Prof Tim Noakes was thinking in a
unidirectional way when he wrote his book. Unfortunately the body has more than
one system and to only look at the endocrine system is in my view, a mistake.
Diabetes is on the increase throughout the Western world because of the
shocking western diet - high in processed foods, salt, sugar and fat, and low
in fibre, fruits and vegetables. Prof Noakes claims it is genetic.
In South Africa we have many people
blindly and slavishly following the Banting diet without any knowledge of their
own physiology. I have patients whose cholesterol levels have soared on the
diet, with an increase in LDL and a lowering of HDL, including raised
triglycerides. Not a good scenario, any cardiologist would agree.
Many people on the Banting diet will
love the permission to eat more meat (usually from feedlot farms) and fat and
not worry too much about vegetables. By doing so they will increase the amounts
of veterinary drug residues, like deworming drugs, antibiotics, hormones etc
and other toxins that are stored in animal fat, Omega 6 which occurs in
feedlot raised animals and causes increased inflammation, and nitrates from
processed meat which predispose one to cancer. At the same time there is a
reduction in valuable fibre from grains and root vegetables, a consequent
reduction in short chain fatty acids made by gut flora(which act as
anti-inflammatories); a change in gut flora to bacteroides which can
predispose one to colon cancer. High fat diets leading to increased amounts of
bile acid predispose one to colon cancer, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes,
irritable bowel disease to mention a few problems. Healthy gut flora play an
important role in protecting us against disease; a diet high in fat and low in
fibre could do the opposite.
The Banting diet actually recommends
that people cut out refined carbohydrates. This is a good idea. Whole grains
and fibrous vegetables like beetroot (which Prof Noakes doesn’t allow) are
important dietary elements. We need plenty of fibre and the
micronutrients and phytochemicals from a vast array of colourful (preferably
organically grown) grains, fruits and vegetables to have a healthy microbiome
which will keep us healthy.
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