More from Dr. Woliner

[Guest guest]

Docs:

Okay, if you insist. A little more advice from Dr. Woliner.

Lyndon McGill, D.C.

EvolvHealth Wellness Advisory Council Member

Salem, Oregon

www.SalemSpineClinic.com

www.EvolvingDaily.com

The Secret of “Caveman” Health

You’ve probably heard of the “caveman diet.” It’s very popular

right now. I’ve been writing to you about it for years… but I use

a different name.

“Caveman diet” is just a catchy name for a low-glycemic diet.

That is, one that helps you keep your blood sugar levels healthy.

A recent journal report reminded me of the caveman diet.

According to the article, hunter-gatherer societies have longer,

slightly narrower lower jaws than “modern” agricultural societies.

We civilized folks suffer more often from overbite and crowded

lower teeth. And the reason, according to the article, is our

modern diet.1

This rang a bell. And sure enough, I’ve read something like it

before. It’s a little-known book by an adventurous dentist named

Weston Price.

Back in the 1930’s, Price traveled around the world, looking for

primitive societies. He found them in New Zealand, in the Arctic

and across Africa. But he also found them in Europe among the

Swiss and the ish. He recorded his findings in his book, Nutrition

and Physical Degeneration.

Being a dentist, Price was interested in teeth. He compared the

teeth of people still living as their ancestors did with their

relatives who had adopted a Western diet.

In every case, traditional groups had strong, healthy teeth and

robust jaws. But when they adopted a Western diet, it hanged. In

just one generation, their teeth became riddled with decay and

crowded into a shrinking jaw.

Native Australians especially impressed Price. Living in the

harsh outback, they were robust and strong, with nearly perfect

teeth. Their diets contained only limited amounts of plant matter,

but they had sturdy bones and boundless energy.

The native Australians who had adopted a Western diet were much

different. They tended to be weak and sick, and their teeth were

rotting out of their mouths.

He found the same situation when he visited the Isle of off

Scotland’s rugged western coast.

“In the interior of the Isle of the teeth of the growing

boys and girls had a very high degree of perfection,” he wrote,

“with only 1.3 teeth out of every hundred examined that had even

been attacked by dental caries [cavities].”

But the story was quite different for the folks who lived in the

island’s one real town.

“A typical cross-section of the residents of the seaport town of

Stornoway can be seen assembled on the docks to greet the arrival

of the evening boat…” Price continued. “The group consists largely

of adult young people. In a count of one hundred individuals

appearing to be between the ages of twenty and forty, twenty-five

were already wearing artificial teeth, and as many more would have

been more presentable had they too been so equipped.”

We have modern dentists – and access to all sorts of oral care

products – so a caveman diet may not seem important. But a new

study on its effects on hearts may change your mind.

Researchers compared three groups living in Cameroon

Pygmies living a traditional hunter-gatherer life

Pygmies living in a semi-rural area

Bantou farmers in the same semi-rural area

They found the hunter-gatherers living in the forest had lower

LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, higher HDL (“good”) cholesterol and

healthier, more flexible arteries than the other groups.3

A similar study conducted in South America, came to the same

conclusion. Among an ethnic group called the Tsimane, less

“civilized” villagers have lower blood pressure. Only 3% of the

Tsimane have high blood pressure… compared to a third of American

adults.4

You should be able to enjoy some of these same benefits by

following a low-glycemic diet. Just avoid processed foods,

starches and sugars. Eat lean protein at every meal, and focus on

fresh vegetables and a moderate amount of fruit, seeds and nuts.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Woliner, M.D.

1 von Cramon-Taubadel, N., Global human mandibular variation

reflects differences in agricultural and hunter-gatherer

subsistence strategies,” PNAS. Dec 6, 2011; 108(49): 19546-19551.

2 Price, Weston A., Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.

New York: B. Hoeber, Inc., 1939. Print.

3 Lemogoum, D., et al, “Effects of Hunter-Gatherer Subsistence

Mode on Arterial Distensibility in Cameroonian Pygmies,”

Hypertension. May 21, 2012. Published online before print.

4 “Hunter-gatherers and horticulturalist lifestyle linked to

lower blood pressure increases, atherosclerosis risks,“ American

Heart Association. May 21, 2012