Growing Younger With The Years. Part 1

To those Americans among the 20 million who are 60 years and over, some may ask, "Of what value is the low-fat diet to me? If I were 40 years old, a book like this would be my Bible. But it's too late for me to benefit from this book now, so late in my life. I only wish that it had been written and that I had read it 25 years ago." It's never too late. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Extensive medical research recently carried out in this country and abroad has shown how dramatic changes in health and well-being result regularly when an intensive nutritional program is followed. There are, in particular, the recent Swedish reports of amazing improvements in the health of older people resulting from the low-fat nutritional program that I originally recommended. Doctor G. Lindquist and Doctor B. Isaksson at the University of Gothenburg Hospital applied the low-fat diet with nutritional supplements to a series of 19 hospital in-patients who were known to be sufferers from hardening of the arteries of the brain. These patients, whose number is tragically legion, are generally regarded by moist physicians as hopeless and are simply to be kept alive as long as possible. Many doctors still view these pathetic people as the inevitable result of old age, the results of wear-and-tear of the arteries - the hardening of the arteries in the brain. The Swedish physicians only recently published their remarkable findings, carried on over a three-month period in men and women patients whose ages ranged from 50 to 87. The diet adhered exactly to the original low-fat, low-cholesterol diet that I had published and advocated (which they graciously acknowledged) containing only 25 grams of fat a day. Some of the patients received a regular daily supply of multiple vitamins. All cases had been previously studied and carefully examined and observed before the dietary treatment was begun, and their clinical condition was stationary. All patients, with one exception, had suffered from a stroke or cerebral thrombosis as a result of hardening of the brain arteries. The one exception suffered from Parkinsonism, or the shaking of the hands (tremors), so often seen in the elderly. All patients had experienced some disability or paralysis of legs, hands, or arm muscles following their strokes. The symptoms were characteristic: nervousness, mental depression, weakness, listlessness, and despair. The following results are taken practically verbatim from the published scientific reports of their research.

The low-fat diet brought amazing improvements. After the three months of treatment by supplements were completed, not one case worsened. Most of the men and women showed striking and dramatic improvement both mentally and emotionally, even those who were mentally confused prior to treatment. The youngest improved patient was 50 years of age and the eldest was 87 years old. The patients were found to have grown more lucid, and to have improved perception and judgment. As a result, they established better personal relationships with doctors, nurses, and members of their families. To further quote the Swedish investigators, the capacity for concentration and endurance was remarkedly increased. This was demonstrated from the energy with which the patients carried out their physical exercises as part of the physical treatment for paralysis and muscular weakness. What was even further remarkable was the improvement in mood and personality. An additional welcome surprise was the improvement in actual physical power and movements in half of the cases, even after this brief period of treatment. Some of the patients made such extraordinary mental and physical progress that they were sufficiently well to be discharged from the hospital. As so many other careful research physicians had done, psychologic and suggestive factors were assiduously avoided. The patients were reported as pleased with the palatable and varied diet.

