My Brutal Stance on Sugar

Please note that “sugar” in this context is concerning the processed forms of sucrose (table or cooking sugar) in addition to high fructose corn syrup. The former comes mainly from cane, beets or dates. The latter comes from corn.

Sucrose is a disaccharide (a double molecule made up of glucose and fructose)^[*11], and high fructose corn syrup is composed of 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose in similar percentages to sucrose^[*12].

Both of said products enter the body and from the intestine will be absorbed as glucose molecules, and fructose molecules. Glucose will actually be in the blood stream from mouth to blood within 12 minutes on an empty stomach^[*13]. Fructose will have to take a longer pathway and be transformed into glucose first. This latter process from mouth to blood stream is about 45 minutes on an empty stomach. Their ultimate fate is stimulation of insulin secretion, cell entry and storage as glycogen (animal starch) to a limited degree but mostly as triglycerides (fat). The only portion of glucose from above intake process which doesn’t get stored would be the molecules that get burned off directly in muscle and brain which don’t require insulin to enter the cells. Always remember: insulin is a storage hormone and doesn’t play much of a role in energy production, if any at all. The net effect of this hormone is storage of carbohydrate, protein (from other protein sources which are absorbed as amino acids), and fat^[*14].

Therefore from above take the message: if you don’t burn off the sugar quickly then it will be stored, mostly as fat. So unless you are underweight then that isn't desirable.

Also from above you may deduce that if you are able to control your refined sugar intake and burn it off expediently then there is less danger from its intake. This is true, but there is another aspect here which I would like to explain which makes the principle of intake control much more complicated.

The aspect I am alluding to is the addictive properties of refined sugar. Addiction, is defined as the repeated compulsive use of a substance despite negative health consequences, and can be produced by a variety of different drugs^[*15].

The phenomenon of addiction is associated with the reward system in the brain, and particularly within an area in the brain designated the nucleus accumbens. The best studied addictive drugs are opiates (such as morphine and heroin), cocaine, amphetamine, ethyl alcohol, cannabinoids from marijuana, and nicotine. I firmly believe, with very little doubt, that refined sugars should be added to these substances.

All of them (the substances in the previous paragraph) affect the brain in different pathways, but all have in common the fact that they increase the amount of dopamine (a chemical in the brain which functions as a signaling messenger) available to act on receptors in the nucleus accumbens, which will translate into the feelings of joy, comfort, calm, and other “feel good” sensations. In a nutshell, they rapidly stimulate the reward system of the brain.

This rapidly rewarded activity (refined sugar intake) will also establish another phenomenon whereby there is an immediate reward (feel good sensation) in the brain as soon as the sugary food is in the mouth. This is accomplished by what is called a conditioned reflex. (A conditioned reflex is a reflex response to a stimulus that previously elicited little or no response, acquired by repeatedly pairing the stimulus with another stimulus that normally does produce the response. In Pavlov's classic experiments, the salivation normally induced by placing meat in the mouth of a dog was studied. A bell was rung just before the meat was placed in the dog's mouth, and this was repeated a number of times until the animal would salivate when the bell was rung even though no meat was placed in its mouth. In this experiment, the meat placed in the mouth was the unconditioned stimulus (US), the stimulus that normally produces a particular innate response. The conditioned stimulus (CS) was the bell-ringing. After the CS and US had been paired a sufficient number of times, the CS produced the response originally evoked only by the US. The CS had to precede the US. This is so-called classic conditioning^[*16].)

Therefore from the preceding take the message: if you eat refined sugars regularly then you (most people) will become addicted to it even to the degree it elicits “a reward in the brain” as soon as it enters the mouth (possibly even before that). Hence you will enter into “the repeated compulsive use of a substance despite negative health consequences”^[*15].

Another aspect to fear with long-term addiction would be the development of tolerance, i.e., the need for increasing amounts of a drug (refined sugar) to produce a “high”. So you may end up eating larger and larger quantities of refined sugars over time.

Also don’t ignore the fact that withdrawal from substances a person is addicted to produces psychological and physical symptoms^[*16]. An easy test to see if you are addicted to refined sugar is to stop eating all products containing it for a minimum of 7 (seven) days, and observe your uncomfortable feelings, sensations, craving, restlessness, lack of concentration, anxiety, and others if you are addicted. The addicted person will have varying degrees, different combinations, and/or other symptoms of withdrawal, as the previous sentence was a non-exclusive, non-encompassing statement.

The direct dangers of refined sugars are:

• Inhibition of release of adrenaline^[*17] by the impact of rapid release of insulin, which is an element, I believe in the development of atherosclerosis^[*18] (artery clogging).
• With regularity of carbohydrate (refined sugars are refined carbohydrates) intake (which is not burned off) the overall (absolute magnitude) output of insulin increases until the pancreas gets overwhelmed and exhausted^{[*19, 20]} and diabetes mellitus type 2 will probably ensue (this is an elemental part of the development of this disease).
• Unless burned off rapidly then storage of the substance will be in the form of fat. Obesity will result.
• Becoming addicted to refined sugars (which doesn’t appear to occur with sugars present in fresh fruit).

The Corn Refiners Association in the United States claims: “No single food or ingredient is the sole cause of obesity. Rather, too many calories and too little exercise is a primary cause^[*21].” From above you may see this is not the whole story as relates to the role of sugar in obesity or the dangers of sugar.

In summary: if you are disciplined enough to keep your intake of refined sugars to a minimum and burn off physically what you take in, then go for it. If you are not, like most of the human race, then my recommendation is drop it from your diet.

The Book Contents

Acknowledgments
Disclaimer
Chapter 1: The Pillars
Chapter 2: Sleep
Chapter 3: Good Nutrition
Chapter 4: Sufficient Physical Activity, Or Exercise
Chapter 5: Avoiding Harmful Substances
Chapter 6: Hereditary Factors And Other Yet Undiscovered Factors
Chapter 7: Atherosclerosis (Coronary Artery Clogging With Cholesterol)
Chapter 8: Hypertension (Abnormal Persistent Blood Pressure Elevation.)
Chapter 9: Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
Chapter 10: Depression
Chapter 11: Fibromyalgia
Chapter 12: Headache
References (in alphabetical order)
Appendix: The Diet

Updates and Referencing for the Updates

Updates and referencing for the updates will be listed hereafter. The number of the update will be within brackets and preceded by an asterisk. The updates will be within the text of the different chapters and the font color will be orange. [This post was actually put up May 9, 2008 but recorded as if posted April 30, 2008 to keep the archives accessible within one month.]

[*1] Updated on this site April-25- 2008.

