Walking is Man's Best Medicine 走路是人类最佳医药

The Blogger's note:

On Saturday July 31, I woke up at 6.15 am and was picked up at 6.45 am by SGM buddies Teo, YK Yong and his eldest son (an Architectural undergraduate who has just returned from Taiwan for vacation 2 days ago) for jungle trekking at Ah Pek Hill, Cheras. It was the first time for both Yong and myself.

We reached the foot of Ah Pek Hill at 7.10 am and started trekking until 8.35 am. It was quite an experience as a certain stretch of the track is as steep as about 30 degrees. We didn't make it to the hill top (too tiring for first-timers) but reached Station 2 only. There were many trekkers, young and old, uncles and aunties. Very impressed with all these health-conscious people.

Although the trekking made me pant quite heavily, besides the inevitable sweating, especially on the uphill journey, I felt fresh and happy after the exercise. I will definitely go again!

In conjunction with this topic, the blogger is pleased to post the following overview written by the blogger on a Chinese slideshow entitled "Toe Movement Exercise" forwarded by an e-buddy:

It was found that the slideshow was originally posted in the blog of Taiwanese Dr Chang Chung-gwo back in December 30, 2008 (see http://chang-chung-gwo.blogspot.com/2008/12/5.html).

The gist of the slide is about the “Benefit of Walking to Improve Health and Fitness”. Two famous quotations were referred to as follows:

1. “Walking is man's best medicine” by Hippocrates, Greek physician and Western “Father of Medicine” (460 BC - 377 BC); and

2. “Human foot is the second heart” by Dr Paul Dudley White (1886 – 1973), American cardiologist and physician to former President Dwight D. Eisenhower

It was stressed that the leg is an indicator of the quality of life and human aging begins from the legs. A question was posed that much emphasis has been placed on the importance of cardiopulmonary exercise, but what good does it have if the legs are rendered immobile in spite of one having the strongest heart and lung functions? Also, what kind of sports can match walking which has no burden, burns calories and can be carried out anytime anywhere in our daily life?

It is recommended to carry out a simple “Toe Movement Exercise” as follows:

Step 1: Relax your feet
Step 2: Toes curl down, exercise the digitorum tendon
Step 3: Force the toes upward and sideways

One should also practice a daily 5-minute “Foot Protection Exercise” by moving the sole of the foot on the ground or trying to grip a towel with the toes.

An interesting point made by the guy who prepared the slide (not from the original blog content) is: “To be able to grab things is God’s fundamental design purpose for the feet”.

每天腳趾運動5分鐘，對身體健康好處多多

腳趾的運動步驟:

第一步:放鬆雙腳

第二步:腳趾向下捲曲，鍛鍊曲趾肌腱;可避免蹠骨露出產生”蹠痛”

第三步:將腳趾用力向上，並往旁邊伸展鍛鍊外展及伸趾肌腱，可避免拇指外翻。

很多人都強調鍛鍊心肺功能的重要，卻沒有想過缺少了雙腳的移動能力，就算有再強的心肺功能，又能怎樣？

腳是生活品質的一項指標，而人的老化也是由雙腿開始，所以，我們是否也可以更積極地為腳做些什麼？

根據一項加拿大的研究發現一個有趣的現象--都市發展程度較高都會中居住的人和相較之下發展較低的鄉鎮居民身體比起來，都市人反而更加健康--這是不是跟我們一般人理解恰好相反呢？

該篇論文解釋這是由於高度發展都會中的大眾運輸工具發達，人們習慣搭乘大眾運輸工具上下班，無形當中走路的機會反而比自己開車的人增多，身體自然也就更加健康。

一個社會對「腳」的重視，可以看作一個社會對生活品質的重視。

很多人都強調鍛鍊心肺功能的重要，卻沒有想過缺少了雙腳的移動能力，就算有再強的心肺功能，你又能到哪去體驗這個豐富的世界呢？

5 分鐘護「腳」運動

總而言之，我們應該要常常訓練自己的腳掌跟腳趾頭，每天至少花五分鐘讓腳踏在土地上（或是踏在地板上也行）動一動，或是試著用腳趾夾毛巾，以維持腳的機能健康。因為腳趾頭連結著許多肌腱，如果缺乏使用，很可能造成許多後天的毛病，如開張足、後天性扁平足等。這就好像你有一部四輪傳動的車子，你卻總是只使用兩輪傳動，久而久之，缺乏使用的四輪傳動系統就會不靈光了。動動你的腳丫子，試試看你的腳趾頭能不能往下捲曲？能不能張開所有的腳趾頭？如果你沒辦法輕易做到以上這些動作，可能因為長期疏於照護，已經有腳部內外肌肉不平衡的問題了！沒關係，從現在開始也不遲，每天花 5分鐘讓腳趾做做健康操，善用「他」原始精緻的功能設計。

