid patients. European Journal of Clinical

Nutrition, 47, 747-749.

 

20. Rauma, A. L., Torronen, R., Hanninen, O.,

Verhagen, H., Mykkanen, H. (1995). Antioxidant

status in long-term adherents to a strict

uncooked vegan diet. American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition, 62, 1221-1227.

 

21. Rauma, A. L., Torronen, R., Hanninen, O.,

Mykkanen, H. (1995). Vitamin B-12 status of

long-term adherents of a strict uncooked vegan

diet ( " living food diet " ) is compromised. Journal

of Nutrition, 125, 2511-2315.

 

22. Rauma, A. L., Rautio, A., Pasanen, M.,

Pelkonen, O., Torronen, R., Mykkanen, H. (1996).

Coumarin 7-hydroxylation in long-term adherents

of a strict, Uncooked vegan diet. European

Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 50, 133-137.

 

23. Rauma, A. L., Mykkanen, H. (2000).

Antioxidant status in vegetarians versus

omnivores. Nutrition, 16, 111-119.

 

24. Verhagen, H., Rauma, A. L., Torronen, R., de

Vogel, N., Bruijntjes-Rosier, G. C., Drevo, M.

A., et al. (1996). Effect of a vegan diet on

biomarkers of females. Human Experimental

Toxicology, 15, 821-825.

--

[Guest guest]

right ... then we'd all have complained ...

 

 

 

 

Paul Russell [prussell] It came out OK here on a Mac, but maybe you're using a PC or something ? Anyway, here it is again in plain text:

 

**

[Guest guest]

, " Oliver Slay " <oliver@l...> wrote:

> right ... then we'd all have complained ...

 

I use web only format if that helps to clear up any misunderstandings

there.

 

Elisabeth=)

[Guest guest]

, Paul Russell <prussell@s...> wrote:

 

OK, read it now! Thanks a lot for re-posting it Paul.

 

I expected it to be really anti, but it was quite positive in the

main, just seemed to be saying that there's not much info about,

(hardly surprising when discussing such a minority), and about B12,

which is not something that we're unfamiliar with. Of course, it

wasn't talking much about 100% raw food diets, no doubt as subjects

for study would be ever rarer than those of us who consume high raw

diets.

 

Some of the stuff I've read in raw books has been very sus and

seriously silly. In his book, one chap asserts that it's the tiny

bits of raw food that SAD eaters take in that keeps them from

starving. So, what he's saying here is that the tiny bit of lettuce

leaf in a Big Mac prevents them from keeling over dead! Talk about

daft! Many of them also assert that there's no nutrition whatsoever

in any cooked food. Well, if that were true, then many Western

babies wouldn't survive their first week of life as they are bottle

fed! Formula or even regular cow's milk could hardly be called raw,

unprocessed food, but they obviously get enough from it to live and

develop.

 

Another dubious point is about enzymes in food. The theory goes that

the enzymes in raw food helps us to digest it and saves us from using

up all the enzymes in our bodies, but my biology knowledge teaches me

that enzymes are specific - ie one enzyme for one job only and that

they are not changed or used up in the reaction. It's part of the

definition. So, one wonders about the soundness of this line of

reasoning too....

 

I do think it's generally in the right direction though, but I

suspect it will be nigh on impossible to get it spot on esp. as needs

vary so much from person to person.

 

Very interesting.....but I might have said that before!!

 

Elisabeth=)

[Guest guest]

Yes, I think we probably agree on the raw food issue. There are

probably some health benefits in making a significant part of your

diet raw. Ironically it's probably the omnis who would derive the

most benefit from this, but also perhaps veg*ns too, to a lesser

extent. What I take issue with is the 100% raw food dogma, which

appears to be unfounded, illogical and even dangerous in some cases.

 

Another point about the raw food movement is that it tends to be

mainly driven by (ill conceived) health concerns, rather than by

ethical considerations.

 

Regards,

 

Paul

 

--

[Guest guest]

, Paul Russell <prussell@s...> wrote:

> Yes, I think we probably agree on the raw food issue. There are

> probably some health benefits in making a significant part of your

> diet raw. Ironically it's probably the omnis who would derive the

> most benefit from this, but also perhaps veg*ns too, to a lesser

> extent.

 

Yes I remember reading someone saying that one of the big plusses of

the 'normal' raw diet is the fact that it's vegan.

 

What I take issue with is the 100% raw food dogma, which

> appears to be unfounded, illogical and even dangerous in some cases.

 

Makes me mad too as they alienate thinking people with common sense.

 

> Another point about the raw food movement is that it tends to be

> mainly driven by (ill conceived) health concerns, rather than by

> ethical considerations.

 

Hmm, yes. There certainly are health concerns and I suppose most

would consider the ethical issues to be broadly similar to vegan ones

and already well covered in the vegan literature. They're not all

sound though and there are way too many self-professed experts giving

ridiculous advice. One book allegedly states that if one eats

anything cooked, their lungs would 2/3 fill with mucous. Yesh

right. As if anyone could survive that!

 

Balance is always a good thing!

 

Hugs,

 

Elisabeth=)