[*2] Updated on this site May-05- 2008 relying on knowledge from me, and: Barter P, Gotto AM, LaRosa JC, Maroni J, Szarek M, Grundy SM, et al. HDL Cholesterol, Very Low Levels of LDL Cholesterol, and Cardiovascular Events. New England Journal of Medicine 2007 September 27, 2007;357(13):1301-10. And: Canner PL, Berge KG, Wenger NK, Stamler J, Friedman L, Prineas RJ, et al. Fifteen year mortality in Coronary Drug Project patients: long-term benefit with niacin. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 1986 December 1, 1986;8(6):1245-55.

[*3] Updated on this site May-07-2008. Welch GN, Loscalzo J. Homocysteine and Atherothrombosis. New England Journal of Medicine 1998 April 9, 1998; 338(15):1042-50.

[*4] Updated on this site May-07-2008. Albert CM, Cook NR, Gaziano JM, Zaharris E, MacFadyen J, Danielson E, et al. Effect of Folic Acid and B Vitamins on Risk of Cardiovascular Events and Total Mortality Among Women at High Risk for Cardiovascular Disease: A Randomized Trial. JAMA 2008 May 7, 2008; 299 (17):2027-36.

[*5] Updated on this site May-07-2008. Lonn E. Homocysteine-Lowering B Vitamin Therapy in Cardiovascular Prevention--Wrong Again? JAMA 2008 May 7, 2008; 299(17):2086-7.

[*6] Nissen SE, Wolski K. Effect of Rosiglitazone on the Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Death from Cardiovascular Causes. NEJM. June 14, 2007 2007;356(24):2457-2471.

[*7] Nathan DM. Rosiglitazone and Cardiotoxicity -- Weighing the Evidence. NEJM. July 5, 2007 2007;357(1):64-66.

[*8] Home PD, Pocock SJ, Beck-Nielsen H, et al. Rosiglitazone Evaluated for Cardiovascular Outcomes -- An Interim Analysis. NEJM. July 5, 2007 2007;357(1):28-38.

[*9] Drazen JM, Morrissey S, Curfman GD. Rosiglitazone -- Continued Uncertainty about Safety. NEJM. July 5, 2007 2007;357(1):63-64.

[*10] Bolen S, Feldman L, Vassy J, et al. Systematic Review: Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Oral Medications for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Ann Intern Med. September 18, 2007 2007;147(6):386-399.

[*11] Online Database: William F. Ganong M. Review of Medical Physiology - 22nd Ed. (2005). 2005. Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division. Available at: http://online.statref.com/document.aspx?fxid=16&docid=563. STAT!Ref Online Electronic Medical Library. Accessed 5/31/2008

[*12] Association CR. What is High Fructose Corn Syrup. http://www.hfcsfacts.com/. Accessed 5/31/08.

[*13] Slama G, Traynard PY, Desplanque N, et al. The search for an optimized treatment of hypoglycemia. Carbohydrates in tablets, solution, or gel for the correction of insulin reactions. Arch Int Med. March 1, 1990 1990;150(3):589-593.

[*14] Online Database: M. WFG. Review of Medical Physiology - 22nd Ed. (2005). 2005. Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division. Available at: http://online.statref.com/Document/DocumentBodyContent.aspx?DocId=392&FxId=16&Scroll=26&Index=0&SessionId=C80857LQYYAPFMWN&local=true. STAT!Ref Online Electronic Medical Library. Accessed 5/31/2008

[*15] William F. Ganong M. Review of Medical Physiology - 22nd Ed. (2005): Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division; 2005 SECTION III. Functions of the Nervous System CHAPTER 15. Neural Basis of Instinctual Behavior & Emotions; MOTIVATION & ADDICTION; Available at: http://online.statref.com/document.aspx?fxid=16&docid=303

[*16] M. WFG. Review of Medical Physiology - 22nd Ed. (2005): Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division; 2005 SECTION III. Functions of the Nervous System CHAPTER 16. "Higher Functions of the Nervous System": Conditioned Reflexes, Learning, & Related Phenomena; Available at: http://online.statref.com/document.aspx?fxid=16&docid=

[*17] Aldoori D. The Pillars of Health:The Blog. Chapter 3: Good Nutrition. May 2, 2008; Link Accessed May 2, 2008.

[*18] Aldoori D. The Pillars of Health: The Prelude. Chapter 7: Atherosclerosis (Coronary Artery Clogging With Cholesterol). May 2002; http://thepillarsofhealth.blogspot.com/2008/04/chapter-7-atherosclerosis-coronary.html.

[*19] William F. Ganong M. Review of Medical Physiology. SECTION IV. Endocrinology, Metabolism, & Reproductive Function. Twenty-Second ed: Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division; 2005:347-348.

[*20] Mayfield JA, White RD. Insulin Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes: Rescue,Augmentation,and Replacement of Beta-Cell Function. American Family Physician. 2004;70(3):489-500.

[*21] Association CR. Corn Refiners Association Statement - "The Sugar Fix". http://www.hfcsfacts.com/SugarFixStatement.html. Accessed 5/31/08.

Appendix: The Diet

General Rules

· No sweets, pastries or candies period (in other words: no sucrose or high fructose corn syrup). No foods made out of flour except for two slices of bread daily (rye and whole wheat preferred) or two medium size potatoes or ¾ cup cooked rice or ¾ cup pasta, or lasagna, or 1 slice pizza, etc.
· Salt is necessary to taste as long as ceiling is 5 gm (1 tsp) per day (barring having a condition like heart or kidney failure). This ceiling needs to be higher in hotter environments.
· Every main meal should have protein in it of some sort.
· No red meat or pork unless organic (because of additives and hormones in the USA). Good protein sources would be fish, chicken, turkey and/or eggs. However you want to prepare the food is acceptable including frying or mixing with condiments (mayonnaise for example). Fats and oils are necessary and no limit on their intake if they are non synthetic.
· Snacks: vegetables (no limit on vegetables raw or cooked as snack or otherwise), or fruit (for diabetic up to 2 pieces sweet fruit if diabetic condition is controlled, otherwise only one piece per day). Good snacks are nuts such as cashews, peanuts, and walnuts and so on (barring having a condition like diverticulosis). Peanut butter not okay unless sugar free.
· Desserts: fruit, dried or raw. Another option is sugar free ice cream [*1].
· Portions should be as desired if you are at a healthy weight; smaller size if you are overweight and target feeling a little hungry (the feeling in your stomach and not in your mind) for a few hours daily.
· This regimen isn't suitable for those with certain medical conditions i.e. always check with your doctor.
· Drink water or another sugar free fluid aiming to maintain your urine color at barely yellow.
· Regular sleep is essential for your health, including targeting a healthy weight. Aim for 8-9 hours regularly per 24 hours. Also you need regular exercise. Aim for some form of exercise, which will result in you sweating for 5-15 minutes five times weekly (this is the minimum). Walking is what I advise most of all.
· Avoid harmful substances such as tobacco products and alcohol.
· Feeling hungry is good, but not to the point of feeling dizziness or weak. Use your stomach as a guide to eat and don’t go by what your mind tells you to do. Don’t feel bad though that your mind is telling you to go eat that donut or great looking garlic bread… Even after you are healthier and excessive craving goes away there will still be some residual desire (in most people) to have carbohydrates (even if you aren't hungry). That comes from instinct.
· Number of meals: can be any number as long as you do it regularly number wise and time wise.
· Remember: getting healthy requires your commitment, and like any lifestyle change, it’s not very easy at first (actually it is downright hard). Once you have attained the desired healthy goal then you may stray from the “path” occasionally and not more than 1-2 times per month. For diabetics though no refined sugar ever.

