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FROM: CBC NEWS ONLINE

http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/nati...nal050211.html


Aboriginals Resume Traditional Diet To Curb Diabetes Epidemic

Last Updated 2/11/2005 8:05:37 PM Eastern Standard Time

CBC News

CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C. - Rates of obesity and diabetes in some aboriginal
communities are up to 50 per cent higher than the Canadian average, but reverting
to a more traditional diet may help address the problem.

For some aboriginals, cutting down on carbohydrates isn't so much a fad diet,
rather it's a more modern version of the traditional diet eaten by their
ancestors more than 100 years ago.

Jim Wilson of the We Wai Kai Nation grew up on Cape Mudge reserve off
Vancouver Island, where seafood was a staple of his diet.

As overfishing and pollution made seafood scarce, he switched to eating fast
food. "Every day something from McDonald's, just because I wasn't cooking for
myself," Wilson recalled.

In 1987, Wilson's weight reached 345 pounds, he was extremely thirsty and had
failing vision. Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Wilson was able to control
the condition with insulin injections.

Last summer, after weeks on a low-carb diet, he found he didn't need the
needles as often. Within a few months, he was jab-free.

It was Dr. Jay Wortman, a public health specialist in Vancouver, who
challenged Wilson to return to traditional aboriginal eating habits with a low-carb
diet that includes fruits and vegetables.

"Other people have had thousands of years, many generations to become
accustomed to a diet that is higher in refined carbohydrates," said Wortman.
"Aboriginal people haven't."

Wortman believes the dietary and lifestyle changes are at the root of the
diabetes epidemic among Canada's aborignal peoples.

Recommending a low-carb approach validates the wisdom of aboriginal ancestors
who ate mainly berries, nuts and protein rather than mostly carbohydrates,
Wortman said.

The science behind the diet is evolving.

Atkins is the most studied low-carb diet, and research shows it can help
people lose weight and doesn't seem to harm cholesterol, but longer studies are
needed to test if it helps prevent or treat diabetes.

In the meantime, Wilson says he's proud of his accomplishments to date,
adding he would like to exercise more and shed another 100 pounds.

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