走路是人類最好的醫藥

再者，若能養成「健走」的運動習慣就更好了，因為走路在幾千年前就被醫學之父希波克拉提斯稱為「人類最好的醫藥」，已有許多研究證實，有規律的健走計劃，可增進身體所有部位的健康。因為跑步與走路二者之間是完全不同的步態，仔細觀察你會發現，跑步有時候會兩腳同時離地，而走路不會，兩者之間的壓力負擔相差了三倍。

美國總統艾森豪的心臟外科主治醫生保羅‧懷特博士，也提出了「腳是第二心臟」的說法；所謂人的老化是由雙腿開始，鍛練雙腿可以預防衰老。想想看，還有哪一種運動能比得上走路，既無負擔又耗能 ( 人體有六百條肌肉，大部分集中在下半身 )，還能分散開在生活當中隨時運動呢？

動物與植物最大的區別就在於行動能力，身體的設計就是用來走動的，活著就應該像一句威士忌廣告詞一樣 ── KEEP WALKING，就讓我們站起身來邁開腳步，開始以走路、做腳趾運動擁抱美好人生吧。

(Courtesy of a forwarded mail from David Chen)

Amazing Cancer Healing Formula

"Dr Tateishi’s Cancer Healing Formula"

by Dr. Tateishi Kazu

What This Remedy May Do:

1. Heal Cancer
2. Restore injured joints and bone structure
3. Slow down the aging process
4. Rejuvenate the skin
5. Heal Cataracts
6. Heal liver disorders
7. Lower high blood pressure
8. Improve heart conditions
9. Reduce brain tumors and other head-injury problems
10. Reduce high white blood cell counts
11. Improve T-cell function

History

When cancer strikes a family, what course of action should one take? Dr. Tateishi Kazu's father and brother both died of cancer. And then he found himself suffering from cancer of the duodenum and spreading. His stomach was removed, but the cancer cells had spread to his lungs. He resolved to fight for his life. He researched, studied and tested over 1,500 types of herbs and plants. Eventually he discovered the right combination of ingredients and formulated a unique healing vegetable soup and brown rice tea with its own molecular powers. The vegetables are rich in green chlorophyll, amino acids, iron, phosphorous, calcium, all in a natural form.

He based his soup on the principles of Five Elements theory, the harmonizing balance of the forces of yin and yang, acid and alkaline that engenders health as opposed to the imbalance, which leads to disease.

The five elements in our environment are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Because of the balance of the five elements, the earth is able to produce life. Dr. Tataishi Kazu used the essence of the five elements. Each essence possesses its own color: green, red, yellow, white and black. These relate to the corresponding internal organs: heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidneys. He used the concept of the five different colors as matched to specific vegetables.

Green/Daikon Radish Leaves
Red/Carrot
Yellow/Burdock Root
White/Daikon Radish
Black/Shittake Mushrooms

Notes: This is a remedy for all age groups. When the soup is ingested, it produces thirty different elements for fighting disease. Within three days, it can stop the growth of cancer cells. Even for some last-stage cancer patients, it can lead to 100% remission. Patients who have subsisted on feeding tubes for nourishment, when given the soup, after two days regained their strength. Over 10,000 last-stage cancer patients have used this remedy. 99% are alive and were able to return to work.

Vegetable Soup Recipe - (2 day's quantity)

Ingredients: -

16 ounces white daikon
8-10 ounces white daikon greens
8-10 ounces carrot
8 ounces burdock root (called Gobo in Japanese, Uang in Korean, Ngao pong or Niu pang in Chinese)
3-5 fresh shitake mushrooms (sundried) - if not sundried, expose dried mushrooms to sun again.

Directions: -

1. Don't peel anything! Don't add any seasoning!
2. Fill a pot with three times the quantity of water as the vegetable. When it comes to a boil, reduce the flame and simmer for two hours. Strain and drink.

Brown Rice Tea Recipe

Another remedy that can be used in conjunction with the vegetable soup is brown rice tea. It is a good diuretic for ridding excess water from the body. For diabetics, it can bring the sugar level down by producing more natural insulin in the body. It cleanses the blood and blood vessel. A person with a heart condition drinking both soups in 20 days will be able to regulate their problem by drinking three cups per day. For a regular cancer patient, about two cups.

