Psychological Disorder and Criminality
See also the Dementia page
The Role of Oxalates in Autism and Chronic Disorders
It's not just the stones you have to watch out for... check this article for some of the other bad news oxalates can bring.
"Oxalates can form all throughout the kidney and the urinary tract, and can also form in the ureter as well as in the bladder. These star-shaped crystalline stones cause pain as the pressure in the urinary filtrate builds up, and perhaps also by tearing into the walls of the urinary tract itself."
It's not just the stones you have to watch out for... check this article for some of the other bad news oxalates can bring.
"Oxalates can form all throughout the kidney and the urinary tract, and can also form in the ureter as well as in the bladder. These star-shaped crystalline stones cause pain as the pressure in the urinary filtrate builds up, and perhaps also by tearing into the walls of the urinary tract itself."
A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial)
Georgia Ede has written a good summary of this trial here
"My opinion, based on everything I know about food and the brain, is that this diet is better than the average diet because:
Georgia Ede has written a good summary of this trial here
"My opinion, based on everything I know about food and the brain, is that this diet is better than the average diet because:
- It is extremely low in refined carbohydrates (sugar, flour, refined cereals, etc). These non-foods put your blood sugar, insulin, hormones, and neurotransmitters on a dangerous invisible roller coaster. This destabilizes mood and increases risk for insulin resistance, which causes brain damage over time.
- It contains plenty of natural fat and cholesterol, which the brain needs to function properly [in my opinion the ModiMed diet unnecessarily limits saturated animal fats].
- It is low in processed oils from seeds such as cottonseed, safflower and corn. These industrially-refined oils are very high in omega-6 fatty acids, which tilt the brain towards inflammation and away from healing.
- It contains animal sources of protein, which are rich in key brain nutrients such as iron, zinc, and vitamin B 12. Meat, seafood and poultry are free of anti-nutrients, which interfere with protein and mineral absorption.
- It is based primarily on whole foods, which humans are well-adapted to eating."
Stabilize Your Mood with Food - Georgia Ede in Psychology Today
"In this post, we’ll concentrate on the hormonal pathway—how sugar can cause mood swings and other emotional issues by wreaking havoc with our natural hormonal balance."
"In this post, we’ll concentrate on the hormonal pathway—how sugar can cause mood swings and other emotional issues by wreaking havoc with our natural hormonal balance."
Serum uric acid as a predictor of bipolarity in individuals with a major depressive episode
"A remarkable 48% of people (53 out of 111) with high uric acid levels went on to develop bipolar disorder, whereas only 1.4% of people (two out of 139) with low uric acid levels went on to develop bipolar disorder" - Georgia Ede
"A remarkable 48% of people (53 out of 111) with high uric acid levels went on to develop bipolar disorder, whereas only 1.4% of people (two out of 139) with low uric acid levels went on to develop bipolar disorder" - Georgia Ede
Attention! Is Your Diet Causing ADHD? - Georgia Ede
"Brain chemicals come from food.
After all, where else could they possibly come from? This seems so obvious, but many doctors don’t think about the connection. We are trained to think about which medications might correct the imbalance, not what causes it in the first place. Which foods does your body need to make these important chemicals?"
"Brain chemicals come from food.
After all, where else could they possibly come from? This seems so obvious, but many doctors don’t think about the connection. We are trained to think about which medications might correct the imbalance, not what causes it in the first place. Which foods does your body need to make these important chemicals?"
The following articles by Barry Groves are copied in full (for your convenience), because I've found that some people have difficulty in accessing the links to his UK webpages. I also notice there is a lag when I access them myself. Each article begins with the title which has a hyperlink to the original article.
Autism dietary information and dietary ADHD information - Barry Groves
"The teacher or school administrator is usually the one who suggests that the child see a doctor (psychiatrist or paediatrician) whom they know will put the child on Ritalin — known as a 'chemical cosh' — or a similar drug. In 2005, there were some 30,000 British children on Ritalin. In this we are following the American lead. According to statistics supporting the Americans with Disabilities Act, as many as 10% of the US population has symptoms of ADHD and, even with drug treatment, it frequently persists into adulthood. But these drugs are indiscriminate; they alter brain chemistry in ways other than just quieting children. And the side effects can be serious and very long lasting.The last decade has seen medical care for ADHD grow into a huge industry. But it doesn't pretend to cure the problem, merely the symptoms.
Yet the most common finding in children with ADHD is hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), and that is caused by a high-carb diet. When individuals have a low blood sugar response, the body releases adrenaline to raise blood sugar levels. In children, this may cause them to act aggressively.
Food helps some people with ADHD to feel calm. But the foods most eaten are those rich in sugar and other carbohydrates such as sweets, cakes, pasta and fruit.
Dr. Benjamin Feingold, a California paediatrician, noticed that many hyperactive children became excited after eating foods containing high concentrations of salicylates. These occur naturally in many fruits and vegetables and are especially concentrated in grapes, raisins, nuts, apples, and oranges. A study performed at the Hospital for Sick Children in London, published in the British journal, Lancet, demonstrated that most children with severe ADHD are salicylate sensitive, but that 90% of these children have additional food allergies.[x] These included: cow's milk products, corn (an additive in many prepared foods), wheat, and soya. Aspirin should also be avoided.
Other lines of research point to high levels of seed-sourced omega-6 fatty acids such as are found in margarines and cooking oils, which unbalance omega-6 to omega-3 ratios;[xi] and a number of chemical food additives.
Considering the whole weight of evidence, cutting out processed 'convenience' foods, which are largely based on starchy and sugary foods, will avoid almost all the probable causes of ADHD. But so-called, 'healthy' starches and fruit should also be reduced. Make up for the loss of calories by increasing fats. The healthiest fats are meat fats, tropical oils (coconut and palm oils), and olive oil. This is a much healthier way to treat ADHD than with drugs. ADHD could really be 'A Demand for a Healthy Diet'.
