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June 2008 Back to web-zine This is the Printer-Friendly Version Back to Member's Page Vol: 11.06

BACK TO OUR ROOTS: Food Scarcity - Mini-livestock Here We Come. OUR COMPLEX BIOLOGY: Ridding Ourselves of the Magic Bullet
Mentality. RECIPE: Fruit Clafoutis. QUESTIONS: Calcium Deposits in Blood Vessels. TESTIMONY: Intellectual Honesty Appreciated.
NEWS SHORTS: The Secret to Bone Health in Centenarians; Fat Young, Die Young; Breast Feeding Moms Halve Risk of Rheumatoid
Arthritis; HINTS & TIPS: Simple Veggie Wash is Most Effective. OUR HUMAN STORY: Should Different Races Have Different Lifestyles?
(continued). WEBSITE NEWS: Deadly Harvest Online. EVENTS

Evolutionary Biology
The Bond Effect The Bond Effect The Bond Effect
The Science and Art of Living the Way Nature Intended
www.TheBondEffect.com
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Rational, intelligent, evidence-based comment for a knowledgeable general public and for health
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We have had three pdf format newsletters in a row because we needed the middle one (April) to be one we could distribute as a hard
copy (it marked our 10th anniversary edition). This month we return to the routine of alternating "ezine" format with pdf format. Let us
know what you think!

BACK TO OUR ROOTS

Food Scarcity - Mini-livestock Here We Come

"Can Meat and Fish Consumption be Sustainable?" Such is the

question posed by the Worldwatch Institute (a think tank) in
its State of the World 2008 report. Not surprisingly, they find
that intensive production of conventional products like beef,
pork, salmon and tuna is already creating ecological havoc
and yet it cannot keep pace with the burgeoning world
population.
However, there was a time and place when hungry farmers
rejoiced to see hordes of locusts blackening the skies. They
collected them by the cartload and consumed them roasted
and preserved for months to come.
So more provocatively Worldwatch point out that we should embrace the idea of consuming "mini-
livestock": these are the bugs, worms and insects forming a common part of the diet in various parts of
the world.
The above photo shows a dish on offer in Indonesia. It consists of ant pupae and yellow bamboo
caterpillars surrounding a pile of scrambled eggs.
As I have mentioned on many occasions, such "animal matter" is actually more authentic human food
than the beef, pork, tuna etc... that we are so used to eating now. See "Exotic Foods" in Deadly
Harvest, page 63; "Earthworms of the Amazon" in Newsletter January 2003 and "Beetlemania" in
Newsletter March 2001.
Personally, I find it difficult to get my mind around eating such creatures, although I only had to cross
the English Channel to eat frogs legs and snails. But I have, unsuspectingly, eaten all kinds of
unrecognizable yet tasty concoctions in Arabia, Asia and Africa. Only after the event did I discover that
they were made from some unmentionable animal part. So our resistance is all in the mind.
As I say in my first book "Natural Eating", Chapter Two, page 1:

"The great arctic explorer Amundsen on his expeditions to the North Pole used to live on frozen raw
seal - the skin, the blood, the guts - everything - just like his Eskimo mentors. He was asked “how
could you do that?” Amundsen replied “People like what they are used to eating”. He had to get used to
liking a different pattern of eating."
And if the truth be known, many people are already - and quite insouciantly - eating many gruesome
animal parts - in hamburgers, sausages, and many other processed meats. Maybe the hotdogs of the

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future will also include minced up mini-livestock!

OUR COMPLEX BIOLOGY

Ridding Ourselves of the “Magic Bullet” Mentality

"We need to rid ourselves of the “magic bullet” mentality; the notion that there is a straight line from
cause to effect; that for each disease there is one simple fix.
"On the contrary, most of our modern diseases are due to a complex interaction of many factors that
are going wrong at the same time. We cannot micromanage or second-guess many of these
processes.... Ultimately, we have to nourish the body the way it was designed—with the complete
package." (Deadly Harvest page 228)
I show the diagram above more to impress you with its complexity than that you should understand
every twist and turn.
In fact it shows how two types of asthma attack are provoked by a confused immune system. At
"Start", we see an "Antigen" (allergen) introduced into the body. It shows two pathways (grey arrows
and red arrows) by which powerful immune agents can react with each other inappropriately leading to
an asthma attack at "End" ("Pulmonary Function")
It helps explain why some medications work in some cases and not in others. It also explains why we
should be seeking to deal with the root cause -- the confused immune system -- and not chasing the
will-o'-the-wisp of magic bullet medication.
The same moral applies to just about all modern "degenerative diseases" such as cancer, heart disease,
osteoporosis, diabetes, Alzheimer's and many more -- including "Calcium Deposits in Blood Vessels"
below.