1.- 1 cup brown rice
2. 16 cups water

Note: only cook in stainless steel or glass. Do not mix with any other ingredients. Don't be "creative."

Directions: -

1. Roast the rice without oil until dark brown but don't burn. Boil 8 cups of water and pour roasted rice into water. Turn off flame, cover and let sit five minutes. Strain out rice and reserve liquid.

2. Boil 8 more cups of water. Put the remaining rice back in the water. Cover, lower flame and simmer five minutes. Strain rice out. Mix the two rice waters together.

Special Notes: -

1. The amount one needs depend on the condition. The more serious the condition, the more tea.

2. Do not drink tea while taking a high protein substance.

3. Don't drink the vegetable soup and brown rice tea together. Wait at least 15 minutes apart.

4. If you use this remedy regularly you will never be sick.

Some possible reactions: -

1. Itchy skin or eczema

2. If you use medications and/or have eczema, use less because of stronger reaction
3. People with head injury problems may develop headaches but don't worry.
4. People with eye problems may get temporary blurred vision or itching around eyes. Eyesight will get better. If you wear prescription glasses, try to reduce the prescription and use glasses less frequently.
5. Lowering of body temperature, but this is normal.

Notes: For high blood pressure, drink the two soups alternately but slowly. Blood pressure will come down after one month. Talk to a doctor about reducing medication, but don't stop medication right away. Use remedy for minimum of one month.

Progress of Healing

After three days of use, cancer cells stop growing.
After a minimum of one month normal cells begin to grow back.
Pancreatic Cancer: minimum 1 month
Stomach Cancer: 1 month
Liver Cancer: 1 year
Rheumatism: 1 year
Cataracts: 4 months
Eye Disease: 1-4 months
Insomnia, Sinusitis, Fatigue: 10-20 days
Eczema: 4-7months
Liver Spots: 3-6 months skin will clear
Hair growth: 6-12 months
Epilepsy: 3-6 months
Stroke: 6-12 months
Irregular heart beat: 20 days

Notes: If you are on medication, consult with a doctor to adjust your dosage. This remedy works for some people. It may not work for you. It is not intended to replace the traditional treatments.

Q1: Are ingredients of the vegetable soup recipe measured in fluid ounces or real weights?

A1: Dr. Antonia Martinez Director of the Healing Spirit said that their recipe uses the real weights and not the fluid ounces as in other food recipes.

Q2: Do people using the Vegetable Soup have side effects or reactions?

A2 : Depending on individual bodies, some people using the Vegetable Soup could have side effects/reactions. Reactions are classified in 2 categories: -

Natural Reaction: Ingredients in the Vegetable soup have lots of medicinal effects and contain chemicals that are working on human cells to make them better and stronger, and in the same time purify and cleanse blood stream to push out LDL (bad cholesterol) and fat. Reactions could be itches on the skin, itches around eyes, blurring eyes but these reactions will go away in a few days. If reactions persist stop the HLEF for a few weeks and start again.

Patient or user mistakes could be ranging from: -

(1) using the wrong kind of ingredients especially the Chinese mushrooms instead of the Japanese Shiitakes.

(2) the proportion of vegetables making the soup is not followed closely.

(3) using wrong type of saucepan. Must use stainless steel saucepan to cook.

(4) vegetable soup left outside in room temperature more than 6 hours can turn out to have bad smelling or color changes to green or white. Throw it away at once. Vegetable Soup should be stored in glass container and refrigerated.

(5) drinking the Vegetable Soup and the Brown Rice solution together or in the same time. People are reporting serious reactions when taking those two solutions in the same time. Must drink them separately with half-hour or one hour apart.

Q3: How much vegetable soup can one consume a day?

A3: For:
Diabetes: take 600 cc of Brown rice (BR) solution in the morning and 400 cc of Vegetable Soup (VS) in the afternoon.
Heart problem: 300 cc of BR and 600 cc of VS
Gall stones: 600 cc of BR and 600 cc of VS.
Other diseases: About 600 cc (2.5 cups) of VS a day divided in 3 rations before meals.

IMPORTANT NOTE

DO NOT DRINK Vegetable Soup and Brown Rice Solution in the same time. The interval needed between consumption of BR and VS must be at least 30 minutes or 1 hour apart to be safe.