References
[i] a. Matsuishi T, Shiotsuki Y, Yoshimura K, et al. High prevalence of infantile autism in Kurume City, Japan. J Child Neurol 1987; 2: 268-271.
b. Tanoue Y, Oda S, Asano F, Kawashima K. Epidemiology of infantile autism in southern Ibaraki, Japan: differences in prevalence in birth cohorts. J Autism Dev Disord 1988; 18: 155-166.
c. Sugiyama T, Abe T. The prevalence of autism in Nagoya, Japan: a total population study. J Autism Dev Disord 1989; 19: 87-96.
[ii] a. Chakrabarti S, Fombonne E. Pervasive developmental disorders in preschool children. JAMA 2001; 285: 3093-3099.
b. Gillberg C, Cederlund M, Lamberg K, Zeijlon L. Brief report: "the autism epidemic": the registered prevalence of autism in a Swedish urban area. J Autism Dev Disord 2006; 36: 429-435.
c. Baird G, Charman T, Baron-Cohen S, et al. A screening instrument for autism at 18 months of age: a 6-year follow-up study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2000; 39: 694-702.
[iii] a. Bertrand J, Mars A, Boyle C, et al. Prevalence of autism in a United States population: the Brick Township, New Jersey, investigation. Pediatrics 2001; 108: 1155-1161.
b. Yeargin-Allsopp M, Rice C, Karapurkar T, et al. Prevalence of autism in a US metropolitan area. JAMA2003; 289: 49-55.
[iv] Baird G, Simonoff E, Pickles A, et al. Prevalence of disorders of the autism spectrum in a population cohort of children in South Thames: the Special Needs and Autism Project (SNAP). Lancet 2006; 368: 210-215.
[v] WHO. The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders: diagnostic criteria for research. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1993
[vi] Honda H, Shimizu Y, Rutter M. No effect of MMR withdrawal on the incidence of autism: a total population study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2005; 46: 572-579
[vii] Madsen KM, Lauritsen MB, Pedersen CB, et al. Thimerosal and the occurrence of autism: negative ecological evidence from Danish population-based data. Pediatrics 2003; 112: 604-606.
[viii]. Reichelt KL, Ekrem J, Scott H. Gluten, milk proteins and autism: Dietary intervention effects on behavior and peptide secretion. J Appl Nutr 1990; 42: 1-11.
[ix]. Wong HH, Smith RG.Patterns of complementary and alternative medical therapy use in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord. 2006; 36: 901-9.
[x]. Egger J, Carter CM, Graham PJ, et al. Controlled trial of oligoantigenic treatment in the hyper kinetic syndrome. Lancet 1985; 1: 540-545.
[xi]. Stevens LJ, Zentall SS, Deck JL, et al. Essential fatty acid metabolism in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Am J Clin Nutr 1995; 62: 761-768.
"The teacher or school administrator is usually the one who suggests that the child see a doctor (psychiatrist or paediatrician) whom they know will put the child on Ritalin — known as a 'chemical cosh' — or a similar drug. In 2005, there were some 30,000 British children on Ritalin. In this we are following the American lead. According to statistics supporting the Americans with Disabilities Act, as many as 10% of the US population has symptoms of ADHD and, even with drug treatment, it frequently persists into adulthood. But these drugs are indiscriminate; they alter brain chemistry in ways other than just quieting children. And the side effects can be serious and very long lasting.The last decade has seen medical care for ADHD grow into a huge industry. But it doesn't pretend to cure the problem, merely the symptoms.
Yet the most common finding in children with ADHD is hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), and that is caused by a high-carb diet. When individuals have a low blood sugar response, the body releases adrenaline to raise blood sugar levels. In children, this may cause them to act aggressively.
Food helps some people with ADHD to feel calm. But the foods most eaten are those rich in sugar and other carbohydrates such as sweets, cakes, pasta and fruit.
Dr. Benjamin Feingold, a California paediatrician, noticed that many hyperactive children became excited after eating foods containing high concentrations of salicylates. These occur naturally in many fruits and vegetables and are especially concentrated in grapes, raisins, nuts, apples, and oranges. A study performed at the Hospital for Sick Children in London, published in the British journal, Lancet, demonstrated that most children with severe ADHD are salicylate sensitive, but that 90% of these children have additional food allergies.[x] These included: cow's milk products, corn (an additive in many prepared foods), wheat, and soya. Aspirin should also be avoided.
Other lines of research point to high levels of seed-sourced omega-6 fatty acids such as are found in margarines and cooking oils, which unbalance omega-6 to omega-3 ratios;[xi] and a number of chemical food additives.
Considering the whole weight of evidence, cutting out processed 'convenience' foods, which are largely based on starchy and sugary foods, will avoid almost all the probable causes of ADHD. But so-called, 'healthy' starches and fruit should also be reduced. Make up for the loss of calories by increasing fats. The healthiest fats are meat fats, tropical oils (coconut and palm oils), and olive oil. This is a much healthier way to treat ADHD than with drugs. ADHD could really be 'A Demand for a Healthy Diet'.
References
[i] a. Matsuishi T, Shiotsuki Y, Yoshimura K, et al. High prevalence of infantile autism in Kurume City, Japan. J Child Neurol 1987; 2: 268-271.
b. Tanoue Y, Oda S, Asano F, Kawashima K. Epidemiology of infantile autism in southern Ibaraki, Japan: differences in prevalence in birth cohorts. J Autism Dev Disord 1988; 18: 155-166.
c. Sugiyama T, Abe T. The prevalence of autism in Nagoya, Japan: a total population study. J Autism Dev Disord 1989; 19: 87-96.
[ii] a. Chakrabarti S, Fombonne E. Pervasive developmental disorders in preschool children. JAMA 2001; 285: 3093-3099.
b. Gillberg C, Cederlund M, Lamberg K, Zeijlon L. Brief report: "the autism epidemic": the registered prevalence of autism in a Swedish urban area. J Autism Dev Disord 2006; 36: 429-435.
c. Baird G, Charman T, Baron-Cohen S, et al. A screening instrument for autism at 18 months of age: a 6-year follow-up study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2000; 39: 694-702.
