New research study
by Michael Klaper, M.D.
For whatever pressing reason you choose to consider, personal health, ecological
sustainability, economic stability, or world hunger, we must learn as much as
possible about how the human body functions when it is fueled largely or exclusively
by plant-derived foods. The need to evolve our dietary choices towards plant-based
foods grows ever more urgent as the human population continues to balloon towards
ten billion people by the middle of the coming century. The land, water and
other resources that are needed to produce meat, will inevitably grow much more
costly. It will become increasingly necessary to dedicate arable acreage to
growing plant foods that can be consumed directly by humans. A better understanding
of vegan and vegetarian nutrition and physiology will permit the development
of guidelines so that every person choosing to be nourished by vegetarian foods
can do so with optimal health.
Over the last ten years, clinical experience and laboratory research has underscored
the concept of biologic individuality. I have great interest in finding out
why some people appear to do better on a pure vegetarian (vegan) diet, while
others have difficulty maintaining one (the blood type theory lacks evidence
- see Jan/Feb 1999 issue). Are humans metabolically required to eat the flesh
of other animals for optimal health and function? Are there physical or laboratory
markers that can identify people who are especially suited (or unsuited) to
sustaining themselves on plant-based diets? Can nutrients consumed in animal-based
foods be identified and successfully replaced by plant-derived foods?
'Why is it that some people seem to thrive on a vegetarian diet, while others
report that they tried it but didn't feel very good.'
I believe we need to gather as much reliable data as possible. Through the Institute
of Nutrition Education and Research, we will be conducting an in-depth, long-term
nutrition study on the health effects of vegan diets. The research will consist
of a registry, tracking thousands of vegans over many years, in order to document
the course of their health, as well as causes of their incidence of disease
and mortality. We will also be conducting non-invasive laboratory tests on blood,
urine, saliva, etc. of volunteers who consume vegan, vegetarian and omnivore-type
diets in order to explore key subjects in vegan physiology and nutrition. These
subjects include protein requirements, blood type frequencies, mineral balance,
fatty acid metabolism, carnitine function, immune status and many other critical
areas.
Have you ever wondered why it is that some people seem to thrive on a vegetarian
diet while others report that they tried to be a vegetarian, but they didn't
feel very good? When these individuals added some meat back into their diet
they felt better. Are these individuals genetically predisposed to meat eating
or is there another explanation? I offer some possibilities...
At the Institute of Nutrition Education and Research we recognize that there
are significant metabolic differences between people. It may well be that some
of these differences may propel certain individuals towards flesh consumption.
It may be, however, that the cause is not so much genetic, as acquired after
birth. Virtually every person who reports adding meat back into a previously
vegetarian diet is an individual who was raised on a meat-based diet.
The kind of foods one eats in their early years may set biochemical patterns
that last a lifetime. For example, the human body can synthesize, from simpler
molecules, some essential substances like carnitine (required for energy production)
and some long-chain fatty acids (e.g. EPA, DHA, etc., needed for hormone function,
membrane synthesis, etc.). People who eat meat ingest these substances. It may
be that a life-long omnivore becomes functionally dependent upon a diet that
contains these pre-formed nutrients. As adults, if they suddenly adopt a vegetarian
lifestyle, where the foods are essentially devoid of pre-formed carnitine, EPA,
DHA, etc., they may find that they are unable to synthesize all the energy-generating
compounds, fatty acids, and other molecules they may require.
After months or years on a flesh-free diet, these individuals might experience
deterioration of their health or energy, only to feel better upon resumption
of meat ingestion. This may seem like confirmation that they are "natural
meat eaters". However, it may be evidence of an acquired dependency on
flesh-borne nutrients formed through early eating patterns. If this is the case,
it may be possible to prevent, repair, or at least compensate for these imbalances
through provision of additional nutrients, removal of inhibiting substances
in the diet, varying combinations of food, etc., utilizing foods of plant-based
origin or gradually removing meat from their diet. In my experience, these problems
are not encountered in people raised on vegetarian diets from infancy.
It is known that, in some people, noticeable improvements in the way they feel
can be achieved by merely adjusting the proportions of proteins, fats and sugars.
Changing the proportion of raw vs. cooked foods can similarly have beneficial
effects. Some people who feel that their health has improved after adopting
a "zone" or "blood type" diet may actually be benefiting
from just eating less carbohydrates, more protein, etc.
An additional thought, less than optimal function on a plant-based diet (or
any diet) may not stem from a nutrient deficiency at all, but from other health
conditions, like digestive dysfunction, malabsorption, parasites, adverse immune
reactions, etc. To me, these are far more likely mechanisms that could explain
the "failure-to-thrive" syndrome occasionally seen in vegetarians
and vegans. Much more research is needed to obtain the answers to so many questions
in this essential, but subtle science.
Through the Institute, we plan to investigate whether some of the individuals
who re-introduced animal products into their diet could have achieved similar
effects by altering their selection and quantities of plant-based foods. A goal
of our research is to develop science-based guidelines to aid anyone who chooses
to nourish their body on exclusively plant-based foods to do so with optimal
benefits to their health and well being.