Every modern disease is increasing in incidence with social and economic costs that are unsustainable. We are eating our way to this end point.
The ‘Nutritional Model of Modern Disease’ is the ONLY reasonable explanation for our current world health disaster.
Inflammation is at the heart of all disease and our modern diet is to blame.
Inflammation is caused by the current excessive consumption of the combination of Fructose, refined Carbohydrate and Polyunsaturated oils.
Those three combine to create an inflammatory process that sits in the wall of every blood vessel. The same inflammatory process is occurring in the cell membrane walls of every cell in the body.
This leaves every part of the body in an inflamed state and susceptible to other damage.
The ‘Nutritional Model of Modern Disease’ explains how we and the Food Industry are responsible for our situation.
It explains the obesity epidemic and the problems that follow.
It explains in a simple manner and an easy to understand format the complex biochemistry and pathophysiology for the first time.
It relates how the Polyol Pathway accounts for the conversion of our refined carbohydrate in the form of bread, rice and pasta in our diet is converted into Fructose. This is a massive load that has previously been unrecognised.
That chronic inflammation creates a vulnerability that results in progressive organ disease and ultimate failure.
The message has to get out in a format that every interested person can understand.
This is the video for those who want to know the ‘why’ of modern disease.
Nutritional Model of Modern Disease – Summary of the Talk
Inflammation is at the heart of all disease and our modern diet is to blame.
Inflammation is caused by the current excessive consumption of the combination of fructose, refined carbohydrate and polyunsaturated oils.
Any model of modern disease goes through a process of discovery. First there is an observation of a situation and a hypothesis or theory that follows. One then establishes associative evidence. The next important step is to consider the pathophysiology and biochemistry of a condition and then to look at evidence of the effectiveness from active intervention.
Humans evolved to reach to the top of the food chain over 2.5 million years by eating and living in a particular way. The last 60 years and particularly the last 30 years has seen Western society engaging in a ‘fad’ diet of processed foods that has resulted in an unprecedented disease burden on society.
The modern diet has resulted in a significant change in our health with an escalation of obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cancer and inflammatory based diseases in virtually every organ of the body.
There is now good associative evidence along epidemiological lines that the three factors of fructose, refined carbohydrate and polyunsaturated oils are significant contributors to our modern disease both historically in Western Society and now being observed in those developing nations that introduced a modern Western diet. All three factors have increased in our diet in the last 60 years but particularly since the 1970’s. And with that is an escalation of all disease processes.
There is also intervention evidence that the reduction of these factors have had a beneficial and positive effect. Recent literature supports the benefits of a low carbohydrate and high fat diet for weight loss and reducing cardiovascular risk factors.
A common thread in Blue Zone Longevity cultures is an avoidance of these foods. Ketogenic diets were used in the management of diabetes, epilepsy and cancer historically and there is a resurgence of interest in nutritional ketosis for a variety of conditions.
The missing link has been the pathophysiology and biochemistry of how Fructose, Refined Carbohydrate and Polyunsaturated Oils connect together to create inflammation.
Mother Nature may appear to be complex but there is generally a simple explanation. If we have not observed the simplicity of it then we have not just worked it out yet.
Virtually all modern disease is based around the concept of inflammation.
The combination of fructose, refined carbohydrate and polyunsaturated oils create a perfect storm for the production and continuation of inflammation throughout the body.
Fructose is metabolised in the liver. It has several bi-products including small dense low density lipoproteins (LDL’s), uric acid and aldehydes. The small dense LDL’s and Uric Acid have a central role to play in the inflammatory pathway.
Fructose consumption has significant effects on appetite. Through its free fatty acid and uric acid production there is a combination of leptin and insulin resistance. This affects appetite and hunger signals. This is the major promoter of weight gain and ultimately obesity.
Refined carbohydrates are essentially a glucose load to the body. They result in an immediate blood glucose elevation with an insulin spike from the pancreas and contributing to fat production. This is laid down in fat stores and contributes to cell membrane wall structure.
The fructose is largely converted into small dense LDL’s which migrate to the sub intimal layer of blood vessels within the body. In that layer they become oxidised and inflamed depending on the polyunsaturated fat component.
Vitamin D is intricately involved in the process of helping macrophages clear oxidised LDL inflamed particles from the subintimal layer of the blood vessel wall. Not surprising ‘Mother Nature’ prepares the macrophages for this ‘cleaning’ requirement by maximising Vitamin D levels over the summer before the seasonal consumption of fruits and a few grains in a Hunter Gatherer time frame.
We no longer have our Fructose load seasonally towards the end of summer. It is all year round.
A little known fact is that there is an endogenous production of Fructose from Glucose. The Polyol pathway normally converts around 3% of glucose into fructose in a well individual.
The Polyol pathway, however, changes in an insulin resistant or hyperglycaemic individual. In this situation there is a tenfold increase in the production of Fructose via the pathway with 30% of glucose and carbohydrate load being converted into Fructose. This appears to be the critical step in the cascading runaway model of modern disease.
Most people are unaware of the glucose load associated with carbohydrate intake. Certainly the subsequent fructose load upon the body has probably been underestimated for those people who are insulin resistant and who are diabetic. Diabetic, metabolic syndrome affected individuals and most obese people will have a degree of insulin resistance.
That results in a significantly increased load of fructose to the system and inflammatory load to the blood vessel walls and fat stores.
The proportion of pro inflammatory Omega 6 Linoleic acid within our fat has steadily increased over the last 60 years from 8% to 23%.
Polyunsaturated oils by definition have multiple double bonds within them which allows flexibility and cool temperatures which is appropriate for plants. However, with the human body those double bonds are potential points of oxidation which provoke an inflammatory response.
Polyunsaturated oils are then involved in the oxidation of fat stores whether or not they are in the low density lipoproteins or cell membranes.
We now have the situation of a significant Fructose load which comes from our dietary intake combined with a massive previously unrecognised endogenous load from carbohydrate and glucose metabolism.
The lack of fibre in ‘modern’ carbohydrate provokes a blood glucose spike, hyperglycaemia and an insulin spike. This pushes even more fructose down the Polyol pathway compounding the Fructose load to the liver with a subsequent increase in LDL production.
This LDL load sits in the blood vessel wall and in the fat membrane of every cell wall. The LDL’s and membranes are then filled with polyunsaturated oils in increasing quantities as time progresses. This results in higher rates of oxidation, subsequent inflammation and secondary disease processes.
Inflamed organ systems are susceptible to other factors.
These other factors create the further damage which causes the disease process to set in. It includes genetic factors, viral loads, chemicals, stress and a variety of other factors which can set off a disease process.
The Nutritional Model of Modern Disease explains the central role of our modern diet creating inflammation.
Inflammation is caused by the current excessive consumption of the combination of fructose, refined carbohydrate and polyunsaturated oils.
Those three combine to create an inflammatory process that sits in the wall of every blood vessel. The same inflammatory process is occurring in the cell membrane walls of every cell in the body.
This leaves every part of the body in an inflamed state and susceptible to other damage. Inflammation is reversible.
Our diet is the main factor for our current health and we are responsible for that as individuals and as a society.
The NoFructose Handout Starter Sheet is your take away summary of this web site. Read it at the NoFructose Starter Sheet area of this web site or download it.