Dr Eades on Banting's letter on corpulence

[Daryl]

I was looking through my (as yet unorganized library) a couple of days ago and came across a couple of books that I thought I should blog about. After giving it some more thought I decided to start a series of posts on the books that I found most essential in my own low-carb reading. These would be the books that should make up the core of any good low-carber’s library. So here we are with the first post in the series.

Probably the most influential diet book of all time was not really a diet book, but a bound letter written by a satisfied patient. William Banting (1797-1878) was a middle-aged undertaker living in London who had become obese. He sought the help of multiple physicians and other practitioners who prescribed a variety of remedies for him, none of which worked. Or as he put it

I consulted…high orthodox authorities (never any inferior adviser), but all in vain. I have tried sea air and bathing in various localities, with much walking exercise, taken gallons of physic and liquor potassae, advisedly and abundantly; riding on horseback; the waters and climate of Leamington many times, as well as those of Cheltenham and Harrogate frequently; have lived upon sixpence a-say, so to speak, and earned it, if bodily labour may be so construed; and have spared no trouble nor expense in consultations with the best authorities in the land, giving each and all a fair time for experiment, without any permanent remedy, as the evil [his obesity] still gradually increased.

He tried all the above along with simple diets, i.e., low-calorie diets, without success. Despite all his efforts and all the advice of the many practitioners whose opinions he sought

the evil still increased, and, like the parasite of barnacles on a ship, if it did not destroy the structure, it obstructed its fair, comfortable progress in the path of life.

Banting finally fell into the hands of a physician who recommended a low-carb diet, or, in the words of the time, a diet lacking in starch and saccharine (sugar and sugar-sweetened foods) matter.

Read the rest here >>> http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/?p=899

[tom sawyer]

Makes me wonder who the doctor was who suggested low carb to Banting, and how he came to his recommendation?

[Squarecube]

Makes me wonder who the doctor was who suggested low carb to Banting, and how he came to his recommendation?

Me too. But they gotta get something right once in a while.

[MyJourney]

I loved it! It was so entertaining to read!

[pennink]

k, I've read somewhere the low carb diet from the 1800s. A journal article talking about how eating a more paleo diet, or something or other, was the best way to avoid corpulence.

And.... it is a recent quirk that this low fat crap is being recommended. I know all through the early 20th century, and into the 70s the way to lose was to avoid starches and sugars. Cut and dried.
Atkins came along and put it all in a plan.

[JAnn]

I've bookmarked to download the original copy. Thanks for the info.

[CValentine]

Wish I could find an original, I like to collect older books & pamphlets on nutrition & medicine. Thanks for the lead in!
~Cheryl Ann

[Rachel1]

The fourth edition of Banting's book has been on this site for several years. I found a copy at the university library and our webmaster, Tamarian, scanned it in.

You'll find the link on our home page.

Just a plug for our own hard-working members!

Rachel

[CValentine]

Thanks Rachael(and Tamarian)! ~Cheryl Ann

[tom sawyer]

I poked around and found out Banting's doctor was William Harvey, a prominent ear surgeon. Harvey had been to see a lecture by Claude Bernard, who was a famous physiologist who had shown that the pancreas secretes digestive enzymes, and that the liver was involved in production of glucose. Bernard came up the idea of homeostasis, and was a champion of using scientific method.

Bernard wrote: ”When we meet a fact which contradicts a prevailing theory, we must accept the fact and abandon the theory, even when the theory is supported by great names and generally accepted”.

No truer words have ever been spoken with regard to scientific endeavor, yet nutritional and health science as it currently exists couldn’t be farther from this ideal.

[pennink]

That quote should be a t-shirt low carbers must wear at a big rally march!

[MandalayVA]

When you look at Banting's diet, he's still eating a lot of carbs--he mentions eating toast and drinking wine. Like Dr. Mike says, he would have lost a lot more if he'd lost those. It's still pretty interesting.

[Corex123]

When you look at Banting's diet, he's still eating a lot of carbs--he mentions eating toast and drinking wine.
Drinking wine is my favorite part of this diet, LOL. Banting was Rx madera, sherry and claret, looks he was allowed alcohol during 3 out his 4 meals.
I have read in one article, that red wine has beneficial effect on metabolism and even helps liver to process fats and sugars.

# Lunch 5-6 ounces of any fish except salmon, any meat except pork, any vegetable except potato.
# Any kind of poultry or game. 1 ounce of dry toast. Fruit. 2-3 glasses of good claret, sherry or Madeira.Tea 2-3 ounces of fruit. 1-2 rusks*. 1 cup of tea without milk or sugar.
# Supper 3-4 ounces of any meat except pork, or any fish except salmon. 1-2 glasses of claret.
# Night-cap 1 tumbler of grog* or 1-2 glasses of claret or sherry.

