Proponents of macrobiotics suggest that macrobiotic diets are not simply a weight loss tool, but that they are a path to emotional, spiritual, mental and physical well being, according to Vanderbilt University professor Anna Kane. The macrobiotic approach has received much attention in the research. There is compelling research published in the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition" and "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" throughout the 1990s suggesting that this diet is anything but healthy, especially for children.
What is a Macrobiotic Diet?
Based upon ancient Chinese philosophy of yin and yang, this diet places food along a spectrum with whole grains at the center. Foods on the outlying ends of the spectrum are to be avoided or eaten infrequently. According to Vanderbilt University professor Anna Kane's summary of the macrobiotic diet, the standard macrobiotic diet recommends that 50-60 percent of calories come from whole grains. The diet allows for 25-30 percent of calories to come from garden vegetables and another 5-10 percent from sea vegetables, such as seaweed. Finally, you may have 5 percent from soups and only 6 percent of calories should come from protein sources. The macrobiotic diet suggests that you avoid all sources of fat and that food choices should be natural and organic wherever possible. The macronutrient approach endorses whole grains, legumes and vegetables, fresh fish, nuts and seeds.
Nutrient Deficiencies
A negative aspect of the macronutrient diet is nutrient deficiency. Studies, such as that done by D.R. Miller, et al., and Marijke van Dusseldorp, et al., illustrate adverse impacts on levels of vitamin B-12. Vitamin B-12 is an important vitamin for metabolism, development of red blood cells and for maintaining your central nervous system. Insufficient vitamin B-12 can lead to pernicious anemia, the medical term for insufficient red blood cells. Vitamin B-12 deficiency can lead to a number of symptoms, such as fatigue, rapid heart rate, diarrhea, pale skin, shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating and in severe cases dementia. Vitamin B-12 is only one example of nutrient deficiencies that may develop following this diet, dependent on how strictly you adhere to the diet. Taboo foods include red meat, dairy, white flour, poultry and eggs, removing a number of nutrient rich food sources from your diet.
Infant Health
P.C. Dagnelie, et al. found in their 1992 study published in the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition" that milk from macrobiotic mothers contained less magnesium, calcium and saturated fatty acids while containing higher amounts polyunsaturated fatty acids. While further study in 1994 revealed mothers following a macronutrient diet also have less vitamin B-12 in their breast milk according to P.C. Dagnelie and W.A. van Staveren in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." This leads to insufficient nutrients available for infants from their mothers.
Child Nutrition
D.R. Miller, et al., report in their 1991 article in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" that children on a macrobiotic diet in their study displayed short stature and low weight. P.C. Dagnelie and W.A. van Staveren note in their 1994 article, also in "AJCN", that children following showed delayed growth mostly between 6 and 18 months of age. The study found "ubiquitous deficiencies of energy, protein, vitamin B-12, vitamin D, calcium, and riboflavin" responsible for "retarded growth, fat and muscle wasting, and slower psychomotor development" in the children studied.
References
- "The Journal of Nutrition"; The Macrobiotic Diet in Cancer; Lawrence H. Kushi, et al.; 2001
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition|"; Risk of Persistent Cobalamin Deficiency in Adolescents Fed a Macrobiotic Diet in Early Life; Marijke van Dusseldorp, et al.; 1999
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Vitamin B-12 Status in a Macrobiotic Community; D.R. Miller, et al.; 1991
- Vanderbilt University Psychology Department; Introduction to Macrobiotics; Anna Kane
- "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Nutrients and Contaminants in Human Milk from Mothers on Macrobiotic and Omnivorous Diets; P.C. Dagnelie, et al.; May 1992
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamin B-12
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