[iii] a. Bertrand J, Mars A, Boyle C, et al. Prevalence of autism in a United States population: the Brick Township, New Jersey, investigation. Pediatrics 2001; 108: 1155-1161.
b. Yeargin-Allsopp M, Rice C, Karapurkar T, et al. Prevalence of autism in a US metropolitan area. JAMA2003; 289: 49-55.
[iv] Baird G, Simonoff E, Pickles A, et al. Prevalence of disorders of the autism spectrum in a population cohort of children in South Thames: the Special Needs and Autism Project (SNAP). Lancet 2006; 368: 210-215.
[v] WHO. The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders: diagnostic criteria for research. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1993
[vi] Honda H, Shimizu Y, Rutter M. No effect of MMR withdrawal on the incidence of autism: a total population study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2005; 46: 572-579
[vii] Madsen KM, Lauritsen MB, Pedersen CB, et al. Thimerosal and the occurrence of autism: negative ecological evidence from Danish population-based data. Pediatrics 2003; 112: 604-606.
[viii]. Reichelt KL, Ekrem J, Scott H. Gluten, milk proteins and autism: Dietary intervention effects on behavior and peptide secretion. J Appl Nutr 1990; 42: 1-11.
[ix]. Wong HH, Smith RG.Patterns of complementary and alternative medical therapy use in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord. 2006; 36: 901-9.
[x]. Egger J, Carter CM, Graham PJ, et al. Controlled trial of oligoantigenic treatment in the hyper kinetic syndrome. Lancet 1985; 1: 540-545.
[xi]. Stevens LJ, Zentall SS, Deck JL, et al. Essential fatty acid metabolism in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Am J Clin Nutr 1995; 62: 761-768.
Dietary Causes of Criminality, aggression and antisocial behaviour - Barry Groves
Introduction
There are many conditions in Western industrialised societies today that were unheard of, or at least very rare, just a century ago. The same conditions are still unheard of in primitive peoples who do not have the 'benefits' of our knowledge. There is a very good reason for this: They eat what Nature intended; we don't. The diseases caused by our incorrect and unnatural diets are those featured on these pages.
Dietary causes:
High-carb diet — sugars and starches; low-fat diet; low blood cholesterol.
Diet in criminality
In 1995 I travelled among the islands of the South Pacific. I was particularly struck by the lack of any need for locks on house doors. In Western Samoa, for example, their 'fales' (houses) were merely thatched roofs supported on poles, with no sides at all for most of the day. A woven matting was all that they wrapped around the sides when they wanted more privacy.
Dr. Weston A. Price also noted that crime was non-existent in primitive cultures. In his book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, he writes:[1] 'After one has lived among the primitive racial stocks in different parts of the world and studied them in their isolation, few impressions can be more vivid than that of the absence of prisons and asylums.' He continued: 'Few, if any, of the problems which confront modern civilization are more serious and disturbing than the progressive increase in the percentage of individuals with unsocial traits and a lack of responsibility.'
The fact is that primitives, uncontaminated by civilisation, do not suffer from crime. That is not the case here. We have seen more and more money ploughed into being 'tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime' with:
The problem of lowered mentality and its place in our modern conception of bodily diseases has never been placed on a physical basis as have the better understood degenerative processes, with their direct relationship to a diseased organ. This has led to its being largely ignored — and for a very long time. As long ago as 1937, Edward Lee Thorndike of Columbia University wrote that 'thinking is as biological as digestion',[2] which implies that a defect-free brain is required if we are to think coherently.
The origin of mental dullness in children seems to have been assigned very largely to some experience in that child's life which becomes a conditioning factor and which thereafter strongly influences his behaviour. The problem of the relation of physical defects to delinquency in its various phases, including major crime, constitutes one of the most alarming aspects of our modern problems in social degeneration. In the 1930s, C.F. Chassell made an exhaustive study from reports of workers in several countries. She summarised her finding as follows: 'The correlation between delinquency and mental inferiority as found in the case of feeble-minded groups is clearly positive, and tends to be marked in degree.'[3] Another worker at the same time, Dr C. I. Burt, who had made an extensive study of the problems of the backward child and the delinquent child in London, stated:
Antisocial behaviour
Studies showed that children between 6 and 16 years of age whose cholesterol concentration was below 3.77 mmol/L (145 mg/dL) were almost three times more likely to have been suspended or expelled from schools than their peers with higher cholesterol levels.[6] The conclusion was that low total cholesterol may be a risk factor for aggression or a risk marker for other biologic variables that predispose to aggression.
Food as a cause
The food we eat has a wide range of effects on our body systems. Apart from water, our brains are about three-quarters fat. We need a steady intake of fats for our brains to function properly — and that intake must be of the right fats. Also, while our brains account for only about 2.5% of our body weight, they use about 20% of our bodies' total energy. For these reasons, food intakes and fluctuations in energy levels can have a profound effect on how our brains are formed as infants and how well they perform later in life, as well as affecting our behaviour and emotions. The various major food groups — carbohydrates, proteins and fats — have different effects on the brain. Carbohydrates engender a feeling of well-being and induce sleepiness. But they also have a wide range of other effects. For example:
References
[1]. Price WA. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Paul B. Hoeber, Inc, New York, 1939, Chap. 19.
[2]. Thorndike EL. Big Chief's G. G. Time, 30:25, 1937.
[3]. Chassell CF. Relation between morality and intellect. N. Y., Columbia, 1935.
[4]. Burt, C. L. Backward Child. Appleton, New York, 1937.
[5]. Burt, C. L. The Young Delinquent. University of London Press, London, 1925.
[6]. Zhang J, Muldoon MF, McKeown RE, Cuffe, SP. Association of Serum Cholesterol and History of School Suspension among School-age Children and Adolescents in the United States. Am J Epidemiol 2005; 161:691-699.
[7]. Goldman J, et al. Behavioral Effects of Sucrose on Preschool Children. J Abnormal Child Psych 1986; 14: 565-577
[8]. Christensen L. The Role of Caffeine and Sugar in Depression. The Nutrition Report 1991; 9 (3): 17-24.