Claret is English for Bordeaux, red wine with well known health benefits; sherry and Madeira - fortified wines from Portugal, again, excellent quality but fortified wines with added sugar. This guys had plenty of sugar in form of alcohol, especially from Madeira and Sherry. Alcohol may dampen weight loss, but it good for overall health and great to combat cravings when carbs cut are very low. I would say, his daily carbs were not Induction level, I guess about 60-70g given he had toast and sweet wines. Even more if he drank more Madeira than claret. ;)
EDA: Alcohol also nukes liver sugar production, so it is beneficial on any diet. ;)

[ElleH]

Me too. But they gotta get something right once in a while.

One of the heart surgeons I used to work with used to tease me a lot. One of the things he said was, "Even a blind squirrel sometimes finds a nut." :lol: It actually took me a minute to "get" what he was saying, but it was still funny.

[Wifezilla]

Around here the saying goes...

"Even a broken clock is right twice a day."

[MyJourney]

Bernard wrote: ”When we meet a fact which contradicts a prevailing theory, we must accept the fact and abandon the theory, even when the theory is supported by great names and generally accepted”.


Oooh adding that to my siggy!

[Nancy LC]

Alcohol may dampen weight loss, but it good for overall health and great to combat cravings when carbs cut are very low. I would say, his daily carbs were not Induction level, I guess about 60-70g given he had toast and sweet wines. Even more if he drank more Madeira than claret.
EDA: Alcohol also nukes liver sugar production, so it is beneficial on any diet.

Alcohol isn't so great, IMHO. It is linked to cancer and birth defects, not to mention the great many people who abuse it or those who show poor judgment after drinking it. I think it can be a diet destroyer in that it can impair your judgment and then you make poor food decisions. Not to mention the effect of getting metabolised first and potentially putting your dinner into fat cells.

I'm definitely not a big fan of alcohol having lost a brother to it. :( He drank too much, fell down, hit his head and died.

[Lisa N]

EDA: Alcohol also nukes liver sugar production, so it is beneficial on any diet.

On the surface it would seeem so but if you really think about it, the body will burn alcohol for fuel in preference to all other fuel sources and it also slows down fat burning for a while after it's out of your system. So...no fat burning while the alcohol is in your system or for a while afterwards.
Given that the goal of most diets is to lose weight by lowering your body fat stores, it's counterproductive to most diets to consume alcohol more than occasionally. :idea:

[Demokat]

Alcohol isn't so great, IMHO. It is linked to cancer and birth defects, not to mention the great many people who abuse it or those who show poor judgment after drinking it. I think it can be a diet destroyer in that it can impair your judgment and then you make poor food decisions. Not to mention the effect of getting metabolised first and potentially putting your dinner into fat cells.

I'm definitely not a big fan of alcohol having lost a brother to it. :( He drank too much, fell down, hit his head and died.

I'm sorry about your brother, Nancy. :( I have witnessed the ravages of alcoholism also. My uncle just lost a leg to diabetes, which was probably brought from 50 years of heavy drinking.

Needless to say, I am also not a big fan of alcohol. Though studies can point to the health benefits of wine, I think a lot of people have trouble with 'portion control'. Aside from leading to alcoholism for some, alcohol can trigger sugar addiction. I am living proof of this. I would go out for drinks with my friends, and the one or two martinis or cosmos that I drank would lead me to stop for ice cream on the way home. It was a vicious circle.

I will occasionally have a glass or two of wine with dinner, which doesn't set off cravings, but hard alcohol or drinking at Happy Hour is out. One of my other friends that is trying to lose weight joins me in ordering a bottle of Pellegrino or a club soda when we go out. :) Anyway, I'd rather eat my carbs than drink them any day.

[Groggy60]

Bizarre, my uncle died during an operation to remove his diabetes related problem leg.

When we meet a fact which contradicts a prevailing theory, we must accept the fact and abandon the theory, even when the theory is supported by great names and generally accepted.

I think this way naturally, I had no problem believing in low-carb and throwing out the low-fat dogma when I learned the facts. I can tell others these same facts and they seem to mean nothing to them.

[tom sawyer]

I added Bernard's quote as a signature too.

You should check out the Wikipedia page on Bernard, the bottome section is full of quotes from his book that deal with scientific method. Almost all of them are gems. I think his book ought to be recommended reading for all science majors.