RECIPE
Fruit Clafoutis
Clafoutis is a baked French dessert made by baking fresh fruit and a batter in a baking dish. Here, our
trick is to concoct a batter that conforms to the Natural Eating principles.
Yield: up to 8 servings

4 tablespoons raisins (about 2 ounces)

1 tablespoon dark rum
1 banana, ripe
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3-4 nectarines (about 14 ounces)
3 eggs
1 ½ teaspoon fructose, or to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup of almond milk or coconut milk (120 ml)
12 tablespoons (about 1 cup) almond meal
olive oil spray

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1. In a small bowl soak the raisins in hot water for about 10 minutes. Drain the raisins, add the rum and
mix well. Set aside.
2. With a fork mash the banana and mix in the lemon juice. Set aside.
3. Wash and dry the nectarines. Cut them in thin slices. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile beat in a mixing bowl, with an electric hand-mixer, the eggs with the fructose and the
vanilla extract. Add the almond milk (or coconut milk) and mix in the almond meal.
5. Blend in the mashed banana. Add the nectarine slices.
6. Spray a round and flat baking dish (10-12 inches diameter) with the olive oil and fill with the
mixture.
7. Spread out the raisins evenly over the surface of the dish and press in with a fork.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 340°F (170°C) for about 20-25 minutes, or until the center of the dish is
done.
9. Alternatively cook the clafoutis in a micro-wave oven on high power for about 10-12 minutes, or until
the center of the dish is cooked.

Quick Fix Variant:

Replace the fresh nectarines by frozen or drained, canned fruit (e.g. frozen strawberries, canned peach
slices, etc).

Download the recipe sheet.

QUESTIONS
Calcium Deposits in Blood Vessels (“Vascular Calcification”)
Q. There is a lot going on about calcium metabolism, particularly in the form of calcium deposits in the
walls of blood vessels. Do you have any knowledge of this phenomenon, with particular reference to
biological processes and nutritional factors?
A. This problem is a self-inflicted disease. It is a disease of lifestyle and as such lifestyle changes will
stop its advance and potentially reverse it.
From an anthropological point of view, we see that “vascular calcification” is common in modern
industrial societies but extremely rare in peoples leading a primitive lifestyle. It used to be a mystery
why this might be.
It was thought to result from calcium and phosphate simply depositing as a sediment on the vessel wall.
Nevertheless, the mystery increased when doctors observed patients losing calcium from where it was
wanted, in the bones, while adding calcium where it was not wanted, in the arteries. We now know that
something extraordinary is going on.
Astonishingly, rogue hormone signals can reprogram some cells in blood vessel walls to become bone-
making cells called "osteoblasts". Secondly, artery plaque (itself the result of dysfunctioning
biochemistry) produces powerful bone-repairing agents (called "BMP2" and "Msx2-Wnt"). In other
words, under dysfunctional hormone signaling, blood vessels have the both the ability and the means to
build bone! [Ref: 1]
Complex Signaling
The system of molecular signals is incredibly complex and is still not completely understood. Take a look
at the asthma trigger map above to appreciate the intricacy and unpredictability of biological processes.
However, the good news is that we do not need to micromanage these processes. All we need to do is
put our bodies in circumstances that it recognizes, and it then manages these processes in the way
nature intended.
So what is going wrong?
High fat diets, diabetes, free radicals, inflammatory immune cells (macrophages), high phosphate
levels, parathyroid hormone fragments, prescribed vitamin D medication, all induce cells in the tiny
vessels (capillaries) in artery walls to become bone-building cells ("osteoblasts") [Ref: 1].
Most of the same factors drive the laying down of plaque in the arteries: inflammation, oxidation and
scarring produced by bad fats, high glycemic, salty diets poor in micronutrients. (See Deadly Harvest,
page 236)
Reversal.

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So blood vessels aren’t just absorbing calcium and turning to stone. Instead, the calcified areas are
living tissues actively undergoing regeneration and repair. All we need to do to fix the problem – or
avoid it in the first place – is to reverse the bad lifestyle habits.
Since the calcification is due to a whole number of things going wrong simultaneously, there is no
“magic bullet” or one simple “fix”. These are just some of the main "circumstances" to rectify:
- Diabetes: consume a low glycemic diet, low in omega-6 oils. Deadly Harvest, page 264
- Free radicals: consume plenty of antioxidants, i.e. low glycemic fruit, salads and vegetables. Deadly
Harvest, page 116
- Inflammation: consume a good fatty acid profile; also keep omega-6 low (and omega-3 up). Deadly
Harvest, page 104
- High phosphate levels: eliminate consumption of cola drinks
- Prescribed Vitamin D supplementation: Don’t do it! Get your vitamin D from sunshine. That way the
body stays in control of the kinds and amounts of vitamin D it uses. Deadly Harvest, page 233.
But you will get all this – and a whole lot more – if you live your life like we say in Deadly Harvest
[Info].

