Here’s a good example of why researchers and scientists need to embrace the principle of interdisciplinary cooperation more resolutely. A new study of an Amazonian tribe seems to indicate a link between blood pressure and diet, but…
The Yanomami don’t just get exercise hunting, gathering and gardening…
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health looked at the lifestyle of the Yanomami tribe, an isolated culture in Northern Brazil. It seems that members of the tribe show no increase in blood pressure from age 1 through age 60. And that’s remarkable to researchers because increasing blood pressure has been assumed to be a function of aging. Maybe in developed Western Culture, but not among the Yanomami.
The tribe leads a hunter-gatherer existence and do some gardening. Their diet is low in fat and salt and high in fruits and fiber. Which lead researchers to assume it was the Yanomami diet that was responsible for the stable blood pressure throughout members’ lives.
To validate their point, the researchers also studied another tribe (from roughly the same geographical area) which has a similar lifestyle, except that they have been ‘exposed to Western influences including dietary’. They showed a clear pattern of increased blood pressure over their lifetimes.
So, the researchers felt it safe to conclude that the difference was caused by diet.
But wait…
What other Western influences has the other tribe been ‘exposed’ to? The Johns Hopkins team mentioned some processed foods, which are high in Salt, Fat and Sugar. But what about smoking? And, with the availability of Western foods, does this tribe work as hard and as many hours a day as the Yanomami hunting, gathering and gardening to subsist?
Dr. Obvious weighs in…
My reading of the study report indicates that the researchers looked only at the effects on the two tribes of differences in their diets. There’s no indication that they considered other factors, such as activity levels or other social and cultural habits.
And what about the media? Is the tribe ‘exposed’ to western style media? I know that watching an hour of CNN news in the morning can elevate my blood pressure considerably, especially when there are multiple stories about ‘what the President of the United States has done now’.
I say there’s much more behind the blood pressure differences between the two tribes than a difference in diets can explain. But that doesn’t mean I am pooh-poohing the importance of a healthy diet in managing high blood pressure and other cardio-pulmonary conditions. In fact, I’m going to take this opportunity to promote the Mediterranean Diet as a tasty way to maintain good heart health as we age.
However… I’m certain it’s just as important to get your exercise and avoid stress when you can. And that can be hard to do when you’re submerged in the Western Lifestyle.
~ Maggie J.