The past present and future of Nutrition

The Past, Present, and Future of Nutrition: A 10 Year Synopsis
by Jeffry S. Life, M.D., Ph.D.

NUTRITION NOW

Today 61 percent of all U.S. adults are now overweight or obese and 13% of all children and adolescents are seriously overweight! Our Surgeon General, David Satchter, recently said that obesity could soon cause as much preventable death and disease in our country as cigarette smoking. Type 2 diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in our adult population and is now becoming a threat to our children.

It has become increasingly obvious to many of us for some time now that the nutritional practices of the last ten years (along with our sedentary lifestyles) are simply not working and, in fact, may be playing a key role in promoting this epidemic of obesity and diabetes. For this reason, we are beginning to enter a new chapter in nutritional recommendations and practices that many hope will reverse this frightening trend in our country.

One of the most significant changes we are experiencing is that fats are no longer considered evil-only saturated fat! Monounsaturated fats have finally been recognized as an essential component of our diets and we are now encouraged to consume more omega-3 fatty acids by eating deep cold-water fish and flaxseeds.

Other changes in our thinking include the recommendation that eggs are not as bad as we once thought and egg whites are now considered to be an excellent source of protein. An occasional egg yolk isn't so bad either, but I still think they should be treated with respect because of their high cholesterol content. Antioxidants are now proven to be very important in disease prevention and anti-aging. Every effort is being made these days to encourage people to include antioxidants in their diets either through supplements or by eating more foods that contain them.

More and more people are beginning to move away from the highly processed foods and fast food restaurants that have become so popular lately and are returning to the foods our ancestors lived on years ago-whole grains, fruits and vegetables (carbohydrates with a low glycemic index). Vitamin and mineral supplementation is now being encouraged not only by nutritionists but also by many physicians including cardiologists and anti-aging specialists.

Traditional approaches to dieting, used over the last several years, have proved to be almost universally unsuccessful (95 percent of all people that lose weight gain it back within 5 years). Newer, non-diet approaches to weight control are being explored and developed and they include control over eating behavior, stress management, cravings avoidance, and exercise programs.

The Food Pyramid of yesterday is being replaced with 15 to 20 new versions, specifically tailored to select groups such as the vegetarians, the elderly, the Mediterranean region and athletes, to name but a few. The concept of one-plan-fits-all is no longer justifiable.

Green tea, with all of its antioxidants, has gained popularity and is taking the place of coffee in many areas of our country.

Nutritional strategies and supplements developed over the last ten years have enabled us to achieve new levels in fitness, leanness and health that we never dreamed possible. But, if you think this is great, just watch what happens over the next ten years!

NUTRITION IN THE PAST

In the early 1990's the Food Guide Pyramid was introduced by the USDA and this was their answer to all the nutritionally related health problems they felt America was experiencing at the time. Their pyramid promoted a diet high in carbohydrates and very low in fat-fat was considered to be the number one enemy of all dieters and the cause of heart disease in our country! Egg consumption was also discouraged at that time because of its high cholesterol content. Very low (500 to 800) calorie diets were promoted for weight loss and weight control and most of the calories in these diets came from carbohydrates. No regard was given to the glycemic index of these carbohydrates and the role high-glycemic carbs might play in promoting disease. Protein wasn't talked about very much. Most of us ate small amounts of protein and whatever carbohydrate we wanted as long as it didn't have fat in it. In fact, this is what the American Heart Association told us to do to prevent heart disease. In 1991, 31 percent of men and 35 percent of women were either overweight or obese.

FUTURE OF NUTRITION

The future of the nutritional world looks bright. Of course, moderation will continue to be the byword but there will be many new biotech foods such as the "super-apple" or the "super-orange," all carefully engineered to contain super-high levels of performance- and health-enhancing nutrients.

There will also be new innovative weight-loss and muscle-building strategies along with an entire new selection of ergogenic aids, vitamins, minerals, fat burners and meal-replacement supplements that will enhance our nutritional programs.

Food Guide Pyramids will be redesigned to be more specific to individual differences and will take into consideration one's age, ethnic background and their potential for developing inherited degenerative diseases like diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease.

I believe we will also capitalize on the rapidly growing body of knowledge coming from the Human Genome Project. Nutritional programs will be developed that are specifically designed for individuals based on their own genetic information. Just think about the possibilities-a customized diet plan tailored to your particular genetic map which would take into consideration your risks for inherited diseases, your unique biochemical and physiological abilities to metabolize, store and utilize energy from the foods you eat, and the impact these foods have on your thinking and moods. A program like this could empower you to take complete control over your eating and enable you to raise your fat-burning, muscle-building, and strength-building capabilities to new heights. It could also sharpen your mental focus, help you control your moods and, at the same time, enable you to avoid diseases that you may have a predisposition for or even reverse these diseases if they have already started.

As you can see, I am very optimistic and excited about the advances in nutritional science and weight-control strategies we will be seeing and experiencing in the months and years to come. I think these will be happening sooner rather than later because of the urgency our nation's political leaders and the medical community are finally beginning to place on the obesity crisis in America. So stay tuned and I will keep you updated and informed.

Jeffry S. Life, MD, PhD. "NutritionFYI," Muscle Media 96 (March 2002): 114-115.