[9]. Hadjivassiliou M, et al. Does cryptic gluten sensitivity play a part in neurological illness? Lancet 1996; 347: 369–371.
[10]. Levitt Katz LE, et al. Neuropsychiatric disorders at the presentation of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children. Pediatr Diabetes 2005; 6: 84-89.
Introduction
There are many conditions in Western industrialised societies today that were unheard of, or at least very rare, just a century ago. The same conditions are still unheard of in primitive peoples who do not have the 'benefits' of our knowledge. There is a very good reason for this: They eat what Nature intended; we don't. The diseases caused by our incorrect and unnatural diets are those featured on these pages.
Dietary causes:
High-carb diet — sugars and starches; low-fat diet; low blood cholesterol.
Diet in criminality
In 1995 I travelled among the islands of the South Pacific. I was particularly struck by the lack of any need for locks on house doors. In Western Samoa, for example, their 'fales' (houses) were merely thatched roofs supported on poles, with no sides at all for most of the day. A woven matting was all that they wrapped around the sides when they wanted more privacy.
Dr. Weston A. Price also noted that crime was non-existent in primitive cultures. In his book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, he writes:[1] 'After one has lived among the primitive racial stocks in different parts of the world and studied them in their isolation, few impressions can be more vivid than that of the absence of prisons and asylums.' He continued: 'Few, if any, of the problems which confront modern civilization are more serious and disturbing than the progressive increase in the percentage of individuals with unsocial traits and a lack of responsibility.'
The fact is that primitives, uncontaminated by civilisation, do not suffer from crime. That is not the case here. We have seen more and more money ploughed into being 'tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime' with:
- more and more prisons being built;
- prisoners released earlier or tagged or given community service orders merely to relieve the pressure on overcrowded prisons;
- and more calls for ever more police.
The problem of lowered mentality and its place in our modern conception of bodily diseases has never been placed on a physical basis as have the better understood degenerative processes, with their direct relationship to a diseased organ. This has led to its being largely ignored — and for a very long time. As long ago as 1937, Edward Lee Thorndike of Columbia University wrote that 'thinking is as biological as digestion',[2] which implies that a defect-free brain is required if we are to think coherently.
The origin of mental dullness in children seems to have been assigned very largely to some experience in that child's life which becomes a conditioning factor and which thereafter strongly influences his behaviour. The problem of the relation of physical defects to delinquency in its various phases, including major crime, constitutes one of the most alarming aspects of our modern problems in social degeneration. In the 1930s, C.F. Chassell made an exhaustive study from reports of workers in several countries. She summarised her finding as follows: 'The correlation between delinquency and mental inferiority as found in the case of feeble-minded groups is clearly positive, and tends to be marked in degree.'[3] Another worker at the same time, Dr C. I. Burt, who had made an extensive study of the problems of the backward child and the delinquent child in London, stated:
- 'Both at London and at Birmingham between 60 and 70 per cent belong to the (innately) "dull" category. . . . In the majority the outstanding cause is a general inferiority of intellectual capacity, presumably inborn and frequently hereditary.'[4]
- 'Most repeated offenders are far from robust; they are frail, sickly, and infirm. Indeed, so regularly is chronic moral disorder associated with chronic physical disorder that many have contended that crime is a disease, or at least a symptom of disease, needing the doctor more than the magistrate, physic rather than the whip. . . . The frequency among juvenile delinquents of bodily weakness and ill health has been remarked by almost every recent writer. In my own series of cases nearly 70 per cent were suffering from such defects; and nearly 50 per cent were in urgent need of medical treatment. . . . Of all the psychological causes of crime, the commonest and the gravest is usually alleged to be defective mind. The most eminent authorities, employing the most elaborate methods of scientific analysis, have been led to enunciate some such belief. In England, for example, Dr. Goring has affirmed that "the one vital mental constitutional factor in the etiology of crime is defective intelligence." In Chicago, Dr. Healy has likewise maintained that among the personal characteristics of the offender "mental deficiency forms the largest single cause of delinquency." And most American investigators would agree.'[5]
Antisocial behaviour
Studies showed that children between 6 and 16 years of age whose cholesterol concentration was below 3.77 mmol/L (145 mg/dL) were almost three times more likely to have been suspended or expelled from schools than their peers with higher cholesterol levels.[6] The conclusion was that low total cholesterol may be a risk factor for aggression or a risk marker for other biologic variables that predispose to aggression.
Food as a cause
The food we eat has a wide range of effects on our body systems. Apart from water, our brains are about three-quarters fat. We need a steady intake of fats for our brains to function properly — and that intake must be of the right fats. Also, while our brains account for only about 2.5% of our body weight, they use about 20% of our bodies' total energy. For these reasons, food intakes and fluctuations in energy levels can have a profound effect on how our brains are formed as infants and how well they perform later in life, as well as affecting our behaviour and emotions. The various major food groups — carbohydrates, proteins and fats — have different effects on the brain. Carbohydrates engender a feeling of well-being and induce sleepiness. But they also have a wide range of other effects. For example:
- Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.[7]
- Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly.[8]
- Sugar can cause depression.4
- Many neurological illnesses are also associated with cereal grain consumption.[9]
- Nearly one out of every five paediatric patients with type-2 diabetes also has a brain-development disorder, psychiatric illness or behavioural disorder.[10]
References
[1]. Price WA. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Paul B. Hoeber, Inc, New York, 1939, Chap. 19.
[2]. Thorndike EL. Big Chief's G. G. Time, 30:25, 1937.
[3]. Chassell CF. Relation between morality and intellect. N. Y., Columbia, 1935.
[4]. Burt, C. L. Backward Child. Appleton, New York, 1937.
[5]. Burt, C. L. The Young Delinquent. University of London Press, London, 1925.
[6]. Zhang J, Muldoon MF, McKeown RE, Cuffe, SP. Association of Serum Cholesterol and History of School Suspension among School-age Children and Adolescents in the United States. Am J Epidemiol 2005; 161:691-699.