TESTIMONY
Intellectual Honesty Appreciated
"... I first encountered the Bond Effect when I came across an article of Geoff's on Wikipedia [an online
encyclopedia]. Intrigued, I took a look at your website, liked what I saw and decided to subscribe to
your newsletter. Now about 3 months into my subscription, I have loved every newsletter I have read
and am busy reading the back dated ones to catch up!
"I congratulate you on your beliefs and the fact you do not rely on food industry funding to cloud your
work. As a dietitian, your work certainly challenges a great deal of what we are 'taught' at university. I
like that because when I was a budding young dietitian, I also had differing views on what we were
taught by my often overweight, coffee-loving lecturers (who looked anything but the epitome of
health)...
"I like what you say because it makes such simple sense..."
- Chris Andrews, Brisbane, Australia. http://www.healthmotiveaction.com.au/

NEWS SHORTS
The Secret To Bone Health in Centenarians
Researchers examined one of the oldest men in the world (aged 113) and several of his relatives, all
living beyond 100. They found that the man's bones were in excellent condition: his bone mass was
normal, there were no anomalous curvature and he had never sustained a fracture. [Ref 2]
These centenarians live on the Mediterranean island of Minorca. The excellent health of this family, and
of the 113-year-old man in particular, "is probably due to a Mediterranean diet, the temperate climate
of the island, a lack of stress and regular physical activity". Until the age of 102, the man cycled every
day and looked after the family orchard. There were no genetic peculiarities that might otherwise
explain these excellent results.
Our View? We rest our case. Osteoporosis is a self-inflicted disease and by living the way our bodies
expect, we need never suffer it (see Deadly Harvest, page 266). These Minorcan centenarians had no
sign of osteoporosis and we can be sure they had no calcification of the arteries either! (See Calcium
Deposits in Blood Vessels, above). We all have the potential to live to over 100 and in good shape - see
also "How to Live To Be a Hundred", Newsletter March 2008.
Fat Young, Die Young
Fat adolescents (14-19 years old) are more likely to die young from a range of chronic diseases as
adults: hormonal diseases, nutritional and metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, colon cancer
and respiratory diseases. There were also many cases of sudden death in this fat group. So finds

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Professor Tone Bjørge, University of Bergen, Norway. Out of 227 000 Norwegian adolescents (of all
sizes) assessed in 1963 to 1975, 10,000 did not survive a further 35 years. [Ref 3]

The heaviest 25% were 3 times more likely to die of a heart attack; two times more likely of colon
cancer; 2.5 times more likely of lung disease; and 2.5 times more likely to suffer sudden death.

Our View? It is vital that children be brought through to adulthood in good shape. That way a properly
functioning body is brought to maturity. After that, it can resist much more abuse. In contrast, a
childhood of obesity condemns the future adult to a lifetime of struggle with health. As we say in Deadly
Harvest page 182:
"We cannot emphasize enough the importance of a healthy adolescence. Ensure that your children
follow the Savanna Model, lock into place healthy habits for them, and they will be grateful to you for
the rest of their long, disease-free lives."

Breastfeeding Moms Halve Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis

According to Swedish researchers, women who had breastfed for 13 months or more were half as likely
to get rheumatoid arthritis as those who had never breast fed. Those who had breast fed for one to 12
months were 25 per cent less likely to get the disease. [Ref 5].
Our View? This result confirms an earlier one from the Nurses’ Health Study [Ref 6]. No one seems to
know why this might be. However, it demonstrates that a woman’s body is built on the assumption that
breast feeding’s hormones will be present – and if they are not, things in the body are more likely later
to go wrong.