· Notes: above are general guidelines and the calorie requirements vary for all humans and therefore consultation with your doctor will ultimately get you to the right intake. Every human being has their own unique healthy weight which they will attain when following the healthy life styles noted above. Any allergy inducing food product must be avoided.

My Brutal Stance on Sugar:(Added 9th of June, 2008)

Please note that “sugar” in this context is concerning the processed forms of sucrose (table or cooking sugar) in addition to high fructose corn syrup. The former comes mainly from cane, beets or dates. The latter comes from corn.

Sucrose is a disaccharide (a double molecule made up of glucose and fructose)^[*11], and high fructose corn syrup is composed of 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose in similar percentages to sucrose^[*12].

Both of said products enter the body and from the intestine will be absorbed as glucose molecules, and fructose molecules. Glucose will actually be in the blood stream from mouth to blood within 12 minutes on an empty stomach^[*13]. Fructose will have to take a longer pathway and be transformed into glucose first. This latter process from mouth to blood stream is about 45 minutes on an empty stomach. Their ultimate fate is stimulation of insulin secretion, cell entry and storage as glycogen (animal starch) to a limited degree but mostly as triglycerides (fat). The only portion of glucose from above intake process which doesn’t get stored would be the molecules that get burned off directly in muscle and brain which don’t require insulin to enter the cells. Always remember: insulin is a storage hormone and doesn’t play much of a role in energy production, if any at all. The net effect of this hormone is storage of carbohydrate, protein (from other protein sources which are absorbed as amino acids), and fat^[*14].

Therefore from above take the message: if you don’t burn off the sugar quickly then it will be stored, mostly as fat. So unless you are underweight then that isn't desirable.

Also from above you may deduce that if you are able to control your refined sugar intake and burn it off expediently then there is less danger from its intake. This is true, but there is another aspect here which I would like to explain which makes the principle of intake control much more complicated.

The aspect I am alluding to is the addictive properties of refined sugar.

Addiction, is defined as the repeated compulsive use of a substance despite negative health consequences, and can be produced by a variety of different drugs^[*15].

The phenomenon of addiction is associated with the reward system in the brain, and particularly within an area in the brain designated the nucleus accumbens. The best studied addictive drugs are opiates (such as morphine and heroin), cocaine, amphetamine, ethyl alcohol, cannabinoids from marijuana, and nicotine. I firmly believe, with very little doubt, that refined sugars should be added to these substances.

All of them (the substances in the previous paragraph) affect the brain in different pathways, but all have in common the fact that they increase the amount of dopamine (a chemical in the brain which functions as a signaling messenger) available to act on receptors in the nucleus accumbens, which will translate into the feelings of joy, comfort, calm, and other “feel good” sensations. In a nutshell, they rapidly stimulate the reward system of the brain.

This rapidly rewarded activity (refined sugar intake) will also establish another phenomenon whereby there is an immediate reward (feel good sensation) in the brain as soon as the sugary food is in the mouth. This is accomplished by what is called a conditioned reflex. (A conditioned reflex is a reflex response to a stimulus that previously elicited little or no response, acquired by repeatedly pairing the stimulus with another stimulus that normally does produce the response. In Pavlov's classic experiments, the salivation normally induced by placing meat in the mouth of a dog was studied. A bell was rung just before the meat was placed in the dog's mouth, and this was repeated a number of times until the animal would salivate when the bell was rung even though no meat was placed in its mouth. In this experiment, the meat placed in the mouth was the unconditioned stimulus (US), the stimulus that normally produces a particular innate response. The conditioned stimulus (CS) was the bell-ringing. After the CS and US had been paired a sufficient number of times, the CS produced the response originally evoked only by the US. The CS had to precede the US. This is so-called classic conditioning^[*16].)

Therefore from the preceding take the message: if you eat refined sugars regularly then you (most people) will become addicted to it even to the degree it elicits “a reward in the brain” as soon as it enters the mouth (possibly even before that). Hence you will enter into “the repeated compulsive use of a substance despite negative health consequences”^[*15].

Another aspect to fear with long-term addiction would be the development of tolerance, i.e., the need for increasing amounts of a drug (refined sugar) to produce a “high”. So you may end up eating larger and larger quantities of refined sugars over time.

Also don’t ignore the fact that withdrawal from substances a person is addicted to produces psychological and physical symptoms^[*16]. An easy test to see if you are addicted to refined sugar is to stop eating all products containing it for a minimum of 7 (seven) days, and observe your uncomfortable feelings, sensations, craving, restlessness, lack of concentration, anxiety, and others if you are addicted. The addicted person will have varying degrees, different combinations, and/or other symptoms of withdrawal, as the previous sentence was a non-exclusive, non-encompassing statement.

The direct dangers of refined sugars are:

· Inhibition of release of adrenaline^[*17] by the impact of rapid release of insulin, which is an element, I believe in the development of atherosclerosis^[*18] (artery clogging).

· With regularity of carbohydrate (refined sugars are refined carbohydrates) intake (which is not burned off) the overall (absolute magnitude) output of insulin increases until the pancreas gets overwhelmed and exhausted^{[*19, 20]} and diabetes mellitus type 2 will probably ensue (this is an elemental part of the development of this disease).

· Unless burned off rapidly then storage of the substance will be in the form of fat. Obesity will result.

· Becoming addicted to refined sugars (which doesn’t appear to occur with sugars present in fresh fruit).

The Corn Refiners Association in the United States claims: “No single food or ingredient is the sole cause of obesity. Rather, too many calories and too little exercise is a primary cause^[*21].” From above you may see this is not the whole story as relates to the role of sugar in obesity or the dangers of sugar.

In summary: if you are disciplined enough to keep your intake of refined sugars to a minimum and burn off physically what you take in, then go for it. If you are not, like most of the human race, then my recommendation is drop it from your diet.