Burdock

This herb gets its name from bur, for its tenacious burrs, and dock old English for plant. Many scientists are skeptical about Burdock and its uses. However, as a healing herb it has a potential for treating cancer. Early Chinese physicians, as well as Ayurvedic healers, used Burdock as a remedy for colds, flu, throat infections and pneumonia. During the 14th Century, its leaves were pounded in wine and used to treat leprosy. From 1930-1950, Burdock was used as an ingredient in alternative cancer treatments.

The FDA noted that too much of this herb can cause side effects and lists Burdock as an herb of "undefined safety". However, German researchers have discovered fresh Burdock root contains polyacetylenes, a chemical that kills disease-causing bacteria and fungi. It also reduces mucus and prevents formation of gall and kidney stones. As Burdock contains vitamin A and selenium, it can eliminate free radicals.

Its chromium content helps regulate blood sugar levels. Other qualities of this herb, set forth in the magazine Chemotherapy, identified a chemical (arctigenin) in Burdock which acts as an inhibitor of tumor growth.

!!! This herb should not be used by pregnant women.!!!
.

History

.
Burdock is also known by the names Bardane, Clotburr, Beggars Buttons, Gypsy Rhubarb, Gobo, and Burr. In traditional herbal texts, Burdock Root is described as a "blood purifier" or "alterative", and was believed to clear the bloodstream of toxins.

Medicinally, Burdock Root has been used both internally and externally for eczema and psoriasis, as well as to treat painful joints and as a diuretic.
In traditional Chinese medicine, Burdock Root, in combination with other herbs, is used to treat sore throats, tonsillitis, colds, and even measles.

It is eaten as a vegetable in Japan and elsewhere. Burdock is a mild laxative. It also aids in the elimination of uric acid. The herb contains polyacetylenes that have both anti-bacterial & anti-fungal properties. By improving the function of many organs of elimination (liver, kidneys, bowels), many health conditions can be improved.

Burdock Root contains high amounts of inulin and mucilage. This may explain its soothing effects on the gastrointestinal tract. Bitter constituents in the root may also explain the traditional use of Burdock to improve digestion. The polyacetylene constituents have also been shown to have anti-microbial activity.

Burdock Root (and the fruit) also has the ability to mildly lower blood sugar (hypoglycemic effect).

Medicinal Action and Uses

Alterative, diuretic and diaphoretic. One of the best blood purifiers. In all skin diseases, it is a certain remedy and has effected a cure in many cases of eczema, either taken alone or combined with other remedies, such as Yellow Dock and Sarsaparilla.

The root is principally employed, but the leaves and seeds are equally valuable. Both root and seeds may be taken as a decoction of 1 OZ. to 1 1/2 pint of water, boiled down to a pint, in doses of a wineglassful, three or four times a day.

The anti-scorbutic properties of the root make the decoction very useful for boils, scurvy and rheumatic affections, and by many it is considered superior to Sarsaparilla, on account of its mucilaginous, demulcent nature; it has in addition been recommended for external use as a wash for ulcers and scaly skin disorders.

An infusion of the leaves is useful to impart strength and tone to the stomach, for some forms of long-standing indigestion.

When applied externally as a poultice, the leaves are highly resolvent for tumours and gouty swellings, and relieve bruises and inflamed surfaces generally. The bruised leaves have been applied by the peasantry in many countries as cataplasms to the feet and as a remedy for hysterical disorders.

From the seeds, both a medicinal tincture and a fluid extract are prepared, of benefit in chronic skin diseases. Americans use the seeds only, considering them more efficacious and prompt in their action than the other parts of the plant.

They are relaxant and demulcent, with a limited amount of tonic property. Their influence upon the skin is due largely to their being of such an oily nature: they affect both the sebaceous and sudoriferous glands, and probably owing to their oily nature restore that smoothness to the skin which is a sign of normal healthy action.

The infusion or decoction of the seeds is employed in dropsical complaints, more especially in cases where there is co-existing derangement of the nervous system, and is considered by many to be a specific for all affections of the kidneys, for which it may with advantage be taken several times a day, before meals.

Treats certain cancers, prevents diabetes

Burdock's name is a combination of bur, for its spiked seed covers - burrs - that grab onto anything that touches them, and dock, Old English for "plant." Many scientists dismiss burdock as useless, but like its seeds, its reputation as an herbal healing agent clings tenaciously because of its subtle tonic benefits and its intriguing potential as a treatment for cancer.

