Re: emigration and heart disease

November 27, 2002

Interesting articles. I have no doubt that stress contributes to many diseases.

HOWEVER, the article didn't prove that " When the Japanese move from Japan to

America, their rate of Heart Disease quadruples, and this is independent of any

dietary change. " Even if new emigrants eat a traditional diet, the SOURCE of

their ingredients is most likely conventional. I really wish the author had

addressed this issue more thoroughly.

Another case in point:

He states,

" A further little publicised fact about heart disease (CHD), is that, since the

collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the rate of CHD has exploded. Eastern

European countries now have the highest rate of heart disease in the world. That

is, all of them. At present Lithuania has the unwelcome distinction of world

leader in Heart Disease. Why? "

He goes on to explain that because of the collapse of the old system, people are

experiencing much higher levels of stress. This may be true. But the thing

that came to my mind is that since the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the

market has been open to the likes of Coca Cola, Mac's, etc. I haven't

done any research on this, but my hunch is that it is a significant factor as

well.

The two questions that stump him:

1. Obesity leads to insulin resistance and then type II diabetes. Yet how do the

Pima Indians, a population with the highest rate of type II diabetes in the

world and also, therefore, the highest rate of insulin resistance, have a low

rate of CHD? Answer that.

2. The French have identical risk factors to the British, and I mean identical.

Their rate of insulin resistance/type II diabetes is also identical. There is no

evidence for a lower prevalence of stress/social dislocation in France; in fact

their use of anxiolytics (anxiety medication) is much higher than in the UK. Yet

the French rate of CHD is almost exactly one quarter that of the British. How

so?

Hmmmm. Perhaps diet related?

I do love, however, that Dr. Kendrick is a member of the " International Network

of Cholesterol Skeptics. "

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