References (in alphabetical order)

1. Bang HO, Dyerberg J. Plasma lipids and lipoprotein in Greenlandic west coast Eskimos. Acta Medical Scand 1972; 192:85-94.
2. Bowring R, Kornicki P. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan. Cambridge University Press.1993; Geography: 19
3. Bowring R, Kornicki P. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan. Cambridge University Press.1993; Arts and Crafts.
4. Champe, P.C., Harvey, R.A. Biochemistry 2nd Ed. p. 209
5. Chen YD; Coulston AM; Zhou MY; Hollenbeck CB; Reaven GM Why do low-fat high-carbohydrate diets accentuate postprandial lipemia in patients with NIDDM? Diabetes Care 1995 Jan; 18(1): 10-6
6. Criqui MH, Ringel BL. Does diet or alcohol explain the French paradox? Lancet 1994 1719-23
7. De Mente B. Japan Encyclopedia. Passport Books. 1995;Food: 145-7
8. Ensminger A.H., Ensminger M.E., Konlande J.E., Robson J.R.K., The Concise Encyclopedia Of Food And Nutrition. Copyright 1995 By CRC Press, Inc.
9. Faggiotto A, Ross R, Harker L. Arteriosclerosis. 1984; 4: 323-40 and 341-56
10. Feinleib M. The magnitude and nature of the decrease in coronary heart disease mortality rate. Am J Cardiol 1984; 54:2C-6C.
11. "Freud, Sigmund," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2002 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
12. Garg A; Bantle JP; Henry RR; Coulston AM; Griver KA; Raatz SK; Brinkley L; Chen YD; Grundy SM; Huet BA; et al. Effects of varying carbohydrate content of diet in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. JAMA 1994 May 11; 271(18): 1421-8
13. Herbert W, Editors of Time-Life Books. Hunters of the Polar North: The Eskimos. 1981; 1: 16-18
14. Houston J. Confessions of an Igloo Dweller. Houghton Mifflin Company.1995.
15. Keys A (ed) Coronary heart disease in seven countries. Circulation 1970 (Suppl to vol.41) 1-211.
16. Kromann N, GREEN A. epidemiological studies in the Upernavik district, Greenland. Acta Med Scand 1980; 208:401-6.
17. Lichtenstein AH, Kennedy E, Barrier Pain, Danford Day, Ernst ND, Grundy SM, Leveille GA, Van Horn L, Williams CL, Booth SL. Nutr Rev 1998 May; 56 (5 Pt 2): S3-19; discussion S19-28
18. Lipid Metabolism. Textbook of Medical Physiology. Edited By Guyton AC And Hall JE. Ninth Edition. 1996; 68:872-3
19. Masuda J, Ross R, Harker L. Arteriosclerosis. 1990; 10:164-77
20. Masuda J, Ross R, Harker L. Arteriosclerosis. 1990; 10:178-87
21. Menotti A, Blackburn H, Kromhout D, Nissinen A, Fidanza F, Giampaoli S, Buzina R, Mohacek I, Nedeljkovic S, Aravanis C, Toshima H. Changes in population cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease deaths in seven countries. Eur Heart J 1997; 18:566-57
22. Reaven GM Pathophysiology of insulin resistance in human disease. Physiol Rev 1995 Jul; 75 (3): 473-86
23. Rosenfeld ME et al. Arteriosclerosis. 1987; 7:24-34
24. Rosenfeld ME, Tsukada T, Gown AM, Ross R. Arteriosclerosis. 1987; 7:9-23
25. Ross R. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis: a perspective for the 1990s. Nature. 1993; 362 (April): 801-9
26. Sarne DH, Refetoff S. Thyroid function Tests. Endocrinology. Third Edition. Edited by Degroot LJ. 1995; 39:632
40
27. Schwab US, Ausman LM, Vogel S, Li Z, Lammi-Keefe CJ, Goldin BR, Ordovas JM, Schaefer EJ, Lichtenstein AH, Jean Mayer. Dietary cholesterol increases the susceptibility of low density lipoprotein to oxidative modification. Atherosclerosis 2000 Mar; 149(1): 83-90
28. Shekelle RB, Stamler J. Dietary Cholesterol and Ischemic heart disease. The Lancet. 1989; May 27:1177-8.
29. Simons LA. Interrelations of lipids adn lipoproteins with coronary artery disease mortatlity in 19 countries. Am J Cardiol 1986; 57:5G-10G.
30. Su HY; Sheu WH; Chin HM; Jeng CY; Chen YD; Reaven GM Am J Hypertens 1995 Nov;8(11): 1067-71
31. The Cell and Its Function. Textbook Of Medical Physiology. Edited By Guyton AC And Hall JE. Ninth Edition. 1996; 2:12
32. The Lipid Research Clinics Program. The Lipid Research Clinics Coronary Primary Prevention Trial Results II. The relationship of reduction in incidence of coronary disease to cholesterol lowering. JAMA. 1984; 251:365-74.
33. The Thyroid Metabolic Hormones. Textbook Of Medical Physiology. Edited By Guyton AC And Hall JE. Ninth Edition. 1996; 76:949
34. Wartofsky L. diseases of the thyroid. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. Thirteenth Edition. 1996; 334:1933-35
35. Yue C, Yue D. The Igloo. Houghton Mifflin Company. 1988; 3:63

Chapter 12: Headache

Opinion: The absence of direct evidence of a condition’s cause does not mean the cause is not there. In this situation we should use surrounding circumstantial evidence, absence of disproof and of course that wise old friend, logic.