Throughout history, burdock has been recommended for an astonishing number of illnesses. Ancient Chinese physicians used it to treat colds, coughs, tonsillitis, measles, skin infections and snakebite. Traditional European and American herbalists and homeopaths prescribed it for colds, arthritis, gout, stomach problems, fever, canker sores, leprosy, boils, gonorrhea, ringworm and infertility.

They also considered it an excellent diuretic, and prescribed it for urinary tract infections, kidney problems and painful urination.

True, burdock is not powerfully therapeutic. But Daniel B. Mowrey, PhD, director of the American Phytotherapy Research Laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, and author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine, insists that it deserves its enduring place in herbal healing because of its value as a tonic - a subtle strengthener with cumulatively helpful effects.

"Burdock's action is mild, but real," Dr. Mowrey explains. "It has antibacterial and antiviral powers, and it reduces blood sugar, which helps prevent diabetes. I recommend using a little every day. And when you're ill, use it in addition to standard therapies."

(Courtesy of forwarded mail from Tang Tuck Hoong)

The Blogger's note: The following message written by an anonymous was mentioned as an introduction in the abovesaid email.

Friend,

Eight months' ago, my colleague's mum, who has advance stage colon cancer, was asked by a specialist in a well known cancer specialist centre in Penang to discharge, not because she has recovered, but because she only has three more days of life, due to the tumour has blocked her colon.

It just happened that another colleague, who is a family friend of the first colleague, got the above cancer formula from her manager. She boiled this formula and took it to her friend's house to let her friend's mum to drink. On the 3rd day after the patient took this formula, she passed out whatever trapped in her stomach.

One week later, she can walk out of her house balcony and waved to the colleague who cooked the formula for her. The patient is recovering and still living, to the surprise of the cancer specialist.

My family took this formula in the past six months, as a general health soup, and we found that we are not easily infected by common flu.

Even if we had flu, we recover after taking some medicine from a general physician, without developing into bronchitis or fever.

Most of the ingredients are available at Tesco, except the leave of "white carrot" which need to be reserved from the vegetable whole-seller (who use to chop-off the leave from the "white carrot") before sending the "white carrot" to retailers.

Kindly circulate to as many people as possible as it may save life.

Regards

On Protein Quality, Health & Nutrition

The Blogger is honoured to be invited by Dr JB Lim to post the following article as Part 2 to his previous one (see earlier post) as he wishes not to mislead readers "into thinking that collagen, gelatin and all those ligaments, joints, connective tissues from feet, web, and trotters from animals cannot be eaten because they have no nutritive values":
Date received: Wednesday, 28 July, 2010 7:30 PM

Dear friends,

Thank you for your numerous compliments on my previous article. It was for educational value, not for compliments.

Maybe I should elaborate Part 1 of my article a little in order not to misdirect my Gentle Readers. Maybe I was just too harsh in prescribing laws on what is good, and what is nutritionally inadvisable.

Back to the Protein Score again:

I was just trying to tell you nutritional truth about collagen and gelatin is produced as its by-product when collagen is hydrolyzed by boiling and cooking.

Perhaps I may have given the wrong message by giving the impression that chicken, duck’s and pig trotters should not be eaten because of their poor protein biological value of zero or almost zero compared to reference protein from whole eggs and milk that have a score of 100 and almost 100. This is the maximum biological and chemical score of a protein. This is used as a reference score. Thus whole egg is used as a reference to compare the quality of all other proteins.

These are scores nutritionists use to evaluate the quality of proteins by their limiting amino acids. In order to have a high score, all the essential amino acids must be there and complete to the maximum. If one is of them is missing or are present only small amounts we call it the ‘limiting amino-acids’. This means that the body is incapable of retaining it for growth, repair and development. If a particular amino acid is missing or not present in sufficient quantity, then its biological value and chemical score goes down from 100 (maximum) to zero or almost zero as in the case of collagen and gelatin.

The Analogy of a Water Barrel:

The measurement of protein quality is a highly technical subject. It is also very difficult to understand for those are not trained in nutritional medicine, nutritional biochemistry or clinical physiology. But I shall try to make it very simple to understand for the lay person by using the analogy of a water barrel made of wooden ribs sealing it from top to bottom.

Imagine a water barrel is complete when all the ribs are there, complete and intact from the top to the bottom of the barrel. Such a barrel can contain water, wine or oil right to the top without any of its liquid content spilling out.

Imagine there are 9 to 10 ribs needed to make up the whole and complete barrel. Each rib represents an essential amino acid as in the case of a complete protein like whole egg protein. Suppose one of the ribs is broken somewhere at the top. Let us say 10 % of its rib is missing from the top with 90 % of it still intact from the bottom. In that case, no matter how perfect the remaining ribs are, it can only hold water up to 90 % of its maximum capacity.