[7]. Goldman J, et al. Behavioral Effects of Sucrose on Preschool Children. J Abnormal Child Psych 1986; 14: 565-577
[8]. Christensen L. The Role of Caffeine and Sugar in Depression. The Nutrition Report 1991; 9 (3): 17-24.
[9]. Hadjivassiliou M, et al. Does cryptic gluten sensitivity play a part in neurological illness? Lancet 1996; 347: 369–371.
[10]. Levitt Katz LE, et al. Neuropsychiatric disorders at the presentation of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children. Pediatr Diabetes 2005; 6: 84-89.
Schizophrenia information - Barry Groves
Introduction
There are many conditions in Western industrialised societies today that were unheard of, or at least very rare, just a century ago. The same conditions are still unheard of in primitive peoples who do not have the 'benefits' of our knowledge. There is a very good reason for this: They eat what Nature intended; we don't. The diseases caused by our incorrect and unnatural diets are those featured on these pages.
Dietary causes of schizophrenia:
'Healthy' carbohydrate-rich diet, particularly cereals containing gluten; low-fat diet.
Schizophrenia
Introduction
In the 1960s, Dr. F. Curtis Dohan noticed that in regions where gluten consumption was common, the rate of schizophrenia was substantially higher than in places where gluten consumption was absent: places where people relied on sweet potato, rice or millet rather than wheat, rye, barley or oats, for example. Subsequent research, including experiments by others involving biopsies, led Dohan to conclude that people diagnosed as schizophrenic did not typically have the same reaction to gluten as people with coeliac disease, in that they did not have the same type of damage to the villi of the small intestine, but that a gluten-sensitive subset of schizophrenics processed gluten and the casein in dairy foods in a way that exposed their brains to certain very potent psychoactive substances that are now known to exist in those foods.
In his first published clinical trial, at a Veterans' Administration hospital, Dohan tried removing gluten-containing cereals and dairy from the diets of people diagnosed as schizophrenic while they were on a locked admitting ward; they went back on a regular gluten-containing diet once they moved to the open wards.
Of those on the gluten-free diet on the locked ward, 80% were on that ward and the gluten-free diet for 10 days or less. Other people diagnosed as schizophrenic who went through the same wards were kept on a high-gluten diet while on the locked ward instead of a gluten- and dairy-free diet.
The people at the V.A. hospital who were on the gluten-free diet while on the locked ward were discharged almost twice as quickly as those who were on the high-gluten diet. Dohan writes: 'The average time until discharge for the discharged CFMF [cereal-free, milk-free] patients (77 days) was 55 percent of that of the discharged HC [high cereal] patients (139 days).'[i]
Between 1966 and 1990 more than 50 articles regarding the role of cereal grains as a cause of schizophrenia were published. Dr Karl Lorenz conducted a meta-analysis of them and concluded that 'In populations eating little or no wheat, rye and barley, the prevalence of schizophrenia is quite low and about the same regardless of type of acculturating influence.'[ii]
This supported earlier clinical studies which had shown that schizophrenic symptoms improved on cereal-free diets and worsened upon their re-introduction.[iii] [iv] [v]
Schizophrenia and low fat intake
This evidence also ties in well with other dietary research along parallel lines. If people eat more of one thing, they necessarily eat less of another. For this reason, a high-carb diet is likely also to be a low-fat diet and there is a growing body of research data which suggests that schizophrenia may be the result of an abnormal fatty acid composition of the brain. In a controlled study of fatty acids in patients with schizophrenia, doctors at the University Department of Psychiatry, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, noticed that arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, were particularly low. These fatty acids are plentiful in meat and fish fats respectively, but not found in vegetable oils. The authors say that 'A strong correlation exists between schizophrenia and deficiencies in fats, . . . The possibility that diets generally low in fat might worsen schizophrenia or even bring on the condition among those already predisposed to it is hard to ignore.'[vi] They go on to suggest that this 'opens up novel and exciting therapeutic possibilities' for dietary treatment of schizophrenia — with a low-carb, high-fat diet.
Crime increase blamed on schizophrenia
While the number of reported crimes in Denmark has remained unchanged since 1987, there has been a growing number of offenders found to be mentally ill in that country. In line with many other countries, Denmark reorganised psychiatric care with closure of half its psychiatric beds in favour of community mental health. A report published in June 2003 found that the 'main reason for the exponential growth rate is an increasing number of schizophrenic patients committing crimes. It is concluded that deinstitutionalisation is the main reason for this development.'[vii] But, as we know, schizophrenia may be affected by diet. Diet also has been shown to influence social behaviour and criminality in both adults and children.
References
[i]. Dohan FC, Grasberger JC. Relapsed schizophrenics: earlier discharge from the hospital after cereal-free, milk-free diet. Am J Psychiatry 1973; 130: 685-8
[ii]. Lorenz K: Cereals and schizophrenia. Adv Cereal Sci Technol 1990; 10: 435–469.
[iii]. Dohan FC, et al. Relapsed schizophrenics: More rapid improvement on a milk and cereal free diet. Br J Psychiatry 1969; 115: 595–596.
[iv]. Dohan FC, Grasberger JC. Relapsed schizophrenics: Early discharge from the hospital after cereal free, milk free diet. Am J Psychiatry 1973; 130: 685–688.
[v]. Singh MM, Kay SR. Wheat gluten as a pathogenic factor in schizophrenia. Science 1976; 191: 401–402.
[vi]. Laugharne JD, Mellor JE, Peet M. Fatty acids and schizophrenia. Lipids, 1996; 31 Suppl: S163-5.
[vii]. Kramp P, Gabrielsen G. Crimes committed by mentally ill persons in the years 1977-1999. Development, number and causes. Ugeskr Laeger 2003; 165: 2553-6.
Introduction
There are many conditions in Western industrialised societies today that were unheard of, or at least very rare, just a century ago. The same conditions are still unheard of in primitive peoples who do not have the 'benefits' of our knowledge. There is a very good reason for this: They eat what Nature intended; we don't. The diseases caused by our incorrect and unnatural diets are those featured on these pages.
