The macrobiotic diet, often called the cancer diet, is a diet that originated in Japan. A well-planned macrobiotic diet is healthy, contains sufficient quantities of nutrients and includes cancer-fighting foods. The macrobiotic diet consists of approximately 60 percent whole grains, 30 percent vegetables, 10 percent nuts and beans and limited amounts of fish. Preferably, all foods eaten are organic. There are also additional guidelines in how the food must be prepared. The diet is low in fat, high in fiber and contains plant foods that, according to the American Cancer Society, are "believed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer." The problem is that it is difficult to receive proper nutrition from the limited foods allowed in the diet, especially when the diet is not well planned. To reduce the risks of malnutrition, rickets and other health problems, you should only eat a macrobiotic diet under a doctor's or certified nutritionist's supervision. A doctor or nutritionist will go over your diet with you to make sure that you understand which foods you need to eat and monitor your health to ensure you are consuming enough nutrients.
Rickets
A study conducted by the Wageningen Agricultural University's Department of Human Nutrition in the Netherlands found that infants and young children raised on a macrobiotic diet had a high prevalence of developing rickets. Rickets is a disease that affects the bone development of growing infants and children. Children with rickets may exhibit stunted growth, weak bones and severe bone deformities. The macrobiotic diet can cause rickets in developing children because it is low in calcium and vitamin D, two essential nutrients needed for proper bone growth. In addition, the high-fiber content of the macrobiotic diet further exacerbates the problem because fiber reduces the body's absorption of calcium.
Malnutrition
Some macrobiotic diets are lacking in calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids. The reason the macrobiotic diet often lacks these nutrients is because it is difficult to obtain sufficient quantities of them in the foods that are allowed in the diet. This is particularly true when stricter forms of the diet are followed, where whole grains make up the entire diet. Over time, continually eating a nutrient-deficient macrobiotic diet can lead to malnutrition and even death. Adults may develop osteomalacia, an adult version of rickets, where the bones become soft and weak.
Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women
An improperly balanced macrobiotic diet in pregnant or breastfeeding women can lead to malnutrition in the mother or infant, fetal rickets and poor fetal or infant growth rate. Because of this, the American Cancer Society recommends against pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers following the macrobiotic diet.
References
- American Cancer Society: Macrobiotic Diet
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; High Prevalence of Rickets in Infants on Macrobiotic Diets; P.C. Dagnelie, F.J. Vergote, W.A. van Staveren, H. van den Berg, P.G. Dingjan, J.G. Hautvast; 51(2):202-8, Feb. 1990
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