This means even if you pour the entire Pacific Ocean into that barrel; still it can only contain 90 % of its full capacity. Water can never reach up to the top, and even if it does temporary, the water will still leach out until it sinks to the top 10 % of the broken rib.

The lower the broken rib, the less water it can contain. Thus the ‘limiting rib’ of the barrel is similar to the ‘limiting amino acid’ of a protein. In short, the quality protein to retain nitrogen in the body, is governed by its ‘limiting amino acids’ similar to the ‘limiting rib’ to hold water in that barrel. This measures the quality of a water barrel the same way we measure the quality of a protein.

Simple, but unfortunately…

It is as simple to understand as that. Unfortunately this was not taught that way to us as postgraduate students at the University of London. It was taught to us in a highly complicated and technical manner with so many mathematical and biological models to grabble in the calculations. It was made really complex and highly intricate, and we have to strain our brains to the maximum capacity to understand and how to calculate both the quality and quantity of protein values at the same time. We have also to consider their absorption, retention and their metabolic utilization.
Headaches:

It gave us students a lot of headaches trying to understand our professor who was a world expert on protein nutrition. He lectured to us on protein utilization by humans and animals in such great depth and in such a technical details expected of us until my course mates were not able to understand fully. All my course mates and class-mates were already highly qualified doctors and research scientists from their respective countries including female students from Britain when we decided to specialize in nutrition at London University. We thought it would be easy. But this Jewish professor beat us all to it with his fantastic knowledge on the subject, and the understanding of his complex research. He was a highly intelligent and a very brilliant professor. After receiving all the headaches, I now make it so very, very simple to my gentle readers.

The Nobel Prize Winning Jews:

The Jews literally heads almost all the university departments in the United Kingdom. They won almost all the Nobel Prizes in Science, Medicine or Physiology, Literature, Economics and Peace. They are exceptionally brilliant and very powerful at the same time. They are truly a highly intelligent race.

It marvels me that the Bible says they are God’s chosen people. With God protection over them it is little wonder why no country surrounding the Jewish state of Israel can defeat them. Actually all the countries are surrounding tiny Israel sitting at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. They can easily push that country into the Mediterranean Sea, but are unable.
I think there this Divine protection from above in the war in Israel, Middle East and even in United States. I knew the Jews are a very brilliant race, but I sometimes wonder why they are also militarily ‘powerful’ at the same time. I believe an unseen Hand above is hovering over this race. This has been God’s promise to them even since the time of Moses when God lead them out of Egypt in the Promised Land.

It is Quality, not just Quantity:

Back to our discussion on protein nutrition, this means that no matter how much protein we eat, but if their biological is zero, the body just cannot retain the invaluable nitrogen in the protein to support growth.

The body just cannot retain them for growth, development and repair even if only one of the 8 + 2 out of 20 + 2 amino acids in a protein is incomplete or totally missing. The body can hold as much protein as the amount of ‘limiting amino acids’ it provides. This is similar to pouring the entire Pacific Ocean into a water barrel with one of it ribs missing.
In the case of collagen, two very important essential amino-acids called lysine and tryptophan are missing even though it is rich in glycine and praline. Collagen accounts for about 50% of the amino acids present in collagen. But because these two very important amino acids are missing in collagen, it is like having a water barrel with two of its ribs completely missing. The body has no choice but to throw it out like any sensible person would throw away a water barrel even if just one of its ribs is missing or incomplete. It cannot hold anything.

Thus it is not just how much protein-rich foods you eat that is important for health, especially for the vital growth and development of a young child. It is also the type and quality of protein you choose in a diet.

Eggs and Milk the Best:Hence you may eat the entire Pacific Ocean of proteins on this planet, but the body will still throw all of them away if only one of the 9 essential amino acids is missing. An egg or a glass of milk is far better because of their protein quality. The body will keep all of them. It is as simple to understand as that.
Mother Nature knows best. She made whole eggs and milk to be right on the top. These two foods are specially designed by Mother Nature for babies and young animals that depended solely on their mother’s milk, and the protein inside an egg for the un-hatch chicken or other egg-laying animals has to be the best for their growth and development. No other protein-rich foods can beat these two for their protein quality. You can clearly see how logical Mother Nature gave us for our survival immediately after birth.