The common form of headache is the condition I am describing here. The common form of headache is actually a result of blood vessels in the brain expanding abnormally. Expansion of these blood vessels is painful, and this is what the patient experiences. The reason that these blood vessels do expand is multifactorial. Ultimately these factors result in an acute deficiency of blood vessel serotonin. This substance in addition to being a very important neurotransmitter is very important for controlling the caliber or size of brain blood vessels. When serotonin is sufficient the blood vessels size should be normal. No headache. When serotonin isn’t sufficient, blood vessels size will increase and stimulate the pain receptors. Headache.
It is important to know that serotonin is continually produced within the brain but also used up continually. Hypothetically if the production of serotonin were to stop suddenly, then what ever is available at that point will be used up within one hour.
Another aspect where serotonin levels (or absence thereof) can worsen the severity of the headache is that serotonin itself plays a role in modulating (controlling) the magnitude of pain by its effect on neurons (nerve cells), which transmit the pain signals to the brain center which perceives pain. So when serotonin production is on the low side pain perception, its magnitude, will be higher.
There are other substances and chemicals that have a bearing on the caliber of brain blood vessels, such as oxygen levels in the blood, body blood pressure, adrenaline levels, and carbon dioxide levels in the blood (blood acidity). These improve directly or indirectly by following the Pillars of Health.
Back to serotonin. Serotonin will implement its effect of vasoconstriction (decreasing the caliber of the blood vessels), by way of interacting with certain receptors of the blood vessels. This would appear to be the mainstay mechanism by which medications such as sumatriptan, almotriptan, and zolmitriptan help people who are experiencing migraine (and other vascular) headaches.
Applying The Pillars Of Health will ensure maintenance of serotonin in sufficient levels especially if additional amino acid building blocks are supplied. Since serotonin is made from the essential amino acid tryptophan it is helpful to have it present abundantly in a person’s intake. Tryptophan is present in many protein foodstuffs, such as turkey and most cheeses. As a supplement tryptophan used to be available, but was removed from markets because what was being produced was impure. That product led to a disease called eosinophilic myalgia, which was fatal in a number of instances. Instead of tryptophan I would suggest 5 – HTP, which is ultimately transformed into serotonin just as well or if not better than the original tryptophan. Do be aware that taking this supplement, 5-HTP, when you have the headache won’t do much towards relieving the headache at the time. Rather it will help by commencing a buildup of the amino acid pool in the body over time. Make sure this is acceptable to your doctor as there can be interactions, side effects and make sure it is from a reputable conscientious source.
The production of serotonin is enhanced by The Pillars Of Health by virtue of the following:
• Regular sleep will economize use of serotonin in a natural way, as closing one’s eyes and decreasing bodily activity will use much less serotonin appropriately.
• Eating healthy will provide the building blocks for serotonin and the other substances necessary for maintaining brain blood vessels at a healthy caliber.
• Physical activity will stimulate the production of all energy substances and hormones (thyroxin, cortisol, and adrenaline), which will enhance and promote the production of serotonin.
• Pending the positive effects of The Pillars Of Health, it may be reasonable to be on an antidepressant that will enhance the presence of serotonin and elevate its absolute levels in the brain and thereby decrease the severity somewhat of headache and pain. Note to doctors - I am talking about serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The SRI may be enough to abolish the headache altogether. Please don’t think this is a rapid process. It takes time.
Also the goal here is to use it only temporarily as a helping tool and not for life. I prefer this kind of help to using for example narcotic analgesia because of absence of habit formation and dependence. Do keep in mind though that this or agents of this kind (the SRI) will make the brain dependent on them to maintain a certain level of serotonin and if you stop them abruptly there will be a withdrawal effect.

I wish a wonderful healthy life for all humanity.
End of prelude.

Chapter 11: Fibromyalgia

Opinion: Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are both different degrees of the same condition.

Some or all of the following characterizes the condition of fibromyalgia: marked fatigue, poor memory, pain in different areas of the body (without evident reason), abdominal pains with diarrhea (sometimes constipation) and poor sleep. There are other symptoms that I won’t go into here. This condition arises from ignoring The Pillars Of Health over a number of years. By not having enough protein in the diet, with too much carbohydrate, with irregular and insufficient sleeping, with insufficient physical activity, with insufficient energy promoting vitamins, a person may very well end up with fibromyalgia. These patterns will lead to all the energy producing systems of the body being in a deficient mode and lead to all the above-mentioned symptoms.
At this time I am not sure if this will occur in any person that ignores The Pillars Of Health, or if there is a predisposing factor (s), or some instigating agent, which affects the body’s energy producing systems negatively. Time and research will tell. Note to doctors – total production of cortisol and metanephrines are on the low side in patients with fibromyalgia. Also they tend to have a lot of disruption in their HPA axis, level wise and rhythm wise. I surmise that they should also have lower thyroxin production per 24 hrs, but alas I haven't seen such a study yet.
Regardless, I am sure that people suffering from fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome will benefit immensely by applying The Pillars Of Health. I would especially encourage people suffering from this condition to avoid sugar and refined starch like the plague. Also I would advise a high protein diet along with the before mentioned vitamins. But here I would like to say that vitamin B12 and the vitamin B1 should both be taken by injection. The reason for this is that both require energy in order to be absorbed (in addition to other requirements previously talked about), and since there is a low level of energy in the body's cells universally in this above diseased state then we can assist the body by bypassing the gastrointestinal tract. This will help ensure the availability of vitamins B 1 and B 12 both which are vitamins necessary for renovation of the body’s energy producing systems. Again though, this will only work if the person exercises and also sleeps regularly and sufficiently as outlined in the previous chapters.
I believe it is also beneficial in the early stages to utilize certain antidepressants such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which can help the renovation process significantly. This will be by virtue of elevating brain levels of serotonin which is vital in promotion of sleep, pain control, memory function, prevention of headache, and probably also as an intermediary neurotransmitter for stimulation of many other normal brain functions.
It is also useful to take amino acid supplements, which are precursors of energy hormones and neurotransmitters. Examples of these are tyrosine, and 5 – HTP. (Talk to your doctor).
Another vitamin, which I think is essential in this situation, is niacin. This vitamin is very important in the production of coenzymes necessary for many oxidation – reduction reactions that take place in the production of energy in the body’s tissues. The amount I recommend is 250 milligrams up to 1000 milligrams daily. Niacin has a somewhat bothersome side effect where it can cause hot flushing and itching of the face, ears and neck. This will be less if niacin is taken with meals and ultimately this side effect will taper off. This side effect is also less in the extended release form of this vitamin. The extended release forms such as Niacor and Niaspan are good looking. I definitely think the benefit obtained is worth the flushing side effect. Also I do prefer the immediate release form over the flush free forms because of the negative impact on the liver, which may occur with the flush free forms. An added plus here is elevation of the HDL which is integral in preventing and reversing atherosclerosis. I do disagree with the drug companies' decision to take the Niaspan and Niacor at night to lessen the impact of the flushing as I think there is an effect from the niacin on the secretion of cortisol and/or ACTH (the hormone from a brain center that controls secretion of cortisol) as indicated by high doses of niacin causing hyperglycemia and acanthosis nigricans. So my recommendation is taking niacin in the morning when secretion of cortisol is beneficial and close to the actual normal physiological rhythm. [*2]
The clinical improvement in this condition is gradual but sure to occur if you adhere to the principles outlined. Clinical cure should be attained within one to three years. This last statement is a very rough estimate only, and based on what I have seen in my own patients.

Chapter 9: Diabetes Mellitus Type 2

Opinion: It is time to do away with diabetes mellitus type 2.