Dietary causes of schizophrenia:
'Healthy' carbohydrate-rich diet, particularly cereals containing gluten; low-fat diet.
Schizophrenia
Introduction
In the 1960s, Dr. F. Curtis Dohan noticed that in regions where gluten consumption was common, the rate of schizophrenia was substantially higher than in places where gluten consumption was absent: places where people relied on sweet potato, rice or millet rather than wheat, rye, barley or oats, for example. Subsequent research, including experiments by others involving biopsies, led Dohan to conclude that people diagnosed as schizophrenic did not typically have the same reaction to gluten as people with coeliac disease, in that they did not have the same type of damage to the villi of the small intestine, but that a gluten-sensitive subset of schizophrenics processed gluten and the casein in dairy foods in a way that exposed their brains to certain very potent psychoactive substances that are now known to exist in those foods.
In his first published clinical trial, at a Veterans' Administration hospital, Dohan tried removing gluten-containing cereals and dairy from the diets of people diagnosed as schizophrenic while they were on a locked admitting ward; they went back on a regular gluten-containing diet once they moved to the open wards.
Of those on the gluten-free diet on the locked ward, 80% were on that ward and the gluten-free diet for 10 days or less. Other people diagnosed as schizophrenic who went through the same wards were kept on a high-gluten diet while on the locked ward instead of a gluten- and dairy-free diet.
The people at the V.A. hospital who were on the gluten-free diet while on the locked ward were discharged almost twice as quickly as those who were on the high-gluten diet. Dohan writes: 'The average time until discharge for the discharged CFMF [cereal-free, milk-free] patients (77 days) was 55 percent of that of the discharged HC [high cereal] patients (139 days).'[i]
Between 1966 and 1990 more than 50 articles regarding the role of cereal grains as a cause of schizophrenia were published. Dr Karl Lorenz conducted a meta-analysis of them and concluded that 'In populations eating little or no wheat, rye and barley, the prevalence of schizophrenia is quite low and about the same regardless of type of acculturating influence.'[ii]
This supported earlier clinical studies which had shown that schizophrenic symptoms improved on cereal-free diets and worsened upon their re-introduction.[iii] [iv] [v]
Schizophrenia and low fat intake
This evidence also ties in well with other dietary research along parallel lines. If people eat more of one thing, they necessarily eat less of another. For this reason, a high-carb diet is likely also to be a low-fat diet and there is a growing body of research data which suggests that schizophrenia may be the result of an abnormal fatty acid composition of the brain. In a controlled study of fatty acids in patients with schizophrenia, doctors at the University Department of Psychiatry, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, noticed that arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, were particularly low. These fatty acids are plentiful in meat and fish fats respectively, but not found in vegetable oils. The authors say that 'A strong correlation exists between schizophrenia and deficiencies in fats, . . . The possibility that diets generally low in fat might worsen schizophrenia or even bring on the condition among those already predisposed to it is hard to ignore.'[vi] They go on to suggest that this 'opens up novel and exciting therapeutic possibilities' for dietary treatment of schizophrenia — with a low-carb, high-fat diet.
Crime increase blamed on schizophrenia
While the number of reported crimes in Denmark has remained unchanged since 1987, there has been a growing number of offenders found to be mentally ill in that country. In line with many other countries, Denmark reorganised psychiatric care with closure of half its psychiatric beds in favour of community mental health. A report published in June 2003 found that the 'main reason for the exponential growth rate is an increasing number of schizophrenic patients committing crimes. It is concluded that deinstitutionalisation is the main reason for this development.'[vii] But, as we know, schizophrenia may be affected by diet. Diet also has been shown to influence social behaviour and criminality in both adults and children.
References
[i]. Dohan FC, Grasberger JC. Relapsed schizophrenics: earlier discharge from the hospital after cereal-free, milk-free diet. Am J Psychiatry 1973; 130: 685-8
[ii]. Lorenz K: Cereals and schizophrenia. Adv Cereal Sci Technol 1990; 10: 435–469.
[iii]. Dohan FC, et al. Relapsed schizophrenics: More rapid improvement on a milk and cereal free diet. Br J Psychiatry 1969; 115: 595–596.
[iv]. Dohan FC, Grasberger JC. Relapsed schizophrenics: Early discharge from the hospital after cereal free, milk free diet. Am J Psychiatry 1973; 130: 685–688.
[v]. Singh MM, Kay SR. Wheat gluten as a pathogenic factor in schizophrenia. Science 1976; 191: 401–402.
[vi]. Laugharne JD, Mellor JE, Peet M. Fatty acids and schizophrenia. Lipids, 1996; 31 Suppl: S163-5.
[vii]. Kramp P, Gabrielsen G. Crimes committed by mentally ill persons in the years 1977-1999. Development, number and causes. Ugeskr Laeger 2003; 165: 2553-6.
Resistance to authority and antisocial behaviour by adult and children - Barry Groves
Introduction
There are many conditions in Western industrialised societies today that were unheard of, or at least very rare, just a century ago. The same conditions are still unheard of in primitive peoples who do not have the 'benefits' of our knowledge. There is a very good reason for this: They eat what Nature intended; we don't. The diseases caused by our incorrect and unnatural diets are those featured on these pages.
Dietary causes of resistance to authority by adults and children:
High-carb diet — sugars and starches; low-cholesterol.
Low cholesterol
Low blood cholesterol is also associated with aggression and antisocial behaviour. Typically, people whose cholesterol was 'healthily' below 5.04 mmol/L (200 mg/dl) were significantly more antisocial compared to others whose cholesterol was above 6.02 mmol/L (230mg/dl).[1] And mental patients with blood cholesterol around 7.55 mmol/L (290mg/dl) were less regressed and withdrawn than those whose cholesterol levels were around 4.80 mmol/L (185mg/dl).