This analogy I give here is 10 million times easier to understand than the complexities of protein nutrition we have to crack our brains day and night to understand with endless discussions among ourselves when we were postgraduate students, and paid hefty tuition fees for this. Thank God, we all passed. Now I give this knowledge to my gentle readers for free.

Net Protein Utilization:

There is another measure to evaluate the quality of protein. This is called the net protein utilization (NPU). It is measured by the ratio of amino acid converted to proteins to the ratio of amino acids supplied, but this is affected by the amount of limiting amino acids present. We will not go into that, as it is meant for nutritionists only and not for ordinary housewives and ordinary consumers to understand.

The wrong message:
The reason why I extended this article from the previous one is that I do not want my readers to think that eating collagen or gelatin is completely useless for our health and should not be eaten. The reason is because as Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll) asks 'do we eat to live or live to eat?' My answer to this question is very simple. It is both. In situations like Malaysia there is really no shortage of food and proteins these days. It is readily available to even the hard-core poor. So take advantage of the abundance of food in Malaysia, but never go overboard and indulgence.

Never depend on clutches:

Always take a holistic approach in the practice of nutrition and medicine. Never live on a ‘health-protective’ mono-diet just to live. Alice in Wonderland was in a dilemma asking that.
Neither just depend on your doctor’s pharmacological clutches in a vain attempt to regain health if your lifestyle is the real root causes, and totally to be blamed. Drugs can never replace healthy lifestyle. Blame the nutritionist and the doctor if they are not able to educate you. It is preventive medicine, and not curative medicine that is far more important. The sense on well-being and enjoyment and good health depends on the choice of a wide variety of foods, and we eat to live just as important that we live to eat for total well-being.

Protein-energy Malnutrition:
Unlike in some deprived communities in countries like Africa, people, especially the children are very deprived of valuable good protein so vital for their growth, development, and against diseases. The children before they even reach one year old they were already deprived of their mother’s milk (which contains the best protein) when the mother gets pregnant again before the first child can be properly nourished and brought up.

They are taken off breast milk so that the mother can reserve them for the second child. Thus the first child suffers severely from a protein-deficiency disorder called kwashiorkor, and often from energy-deficient as well leading to another condition called marasmus.

More often than not, these infants are severely malnourished on both, leading the child with marasmic-kwashiokor (protein-energy malnutrition). This leads to very high infantile mortality in some of the communities. These children need very high protein diet which is not available to them when the mother took them off breast milk, and feed them on dilute porridge of cassava or maize with hardly any protein inside. The quality and quantity of protein as in maize / corn is extremely low. The child simply dies or fails to thrive. This is a very serious health problem.

Situations in Malaysia:

In Malaysia the situation is almost the opposite these days. Back in the 1950s and earlier, to the 1970s health and nutrition status in the rural areas, especially in Kelantan were almost like those in African countries, albeit not as bad. Malnutrition due to protein, energy, iron and vitamin deficiencies were quite common in these rural areas, especially among the Malays and Indians in the estates, although the Chinese in similar areas were better off.

This was due to rural poverty among the Malays and Indians living in the rubber estates and oil palm plantations in rural Malaya. But with the overall economic improvement in the country since the 1980s the situation changes quite dramatically and in recent years Malaysians are suffering from the other end of health problems due to excess of food and over-eating.

Instead of suffering from various deficiency diseases as in World War II, the people in this country are now eating far too much to the extent they suffer from diseases of over-nutrition and nutritional excesses. This is malnutrition at the other end. A lot of people think that the word ‘malnutrition’ means under-nutrition. The word ‘mal’ or ‘malapert’ is actually a loan word from French meaning ‘bad’ So ‘malnutrition’ actually applies to both under-nutrition and over-nutriition. It is bad for health either way.

Low incidence:

The incidence of anyone in Malaysia suffering from any of the protein and energy deficiencies is low. There are still cases we see in hospitals, or picked up during a health survey. It is not completely absent. Even in advanced countries like United States and Britain malnutrition is still there. In Malaysia most of the cases are among the Orang Asli and those in deprived rural villages away from good transportation. We have picked up quite a number of significant cases of deficiency conditions in our nation-wide surveys.

But in the urban rich, people are obese and overweight due to far too much food available to them beyond their physiological needs.

Eat collagen-rich foods:

It is this group of people that eating collagen-rich foods will not compromise their daily nutritional needs for adequate protein. They have excess of proteins in their daily diet of meat, fish, chicken, eggs, soya-beans, legumes and eggs. They do not require extra proteins especially after puberty. By eating chicken and duck’s legs, joints and ligaments of beef, mutton and pork, albeit has little nutritional benefits will not compromise their nutritional needs for extra proteins.