The condition of diabetes mellitus type 2 is a result of humans being overloaded with glucose (a form of sugar). Therefore in order for us to prevent its occurrence we just need to avoid overloading of the body with food products that will lead to production of sugar excess in the blood stream. These food products are easy to recognize around us and are usually the ones that are most enjoyable. They are any food products made out of refined sugar and or refined starches or starchy foods, which are easily absorbed via our gastrointestinal tracts. Within this description fall all products made out of flour such as breads, pastries, pastas, pizza, etc. Add to that polished rice (refined rice) and potatoes. If a person is able to burn off the sugar and refined carbohydrates he or she takes in then there won’t be a danger of developing diabetes mellitus type 2. On the other hand if they don’t burn it off with physical activity then blood sugar excess will occur and continuation of that state will result in diabetes mellitus type 2. This doesn't happen over night but rather develops over time, as the body will respond at first by increasing its output of insulin from the pancreas to cope with this large of amount of sugar. But a time comes when the body cannot produce any higher levels of insulin and the blood sugar levels will stay higher than the body can tolerate and produce an environment within the body, which further impairs the functioning of already present insulin. This high-level sugar environment is harmful to the body’s organs and tissues. This harmful effect will manifest itself in the person being fatigued; suffering from blurry vision, and poor concentration. Other physical effects that appear are those related to the overflow of sugar via the urine whereby it pulls with it water from the body. This results in dehydration and the person with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus wanting to drink fluids all the time. Aforementioned were the short-term effects. More long-term effects are damage to the kidney tissues, nervous tissues, and aggravation of hypertension and promoting evolution of atherosclerosis. This long-term damage is probably by virtue of the cells of the different tissues not being able to function efficiently in the unnatural environment of high blood glucose and thereby become damaged and injured. Eskimos who eat their traditional food don’t have diabetes mellitus type 2 at all. When they immigrate to westernized societies they are known to develop it with a frequency equal to the surrounding society.
The question may occur to you: Is diabetes mellitus type 2 curable? By all means. Just avoid refined sugars and refined starches. A note to patients who are on diabetic treatment – if you start following this advice and are taking oral medicines or insulin injections then you have to transition into the diet I am describing under close supervision of your physician. The reason I am emphasizing this is because with you eating the correct diet to cure diabetes mellitus type 2 and taking certain anti diabetic medicines, you run the dangerous risk of getting too low of a blood sugar which can be very dangerous.
The way I do and did it with a number of my patients is stop oral hypoglycemics that run the danger of causing hypoglycemia and replacing them with phenformins (such as metformin), which have a lower possibility of causing too low blood sugar. Over time and as they adjust to the new diet I just phase out the metformin because the patient doesn’t need it anymore.
For patients on insulin injections, I switch them to regular insulin and have them take it according to a sliding scale according to what the glucose level is prior to their meals.

Chapter 8: Hypertension (Abnormal Persistent Blood Pressure Elevation.)

Opinion: Controlling a disease is not an acceptable long-term goal. Only cure and prevention are. I realize I am stating the obvious but I see this forgotten in medical care all the time.

The form of hypertension I am addressing here is the common form called essential hypertension. Before now I haven't seen a convincing explanation for why it develops. The explanation the way I see it is as follows:
Blood pressure in the human body is regulated according to a fixed hierarchy designed to preserve the brain. This regulation is controlled and orchestrated by the vasomotor center situated in the medulla, which is the lowermost part of the brain in vertebrates. At the pinnacle of above-mentioned hierarchy is this vasomotor center that will control the rest of the body’s blood pressure in a normal way only so long as it is itself healthy and well. In the case of essential hypertension the health of the vasomotor center is sub optimal because the body isn't supplying a healthy blood supply (carbon monoxide and low oxygen from smoking for example), not enough healthy nutrients, too much sugar, or not enough energy hormones. Usually it is a combination of some or all of above. What ensues is that the signals to the rest of the body’s blood vessels (arteries) is to contract more thereby pushing a larger blood supply to the vasomotor center, targeting satisfaction of the vasomotor center’s requirements. Unfortunately this is done at the expense of the rest of the body’s tissues and damages them. An extreme example of this damage is a stroke whereby the arteries have become so constricted that an event occurs and the blood supply to an area of the brain (other than the vasomotor center of course), is lost. That area dies and results in different clinical syndromes of brain malfunction such as paralysis or inability to speak and so on.
Therefore we should understand essential hypertension as an unhealthy state of the body, which must be taken very seriously. Fortunately this condition is totally preventable by applying The Pillars Of Health. It is most likely reversible also by applying The Pillars. In long standing hypertension it is possible that the vasomotor center has become damaged and can't be repaired back to original normality, but I don’t think so. Future research will tell.
The Pillars Of Health will do its good deeds by elevating all the energy hormones and other substances, which will promote good health in the vasomotor center cells. This will allow this center to send out stimulating signals to maintain blood pressure in the body, which is consistent with the health of the whole body and not put the vasomotor center into a self preservation mode.
I am sure many people who have hypertension and are on medications are wondering: Then what is the use of taking all these medicines? The different medicines currently being used are good for controlling the blood pressure and overriding the signals, or their ultimate effects, coming from the vasomotor center. The advantage here is protection of the body’s tissues from damage, as in strokes. The drawback is that you are only controlling a part of the disease condition and not correcting it. We must aim at making our bodies healthy by removing the reason that the vasomotor center is sending those signals in the first place and then we won’t need said medications. If we don’t, then the body is still actually not healthy and for sure we are doing harm to the body especially at a cellular level. Additionally, using medications adds unnatural chemicals to our systems that have its side effects on the body. Also it is very costly.
There are other factors, which affect blood pressure such as emotion and stress, but they are not the major players in the long run unless they are hurting the implementation of The Pillars Of Health.
Another snippet within this context is about salt (sodium). I doubt if salt plays any significant role in evolution of essential hypertension. It is possible that it may worsen an already present unhealthy condition, but it is not the instigator.
Note to doctors - From above you can see why obese people are more prone to have essential hypertension as since the person has been taking in excess calories and resulted in the obesity therefore the body is more likely to be in a storage mode. This inherently will have the level of energy hormones (such as adrenaline, thyroxin, and cortisol) on the lower side relatively speaking to the size of the person’s body. On the other hand HMG coenzyme A reductase will be more active (because of the excess calories), and hence we will have elevated cholesterol more likely also. The way to verify or disprove this note would have to be by measuring the absolute production of the different hormones relative to body weight and not a single one time measurement of the blood levels of said substances, specifically growth hormone, adrenaline, cortisol and thyroxin.

Chapter 7: Atherosclerosis (Coronary Artery Clogging With Cholesterol)

Opinion: Complete prevention of atherosclerosis is possible in the vast majority of people.