. . . and crime in children
In the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) conducted in the USA between 1988 and 1994, blood cholesterol levels were measured in 4,852 children aged 6-16 years.[2] Psychosocial development was evaluated by interviewing the mother regarding her child's history of school suspension or expulsion and difficulty in getting along with others.
What the survey showed was that children whose cholesterol concentration was below 3.77 mmol/L (145 mg/dL) were almost three times more likely to have been suspended or expelled from schools than their peers with higher cholesterol levels.
The authors concluded that low total cholesterol may be a risk factor for aggression or a risk marker for other biologic variables that predispose to aggression.
Carbohydrate-based diets
Dr Jan Kwasniewski has treated patients with low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets for over 30 years. A few years ago, one of the speakers at a meeting of Dr Kwasniewski's followers was a reformed criminal who had spent most of his life either 'borrowing from' or 'paying back' society. The man's story was fascinating because he described an amazing transformation of a group of prisoners, including himself, who decided to adopt the low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet as devised by Dr Kwasniewski. The group paid for the necessary food out of their own pocket money, and did so against the wishes of prison staff.
He told how most of the inmates following this diet for few months or more showed markedly reduced tendency to violence and reported a change in their general view on the world, in particular in terms of their plans after their release.
The prison staff noted also the change in the inmates' behaviour. The prison director, together with Dr Kwasniewski, proposed to the ministry of internal affairs of Poland that a larger dietary trial be run in the prison to test what had been 'anecdotally' observed in this small group.
Their request was refused!
Several other recent scientific investigations have also linked criminality to diets high in sugar and carbohydrates in adults. Jails are notorious for their problems with defiance of authority and bad behaviour. It's not surprising, I suppose: jails are full of criminals. Nevertheless, trials have been conducted into the effects of changing diets on inmates. Usually, these have switched inmates to a low sugar diet with no fizzy drinks, and inmates have received vegetables instead of sweets. And the results? A significant drop in aggressive behaviour.
Learning from history
Perhaps again we can learn from history: In the 1940s a New York doctor named Joseph Wilder found that low blood sugar levels in adults produced mental symptoms such as depression, anxiety, irritability, slow mental processes, dullness and difficulty in making decisions. The effects of low blood sugar in children were considerably more serious.[3]
Children with this condition would be neurotic, psychopathic and have criminal tendencies, suffer anxiety, run away, be aggressive and destructive. Dr. Wilder wrote: 'In its simplest form, it is the tendency to deny everything, contradict everything, refuse everything at any price . . . It is no wonder that a considerable number of criminal and semi?criminal acts have been observed in children in hypoglycaemic (low blood?sugar) states, ranging from destructiveness or violation of traffic regulations all the way to bestiality, arson and homicide.' The low blood?sugar/criminality link has since been confirmed many times.
Despite this, speculation still persists about whether sugar consumption affects behaviour in children. In 1986 a study investigated the effect of sugar on the behaviour of preschool children.[4] Children were tested individually using a double-blind, crossover design. On separate mornings each child received six ounces of fruit juice, sweetened on one morning with sugar and on the other with an artificial sweetener. The children were observed for an hour and a half following the drinks, during which time they were given alternating 15-minute sessions of work on structured tasks and 15-minute sessions of free play.
Following the sugar drink the children's performance in the structured testing sessions went down, and they demonstrated more 'inappropriate behaviour' during free play. These differences in behaviour were most pronounced approximately 45 to 60 minutes after the drinks. This study provided strong objective evidence in young children of a rather subtle, yet significant, time-dependent behaviour effect of dietary sugar. The actual cause was the children were in a state of hypoglycaemia caused by an overproduction of insulin as a response to the sugar load. But all dietary carbohydrates can cause hypoglycaemia if they form the major part of a meal.
Today, children are eating more sugar and high-carbohydrate foods than ever before in history — and, judging from reports in the press, committing more crimes at ever younger ages. Could it be that the two are connected? Dr. Wilder realised that low blood?sugar was not caused by low intake of sugar, but by the reverse. He said: 'Apparently, too copious feeding of sugar may, in the long run, cause an over?function of the islet cells of the pancreas and increase the tendency to hypoglycaemia; on the other hand, there are cases in which a diet extremely poor in carbohydrates and sugars may improve or even cure the condition.'
The 'healthy' dietary guidelines developed for adults are being extended to children, and 'healthy' meals are promoted in schools to curb obesity. But with the roles of carbs in hypoglycaemia and of serum cholesterol in the neurodevelopment of children so poorly recognised, the result could well be the reverse of that intended.
The point is that criminality increases because, despite the rhetoric, we are not tough on crime and its causes at all. Our government merely pays lip service to the idea while the public pays in monetary terms. If we were serious about wanting to reduce crime, one of the first things we would do is seriously consider reversing the current 'healthy eating' advice.
References
[1]. Engleberg H. Low serum cholesterol and suicide. Lancet 1992; 339: 727-9
[2]. Zhang J, et al. Association of Serum Cholesterol and History of School Suspension among School-age Children and Adolescents in the United States. Am J Epidemiol 2005; 161:691-699.
[3]. Wilder J. Nutrition and mental deficiency. Nervous Child 1944; 3: 174.
[4]. Goldman JA, et al. Behavioral effects of sucrose on preschool children. J Abnorm Child Psychol 1986; 14: 565-77.
Introduction
There are many conditions in Western industrialised societies today that were unheard of, or at least very rare, just a century ago. The same conditions are still unheard of in primitive peoples who do not have the 'benefits' of our knowledge. There is a very good reason for this: They eat what Nature intended; we don't. The diseases caused by our incorrect and unnatural diets are those featured on these pages.
Dietary causes of resistance to authority by adults and children:
High-carb diet — sugars and starches; low-cholesterol.
Low cholesterol
Low blood cholesterol is also associated with aggression and antisocial behaviour. Typically, people whose cholesterol was 'healthily' below 5.04 mmol/L (200 mg/dl) were significantly more antisocial compared to others whose cholesterol was above 6.02 mmol/L (230mg/dl).[1] And mental patients with blood cholesterol around 7.55 mmol/L (290mg/dl) were less regressed and withdrawn than those whose cholesterol levels were around 4.80 mmol/L (185mg/dl).
