And there is this romantic idea that life was idyllic in the cave days where people hunted and gathered and everybody lived long healthy lives dying of peaceful old age about 95 years old.  Ah, the good old days. I have good friends who grew up around Kenya.  All I can say is it was definitely different. For an interesting perspective on another culture - not breastfeeding related - read "the Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba.  Very eye-opening. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Susan Burger
Sent: Friday, July 29, 2011 10:48 AM
Subject: Re: Healthy guts in various settings

I have to respectfully disagree that the guts were healthy in the part of Africa where I lived in the Congo.  Diarrhea and dysentery were rampant.  Not just epidemic outbreaks, but endemic diarrhea.  Along with malnutrition among children - with both kwashiorkor and marasmus being quite common, there was also the U-shaped curve with a fair number of obese women in their older years.  This is most likely due to the rampant iodine deficiency. Cretins were common as were enormous goiters.  

To be honest, by the time I left the Congo, I had an almost permanent pain in my stomach.  I really have no idea what caused it, but I attributed to the chili peppers in the food. It may also have been a variety of parasites.  It went away a few months after I left and I gained a little weight.

As for parasites, it could be that there is less INFLAMMATORY response in the gut when there are parasites present. So, there may be different gut responses operating.   Indeed there is some research into the use of certain parasites for reduction in inflammatory responses. Nevertheless, parasites also cause severe health problems.  I still remember a neighbors 2 year old who wasn't walking and weighed about 12 pounds.  This baby started walking about 2 weeks after deworming and started finally gaining weight.  Hookworm is also a huge cause of iron deficiency which impedes cognitive development, especially when it occurs in urban slums where there are a lot of vehicles using gasoline with a lead base.  

I think interventions need to be specifically targetted to the environment, the culture, the family and the individual.  This is why nutritional studies in one environment may not apply to a different environment.

Best regards, 

Susan E. Burger

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