The process of where cholesterol gets deposited abnormally in a person’s arteries is called atherosclerosis. Deposition of cholesterol within the artery wall can reach a dangerous level after which dire consequences may occur such as a heart attack. The current day theme is that bad cholesterol (LDL), when it is at an elevated level in our blood will get deposited in the wall of our blood vessels. And thus it is thought by taking medicine agents which lower cholesterol we will be safe. The problem with this way of thinking is that it is not the elevated cholesterol alone that is the danger. It is more important, I believe, that we must look at why the cholesterol is elevated, and why it gets deposited in the wrong place at all. Deposition of cholesterol may start at a very young age. This deposition may occur even in a healthy vessel wall. The way this occurs is as follows: cholesterol is in a continuous state of movement and transport to reach its target, whether that target be the cell wall where it is incorporated or inside the cell where it is transformed into other products such as hormones. If the body is not able to carry this out in a healthy efficient manner then we will end up with an excess of cholesterol, which has not been utilized. If, in addition the body is producing an excess amount of cholesterol, specifically LDL (the “bad” cholesterol), then we will have an even higher excess of cholesterol in the blood and hence result in excess cholesterol present between the cells. What should happen is that HDL (which is considered the helpful cholesterol) should remove this excess, and if not, then one of the body's defense cells, the macrophages should engulf this excess cholesterol and remove it. Instead what ends up happening (when atherosclerosis is the case) is that these macrophages are energy deficient and too weak to do the job and end up dying. This process occurs repeatedly and these dead macrophages actually turn into what we call foam cells. Eventually we also get the body responding with an inflammatory process to these dead cells. This will lead to fibrous tissue formation and eventually the dreaded plaque formation. This plaque formation is dreaded because it can become severe enough that it makes the inside of the artery (which we call lumen) smaller, the so called “clogging”. When the lumen is small enough then we can experience symptoms of chest pain (anginal), which is because the heart is not getting enough blood in a certain area of its muscle. Another danger here is that because of the presence of this cholesterol plaque inside the wall of the artery, this vessel wall is not healthy and can actually end up rupturing on its inner aspect (and inner to this flows the blood), which stimulates the formation of a clot inside the blood vessel (arterial) lumen. This will shut off all blood flow in an artery and hence all heart muscle supplied by that artery will be injured. This is what happens in a heart attack.
Let's look at the 2 main players in the above process. The 1st player is where the cholesterol is being overproduced. The common cause for this excess is excess calorie intake. Therefore an easy way to decrease LDL is decreasing calorie intake (I know… easier said than done, but it is a must). Note to doctors - In this context it is also preferable to have a lower carbohydrate intake because higher blood insulin levels (stimulated by glucose from carbohydrates) stimulate HMG-CoA reductase, which promotes cholesterol formation. On the other hand lower blood glucose will stimulate secretion of glucagon, which inhibits the activity of HMG-CoA reductase, and hence discourages formation of cholesterol.
So, one way to prevent this excess cholesterol from occurring is to refrain from eating food in excess, avoid refined sugars and avoid refined starch.
The 2nd major player leading to high levels of LDL is lack of utilization of cholesterol. This will occur when the unhealthy condition of the body is expressed at the cellular level. In this unhealthy mode the cells are sedentary (not very active or energetic), and because of this lack of energy the cholesterol won’t get incorporated in the cell walls, or be transformed into hormones, or be removed with ease.
Prevention of the body and the body’s cells from becoming sedentary is by applying the principles outlined in The Pillars Of Health previously. In a more detailed explanation as it relates to atherosclerosis: the body's cells can be made to be energy abundant (macrophages included) by the person sleeping regularly and sufficiently, exercising enough, eating healthy, and avoiding harmful substances. The role of sleeping in this context is as outlined in the chapter that dealt with sleeping. With regards to exercising this is the process of conditioning the body where it will be able to have an abundance of energy at all levels specifically at the cellular level. This conditioning occurs by virtue of exercise leading to the stimulation of production of hormones in the body whose effect will be to utilize body fuels to produce readily available energy. Specifically I am talking about adrenaline, cortisol, thyroxin, and growth hormone. All of these are increased in a normal physiological fashion as a result of regular physical exertion. We can help the body to produce its own hormones above by ensuring intake of the correct nutrients to actually build those hormones. The main nutrients and vitamins within the context of atherosclerosis are protein, iodine, folic acid and vitamin B 12. The role of the protein is to provide the amino acid precursor (s) in the case of adrenaline, thyroxin and growth hormone. In the case of cortisol, the enzymes responsible for its formation are protein based who manufacture it out of cholesterol. The iodine is essential for thyroxin production. The folic acid and vitamin B 12 are essential for the formation of SAM (s-adenosyl methionine). This last substance is essential for providing the methyl group to noradrenaline to transform it into adrenaline. My preference as mentioned elsewhere for vitamin B 12 is taking it by injection or sublingually. Note to doctors - homocysteine is a bystander and not a player.

This last statement was added by me at the time, at the initial publication of The Pillars of Health: The Prelude, May 2002, because of quite a bit of interest in homocysteine as an instigator of atherosclerosis development [*3]. Then and now I still don't believe that it (homocysteine) plays any significant role in atherosclerosis development. As I expected then, and seeing now, more and more proof for that belief is coming to light [*4]. That being said, the conclusion of not recommending vitamin B supplementation to prevent cardiovascular events, I disagree with [*5]. They are safe, they are cheap, and if used in conjunction with the pillars of health they will help prevent cardiovascular disease.

I have seen mentioned vitamin B 6 (pyridoxine) as one of the vitamins, which help lower homocysteine and hence help prevent atherosclerosis. I advise using this sparingly and not to exceed 10 –20 mg per day until there is more evidence about its role. The reason I am reluctant to endorse this vitamin is that its excess has some potent adverse effects on the nervous system.
There is an uncommon condition though, called hereditary hypercholesterolemia which has a high level of cholesterol due to a different cause. This condition will not respond to the measures above satisfactorily. It is uncommon and not the form we usually see. I am not going to go further into that condition.
In the context of atherosclerosis a very harmful activity I would like to mention here is smoking. The main danger of smoking I believe is by its characteristic of increasing carbon monoxide and decreasing oxygen in the bloodstream and thereby hindering the production of energy (which needs oxygen) by the body and it cells and ultimately preventing macrophages from doing its job of removing excess and unused cholesterol.
I don't think fat intake (saturated, unsaturated, hydrogenated or any other form) has any role in the promotion of atherosclerosis except when calorie intake is excessive. For further information see the chapter on nutrition in addition to below.
The three populations who have the lowest incidence of myocardial infarctions worldwide are the non-westernized Eskimos, the people living in France, and the people living in Japan. The Eskimos have a very high intake of fat in their diets and the French also. The people of Japan on the other hand have a very low intake of fat in their diet (11%). The most important nutritional factors that have a bearing on atherosclerosis shared between these three peoples are they all have a good protein intake and a good constant source of cyanocobalamin. Seal (uncooked usually) for the Eskimos. Cheese and red wine for the French. Fish (uncooked - Sushi) for the Japanese.
Other nutritional factors that can have a bearing on atherosclerosis development for any population is the availability of iodine as it is an essential component of thyroxin. This last being an important factor in producing energy for the body and its cells.
Don’t take the message from above that diet alone dictates the occurrence of atherosclerosis, rather take the message that atherosclerosis won’t develop if The Pillars Of Health are adhered to. That applies to almost all Homo sapiens.
Another message to take is that if you start The Pillars Of Health, then atherosclerosis development will halt after a relatively short interval (I firmly believe this – but this still needs to be proved more scientifically). This will depend though on how much a person is able to apply of The Pillars, and what other illnesses the person suffers from. I am of the opinion that the atherosclerosis already present will very likely reverse by application of above, with some limitations. The reversal is contingent upon the atherosclerosis lesions not having developed fibrous tissue yet. If fibrous tissue, which is tantamount to scarring, has developed then any reversal will be much more difficult, if at all possible. Time and research will tell.
A few additional words about aspirin. In the case of aspirin it is known that it reduces the risk of myocardial infarction by a formidable percentage. That effect is believed to be due to it lowering the adhesiveness of platelets in the blood and thence decreasing the possibility of clot formation. That is reasonable. In addition I believe it plays a significant role in actual prevention of development of atherosclerosis by virtue of its effects on the hormone carrying proteins in the blood. What happens is that the aspirin attaches itself to the protein in the blood and thereby decreases the areas available to hormones to be attached to the same protein. This will shift the hormone dynamics towards easier release and arriving at its target tissues. This as a whole will enhance hormone function and efficiency and ultimately allow more efficient tissue function and more energy availability. This will help in utilization and disposal of unused cholesterol that can result in the cholesterol plaques.
HDL is another thing I would like to talk about. HDL (high density cholesterol) is considered to be the “good cholesterol” as it has been seen that people with low levels of it have higher rates of development of atherosclerosis. Also vice versa it has been seen that people with high levels of HDL tend to be at less risk for atherosclerosis. The explanation I believe is due to the fact that HDL in addition to its function in removing LDL cholesterol from different tissues in the body is also a vehicle by which one form of the thyroid hormone is transported. If we have a more abundant amount of HDL then it follows that the thyroid hormone will be more available also. This will again enhance production of energy at the cellular level and help prevent atherosclerosis. HDL is known to increase with exercise, certain forms of fat intake, vitamin B3 (niacin), and certain medications. Implement The Pillars Of Health and you probably won’t need medications at all.
Regarding stress, it will make things worse if it prevents The Pillars Of Health from being implemented and thereby promote atherosclerosis. If a person is able to maintain The Pillars Of Health in spite of the stress, then atherosclerosis should not be able to get a foothold.