. . . and crime in children
In the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) conducted in the USA between 1988 and 1994, blood cholesterol levels were measured in 4,852 children aged 6-16 years.[2] Psychosocial development was evaluated by interviewing the mother regarding her child's history of school suspension or expulsion and difficulty in getting along with others.
What the survey showed was that children whose cholesterol concentration was below 3.77 mmol/L (145 mg/dL) were almost three times more likely to have been suspended or expelled from schools than their peers with higher cholesterol levels.
The authors concluded that low total cholesterol may be a risk factor for aggression or a risk marker for other biologic variables that predispose to aggression.
Carbohydrate-based diets
Dr Jan Kwasniewski has treated patients with low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets for over 30 years. A few years ago, one of the speakers at a meeting of Dr Kwasniewski's followers was a reformed criminal who had spent most of his life either 'borrowing from' or 'paying back' society. The man's story was fascinating because he described an amazing transformation of a group of prisoners, including himself, who decided to adopt the low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet as devised by Dr Kwasniewski. The group paid for the necessary food out of their own pocket money, and did so against the wishes of prison staff.
He told how most of the inmates following this diet for few months or more showed markedly reduced tendency to violence and reported a change in their general view on the world, in particular in terms of their plans after their release.
The prison staff noted also the change in the inmates' behaviour. The prison director, together with Dr Kwasniewski, proposed to the ministry of internal affairs of Poland that a larger dietary trial be run in the prison to test what had been 'anecdotally' observed in this small group.
Their request was refused!
Several other recent scientific investigations have also linked criminality to diets high in sugar and carbohydrates in adults. Jails are notorious for their problems with defiance of authority and bad behaviour. It's not surprising, I suppose: jails are full of criminals. Nevertheless, trials have been conducted into the effects of changing diets on inmates. Usually, these have switched inmates to a low sugar diet with no fizzy drinks, and inmates have received vegetables instead of sweets. And the results? A significant drop in aggressive behaviour.
Learning from history
Perhaps again we can learn from history: In the 1940s a New York doctor named Joseph Wilder found that low blood sugar levels in adults produced mental symptoms such as depression, anxiety, irritability, slow mental processes, dullness and difficulty in making decisions. The effects of low blood sugar in children were considerably more serious.[3]
Children with this condition would be neurotic, psychopathic and have criminal tendencies, suffer anxiety, run away, be aggressive and destructive. Dr. Wilder wrote: 'In its simplest form, it is the tendency to deny everything, contradict everything, refuse everything at any price . . . It is no wonder that a considerable number of criminal and semi?criminal acts have been observed in children in hypoglycaemic (low blood?sugar) states, ranging from destructiveness or violation of traffic regulations all the way to bestiality, arson and homicide.' The low blood?sugar/criminality link has since been confirmed many times.
Despite this, speculation still persists about whether sugar consumption affects behaviour in children. In 1986 a study investigated the effect of sugar on the behaviour of preschool children.[4] Children were tested individually using a double-blind, crossover design. On separate mornings each child received six ounces of fruit juice, sweetened on one morning with sugar and on the other with an artificial sweetener. The children were observed for an hour and a half following the drinks, during which time they were given alternating 15-minute sessions of work on structured tasks and 15-minute sessions of free play.
Following the sugar drink the children's performance in the structured testing sessions went down, and they demonstrated more 'inappropriate behaviour' during free play. These differences in behaviour were most pronounced approximately 45 to 60 minutes after the drinks. This study provided strong objective evidence in young children of a rather subtle, yet significant, time-dependent behaviour effect of dietary sugar. The actual cause was the children were in a state of hypoglycaemia caused by an overproduction of insulin as a response to the sugar load. But all dietary carbohydrates can cause hypoglycaemia if they form the major part of a meal.
Today, children are eating more sugar and high-carbohydrate foods than ever before in history — and, judging from reports in the press, committing more crimes at ever younger ages. Could it be that the two are connected? Dr. Wilder realised that low blood?sugar was not caused by low intake of sugar, but by the reverse. He said: 'Apparently, too copious feeding of sugar may, in the long run, cause an over?function of the islet cells of the pancreas and increase the tendency to hypoglycaemia; on the other hand, there are cases in which a diet extremely poor in carbohydrates and sugars may improve or even cure the condition.'
The 'healthy' dietary guidelines developed for adults are being extended to children, and 'healthy' meals are promoted in schools to curb obesity. But with the roles of carbs in hypoglycaemia and of serum cholesterol in the neurodevelopment of children so poorly recognised, the result could well be the reverse of that intended.
The point is that criminality increases because, despite the rhetoric, we are not tough on crime and its causes at all. Our government merely pays lip service to the idea while the public pays in monetary terms. If we were serious about wanting to reduce crime, one of the first things we would do is seriously consider reversing the current 'healthy eating' advice.
References
[1]. Engleberg H. Low serum cholesterol and suicide. Lancet 1992; 339: 727-9
[2]. Zhang J, et al. Association of Serum Cholesterol and History of School Suspension among School-age Children and Adolescents in the United States. Am J Epidemiol 2005; 161:691-699.
[3]. Wilder J. Nutrition and mental deficiency. Nervous Child 1944; 3: 174.
[4]. Goldman JA, et al. Behavioral effects of sucrose on preschool children. J Abnorm Child Psychol 1986; 14: 565-77.
Schizophrenia and the Gut
"Amazingly, the researchers found that transplanting the gut bacteria of schizophrenic subjects into healthy control mice induced some symptoms that are characteristic of murine schizophrenia. This means the researchers were able to transfer the symptoms of schizophrenia to mice using only the gut bacteria of a schizophrenic subject."
"Amazingly, the researchers found that transplanting the gut bacteria of schizophrenic subjects into healthy control mice induced some symptoms that are characteristic of murine schizophrenia. This means the researchers were able to transfer the symptoms of schizophrenia to mice using only the gut bacteria of a schizophrenic subject."