The consumption of these foods is not going to compromise their needs for extra quality proteins. Food consumption surveys showed most Malaysians, especially in the cities and urban areas, and especially among the Chinese have a very rich diet of fish, pork and chicken. Consumption of collagen-rich foods is not going to make any difference to their daily protein requirements. They already have enough from other sources, and pig’s totters are just for fun eating and enjoyment and nothing more.

Holistic and Psychological health:

Just as Alice in Wonderland asks 'do we eat to live or live to eat' the answer has to be one that is holistic to our health. It is important to realize that psychological health is just as important as physical health, and health and enjoyment is part and parcel of physical, mental and social well-being. Humans are not laboratory rats and animals that can thrive well with adequate synthetic diets and water. Rats reared in the laboratory for medical, drug, toxicological testing etc can easily thrive and reproduce when kept in cages, but given adequate food in the form of synthetic nutrients and water. But man eats food, not nutrients for the sense of enjoyment, psychological and social well-being. They also live to eat, and not just eat to live.
Difference between humans and animals:

There is a big difference between synthetic nutrients for rats and complete and nice-tasting foods for humans. Laboratory animals can be kept alive throughout their natural life-spans on just artificial nutrients and water, but no similar trials has been done on humans, because humans are not rats. They demand food, not nutrients.

This means, despite bones, ligaments, joints, being low in nutritional values, they nevertheless are delicious if skillfully prepared by a good cook. With proper spices, and various sauces, the soft jelly-like substances (gelatin) made from collagen is a delight to a discerning taste-bud. Personally, I have enjoyed beef joints and ligaments cooked in curry powder, and various spices.

But not advisable for…:
However, I would not advise any mother with very young babies and children to feed their young children on a diet of gelatin and collagen products for obvious reasons that protein from these sources are not going to help with their physical and mental development during their formative years. Do not compromise their health and development with low quality proteins just because soft collagen properly prepared taste nice. Do not be foolish. Young children need proper nourishment, not good taste.

My recommendation:

I should recommend a diet rich in good quality proteins derived from milk, eggs, fish, chicken, meat, and soya beans. These would be the best diet for a baby after his weaning period from six months onwards. Wean off from milk slowly with a soft- boiled egg daily, and grade on to boneless fish (be careful with fish bones), soya products and then at one year start off with chicken and tender meat, legumes. A child should be brought up with adequate supply of not just proteins, but also a diet rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron, all the various vitamins and trace minerals as well.
Give a child a wide range of all foods, including lots of fruits and vegetables. This will ensure adequate nourishment to meet all his / her physiological and psychological needs. But an ample supply of good quality proteins for at least up to 5 years is mandatory, but preferably for at least for another 2-3 years after reaching puberty to cater for individual nutritional needs and biological variations. This is a safety net.

If these foods are introduced, there is no harm giving a young child an occasional feed of soft chicken and duck feet, or pork trotters, or any collagen preparations. After all, humans are designed with taste buds to enjoy a variety of foods and food preparations provided adequate nutritional needs of all the nutrients have been met.

Health risks after puberty:

A few years after puberty has been achieved, food intake needs to be restricted to minimize risk of childhood obesity, and diseases of overweight as in adults. Never pamper young children with a fast-food culture if we care and love them. An occasional treat is beautiful. It is part of life. It is meant to be enjoyable. There is no harm.

The conclusion:
Hence food is meant to nourish and at the same time, to be enjoyed. The dilemma of Alice in Wonderland in asking ‘should we eat to live or live to eat’ can easily be answered with both answers.

Health is to be taken holistically. It is just as important to attain a sense of psychological well-being as physical health. The trinity of physical, mental and social health is what makes us humans different from laboratory experimental rats and other animals. Collectively, they make up a healthy individual, a family, a community, and ultimately a happy and harmonious nation. It is far from we eat to live which is the objective of the animal kingdom.

Once again I echo what my eminent professors in nutrition at the University of London and at Cambridge taught us. ‘Man eats food, not nutrients’.

jb lim

Lim Ju Boo BSc (Physiol & Chem) Postgrad Dip Nutr MSc (Food QC) MD PhD (Med) FRSPH FRSM

Special Medical & Science Adviser
Head of the Technical Advisory Board
Dynapharm Int’l Pharmaceutical Group
Malaysia

Formerly:
Research Nutritionist & Toxicologist
MIT

Senior Researcher
Institute for Medical Research
Malaysia