Chapter 6: Hereditary Factors And Other Yet Undiscovered Factors.

Opinion: Hereditary factors seem to be infinitely glorified and promoted as the solution for most human maladies. We need to tone it down a bit.

The impact of these factors in a broad sense on the majority of humanity is limited except in the sense that all humans if exposed to certain factors and do the wrong thing healthwise will develop illnesses otherwise thought of as being highly influenced by heredity. An example of this is diabetes mellitus type 2 which is thought of as being influenced largely by heredity. To a certain degree that is true, with the following reservation. I see it as follows: any person with a family history of diabetes mellitus type 2 will develop the disease if that person follows an incorrect lifestyle, especially the diet. On the other hand that person won’t develop diabetes mellitus type 2 if that person follows a healthy lifestyle. This same premise applies to coronary artery disease (artery clogging with cholesterol), and essential hypertension (the common form of hypertension). In general any person even without a family history of above diseases can develop them by following an unhealthy lifestyle. More later.
There are some diseases and syndromes, which are very much governed by heredity such as hereditary hypercholesterolemia, hemophilia, some forms of cancer, etc. I was not talking about those in the preceding paragraph.
Intuitively I would say there are many more factors that we are still ignorant of such as: how important is it to expose oneself to the outside environment (open air, sunlight, open spaces…etc.)? How important is it to eat natural not tampered with foodstuffs devoid of hormones and preservatives? And so on.
Many more factors will be discovered over time, which will supersede what we know now. That I am sure of. I still believe though that the major factors are outlined in this overture.

Chapter 5: Avoiding Harmful Substances.

Opinion: Prohibit the production of tobacco, and alcohol products. I just made more than a billion enemies, didn’t I? I would exempt from that red wine. I just made back millions of friends. Still the odds are against me…

This one is pretty easy to explain. The elements of harmful substances such as smoking, alcohol, street drugs, abused drugs, ill advised use of food preservatives, hormones and polluted air all can and do hurt our health. The breakdown:
• Alcohol: affects the nervous system such that it doesn’t function efficiently. That is in the short term. In the long term if ingested regularly then it will impair the body’s ability to absorb essential nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract with the subsequent ill effects that that will lead to. Another long term effect is transforming many body cells especially brain cells to where they are dependent on the availability of alcohol to be able to function. This will probably affect the availability of endorphins, serotonin, GABA et cetera, and hence the ugly picture of withdrawal from alcohol. Another long-term result of chronic alcohol intake is direct damage to certain organs especially the liver. No one is exempt from these effects. If you drink long enough and hard enough then you will pay for that with bad health. My exemption of red wine is because it contains cyanocobalamin, improves the blood pattern of cholesterol, and promotes absorption of essential minerals. This should be in moderation though. A rough guide would be not to exceed 4 oz (120 ml) daily. Don’t take this as a promotion though. If you don’t drink an alcoholic beverage now you don’t need to start.
• Street drugs: such as narcotics, cocaine and so on will shut down the body’s own system for producing endorphins and make the person reliant on these outside substances to have endorphins and other important chemicals in the body. Without endorphins our thought processes and moods will be very much down in the “dumps”. Here I am not even touching on all the dangerous agents and chemicals that come along with the process of recreational substance intake such as poisons, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) virus. Don’t forget – you're probably just making a rich evil person richer.
• Smoking: similar to above as far as endorphins are concerned. Cortisol is another hormone whose production is probably affected negatively by the nicotine dependence. Withdrawal can be hard with eventual weight gain. That it promotes cancer is beyond any doubt in my mind. Top above off with immediate lowering of oxygen in the blood, when you inhale smoke, which has its bad effects on the function of every cell in the body including those that are responsible for preventing cholesterol deposit inside artery walls. (More later.)
• Polluted air: similar to smoking but without the withdrawal and endorphin effect. Cancer here is a major concern.
• Hormones in food: most countries in the world don’t allow the use of hormones in their food production. The USA is one that does. Specifically I am talking about bovine somatotrophic hormone (BST). This hormone is injected into farm animals to make them bigger and produce more products such as milk. This substance is supposedly not absorbed significantly via the human gastrointestinal tract. That is fine, but what about its local effects and what about the other substances that will be present in products like milk. In the latter instance I am talking about insulin growth factors. The villi size of the intestinal tract of rats tripled in size in two weeks when given above hormone orally. (Villi are the absorptive structures inside the gastrointestinal tract). It’s logical to assume that humans ingesting similar substances (which will be present in the beef, pork and dairy products) will have a significant increase in size of their villi also. Let’s see now – increasing the size of tissue structures unnaturally, may that not lead to more or worse cancer? The adult population in the USA is the most overweight in the world at the time of writing of these words. This dubious ranking became much more entrenched after the use of hormones in the USA in the decade of the nineties. Let’s see again – more absorptive structures, might there not be a tie in with people’s weight gain? I think we should hold off on the use of these substances until more proof is available for them being safe in the short and the long term.
• Hygiene: avoiding unhygienic environments and conditions is well known to promote good health.