HINTS & TIPS

Simple Veggie Wash is Most Effective
Industrial vegetable washing factories commonly use the dangerous and toxic chemical "chlorine
dioxide" to sterilize the produce. However, researchers tested a commonly available veggie wash, " FIT
Fruit and Vegetable Wash [www.tryfit.com]". It proved much more effective than the chlorine dioxide
and, moreover, it is made from "safe" ingredients like citric acid and distilled grapefruit oil. Chlorine
dioxide killed only 90 percent of the target organisms in the food plant. By contrast, FIT killed 99.99%.
[Ref 4]
Our View? FIT is readily available in US supermarkets and online. Its ingredients are mostly quite
innocuous which makes its efficacy all the more surprising. Grapefruit oil and citric acid are mildly
antiseptic and FIT also contains alcohol which might be its most potent antibacterial agent. In addition it
has potassium hydrate and baking soda. These must react with each other and with the other
ingredients in ways which are not explained – but which might result in increased bactericidal power.
British and European readers might like to check out " Veggi Wash, Fruit Too" [www.food-safe.com]
This has a quite different formulation using plant-derived, food-grade, soapy ingredients. We don't know
what percentage of bacteria it kills, but it does a great job of washing off all contaminants. Other
studies demonstrate that simply washing off bacteria in soapy water is good enough. See Veggi Wash,
Newsletter October 2003.
OUR HUMAN STORY
Should Different Races have Different Lifestyles? (Continued)
This is how I finished last month:
In fact humans have a remarkably similar DNA, no matter where they come from on the planet. And 60,000 years
represents only about 2,000 generations. This is an eye-blink in evolutionary terms, so we would not expect much
to have changed anyway.
Now I continue:
Nevertheless, researchers have looked closely at this question, and they find very little evidence that
different populations have evolved different lifestyle needs. Only two are worth mentioning, lactose
tolerance and insulin resistance. The bodies of people of Germanic origin seem to cope better with milk
and its lactose content – but only while they are still young! We suppose that the herder ancestors of

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the Germanic tribes must have suffered numerous lactose-induced deaths of their children: the
survivors were the ones with some kind of genetic tolerance
We can make a similar observation for insulin resistance. Our evolutionary history did not design
humans to consume starches or sugars. Our bodies do not cope well with the blood sugar spikes. In
turn our bodies do not react swiftly to the insulin secreted to deal with the spikes. Peoples who come
from populations with a long history of farming (like Europeans and Asians) seem to be slightly less
affected. In contrast, primal peoples, like Eskimos, American Indians, Australian Aboriginals, and
Polynesians suffer terribly from the diseases of insulin malfunction: diabetes, obesity, heart disease and
cancers.
Even so, whatever your origins, you do well to live and eat just like nature intended for all of us. I set
out what this means and how to do it in my latest book Deadly Harvest [info].

WEBSITE NEWS
Deadly Harvest Online
Attentive readers will have noticed that links from our recent newsletters go directly to online text of
Deadly Harvest. Most of the book can now be consulted online. Access it via the links in the newsletters
or from the link in the Deadly Harvest Information page [info]. When the entire text is online we will
make a formal announcement. In the interim, we feel confident that making Deadly Harvest freely
available online will only intrigue the casual surfer into purchasing either a printable version or a hard
copy.

EVENTS - ADVANCE NOTICE

September: Geoff will be speaking in UK to various private groups.
October: University of Nicosia (closed).
More details on our events page

FOOTNOTES
1. - Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2004 May;286(5):E686-96. Osteogenic regulation of vascular calcification: an early
perspective. Vattikuti R, Towler DA.
- Circ Res. 2004 Nov 26;95(11):1046-57. Regulation of vascular calcification by osteoclast regulatory factors RANKL and osteoprotegerin.
Collin-Osdoby P.
- Circ Res. 2006 Nov 10;99(10):1044-59. Vascular calcification: pathobiological mechanisms and clinical implications. Johnson RC,
Leopold JA, Loscalzo J.
- Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2006 Jul;26(7):1423-30. Epub 2006 Apr 6. Molecular mechanisms of vascular calcification: lessons
learned from the aorta. Shao JS, Cai J, Towler DA.
2. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2007 Jul;62(7):794-5. Bone mass of a 113-year-old man. Mellibovsky L.
3. Bjørge T, Engeland A, Tverdal A, Davey Smith G. Body mass index in adolescence in relation to cause-specific mortality: A follow-up of
230,000 Norwegian adolescents. Am J Epidemiol 2008.
4. Park et al. Efficacy of FIT Produce Wash and Chlorine Dioxide on Pathogen Control in Fresh Potatoes. Journal of Food Science, 2008; 0
(0): 080602083124479 DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2008.00793.x
5. Ann Rheum Dis. 2008 May 14. [Epub ahead of print] Breast-feeding, but not oral contraceptives, is associated with a reduced risk of
rheumatoid arthritis. Pikwer M, Bergström U, Nilsson JA, Jacobsson L, Berglund G, Turesson C.
6. Arthritis Rheum. 2004 Nov;50(11):3458-67. Do breast-feeding and other reproductive factors influence future risk of rheumatoid
arthritis? Results from the Nurses' Health Study. Karlson EW, Mandl LA, Hankinson SE, Grodstein F.

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