The very cautious publication reporting the above results appeared in the world medical literature, and confirmed my own original research as well as the findings of others. What was of considerable interest was the fact that the blood fats and cholesterol had decreased rapidly in amount during the short three-month period. One of my patients, whom I shan't forget, was an 83-year old lady, who was wheeled into my office in a wheelchair not so long ago by her 60-year old daughter. Mrs. A. was too feeble to walk, almost blind, partly deaf, and too weak to feed herself. The thin flame of life was kept burning in her by the devoted spinster daughter. Her selfless dedication to her mother, her feeding her and tending to her every want was touching, even biblical in character. Somewhere the daughter had heard that farmers were feeding their animals with *superchargers* of vitamins and other nutritional products to make them healthier, more vigorous, and so produce finer specimens and higher profits. She reasoned that possibly such treatment might help humans, even her mother, who was rapidly becoming like a vegetable. Two months of our treatment followed. Large amounts of natural and synthetic vitamins, plus nutritional supplements such as lecithin, soya oil and liver extract were given in addition to the low-fat, high-protein diet. Under our very eyes, a nutritional miracle then took place. Mrs. A. walked in to see me, under her own power. She was able to see, even though not as clearly as at one time. Because her hearing had returned, we were able to carry on a conversation. And I found - marvel to behold! - that she still had a sense of humor. She was able to poke fun at herself and spoke of my "robbing the grave." Or take the case of Miss R., a 65-year-old maiden lady who had a stroke or cerebral thrombosis, the result of atherosclerosis. Her vision was failing and she was partly paralyzed, desperate, and depressed. Except for one friend, she was all alone in the world. After several months of using the low-fat nutritional program described in Chapter 5, Miss R. recovered much of her muscular powers, her partial paralysis gradually disappeared, and she became a radiant picture of cheerfulness and optimism. Her vision had greatly improved, and when last seen in my office she asked me brightly, "Doctor, could I go swimming?" I replied, "Indeed yes, but - no diving!" During the past decade, many reports of repeated research in old folks' homes or centers for the elderly have shown in these people the failure of many vital organs (like the liver) to keep up with the older persons' physical and mental needs. Poor functioning of the kidneys, liver, heart, and other glands was noted. When tests were made of the vitamin levels in these elderly people, they were shown to be deficient. However, research constantly shows us that humans vary widely in their nutritional needs. The nutritionist for the Canadian Government, Dr. Lionel B. Pert, speaks succintly of "the illusion of vitamin requirements." He finds, as do most other scientists, that there are no known exact requirements of vitamins and nutrients for humans.

You need more than a "normal" or "average" diet. It is emphatically not enough to eat merely the listed standards of nutrients. They vary widely in their ability to be absorbed, depending on the individual's vitamin, mineral, nutritional requirements and his biologic pattern. Chapter 5 on lecithin and nutritional supplements is therefore of greatest practical value for the older person as well as the younger one. One perfect example gathered from many is the very recent and ingenious study carried out by Doctor Tom Spies, one of America's great nutritionists. He studied over 893 men and women who were suffering from weakness, nervousness, poor mental concentration, ease of fatiguability following any physical or mental exertion, and depressive feelings. Many had to stop work, as they were unable to hold a job. Some women found it impossible to care for their families and homes. In brief, these men and women were "old before aging" and most of them looked it. Most of these people complained of symptoms from various digestive, nervous, or mental ailments. Previous physicians had proven that none of these symptoms were due to actual physical disease, but were merely disturbances in the normal function of the body. These people were sent to Doctor Spies' medical center and research facilities in Birmingham, Alabama, by physicians who had been unable to help these puzzling and difficult problem cases. These individuals showed no physical or laboratory signs as explanations for their physical or mental breakdowns; they were on the regular, average American diet and had seemingly normal food habits. The research team headed by Doctor Spies tackled the clinical puzzle of these 893 "mystery" cases as a nutritional challenge. The nutritional supplements and vitamin supplies used were mainly those described in Chapter 5. They included lecithin, vitamin supplements, and nutritional aids such as liver extracts and brewer's yeast. These were administered in an intensive way to all cases, together with a high protein diet. Astounding changes promptly took place in these people.

Within a few months it was difficult to recognize many of them. Gone was the weakness, malaise, the lethargy, the nervousness, depressions, the exhaustions, and myriad accompanying symptoms characteristic of chronic poor nutrition. Cheerfulness, optimism, a sense of well-being, physical and mental vigor, a remarkable increase in physical and mental stamina was evident in the great majority of cases. Within a few months almost all of them were able to return rejuvenated to work, home, and normal, healthful activities. A number of the younger ones entered the armed forces. Hundreds of them began to look younger and fresher. The skin developed lustre and a healthy texture where before it had been dry and wrinkled. A sparkle came back to the eyes, physical movements became vigorous and youthful. Some of the patients lost the mental symptoms and depressions that had caused a suspicion of actual mental disease. These really dramatic lessons and "cures" are additional demonstrations of the greatly increased nutritional requirements of both younger and older people, who are victims of our current food and cooking habits.