Sunday, February 13, 2011

Dr Wolfgang Lutz Obituary

I've been off the net for so long I've no idea whether this is common knowledge. Dr Lutz was a core influence on me. His writing is so down to earth, pragmatic, sensible and thought provoking. I don't know what else to say.

Peter

20 comments:

Stan Bleszynski said...

R.I.P. Age 97! In my humble opinion his book "Life Without Bread" ("Leben Ohne Brot") is a must read for any IBS and Crohn's patient! He provided real data and statistical results from his private practice and his personally conducted research. As far as I know it is the ONLY published research to date, on using the high fat low carb diet in this context. His biography is also absolutely fascinating!
Stan

Anna said...

I didn't know; thanks for the link to the very nice obituary.

I read Lutz's Life Without Bread back around 2005 when I was trying to better understand why eating the way the health and diet authorities advised (low fat/high carb) resulted in weight creep, and why in 2004 five months of simply eating low carb/high fat shaved the excess "bread" pounds off easily without feeling starved. That book was definitely a factor in my paradigm shift.

Galina L. said...

Than you for the obituary, Peter. What a remarkable life!

Tony said...

I started reading Lutz in November and I guess- even if I try to eat primal now – that he saved my life. When I read that he died in September I wish I could have had a chance to thank him.

What is good to read that he refused to experiment on humans in the Dachau concentration camp, that his name was cleared after the war and he even was a witness in the Nuermberg trials. I didn't know that and I was even afraid that he had done this kind of research on humans.

I find the words of Max Planck most fitting for Wolfgang Lutz:
But if you see a different way, one that differs from the path most trodden but has been decisively tested through honest and diligently proven methods, then–follow your own convictions and not those more commonly shared. This is and remains your highest, most valuable possession, for the development of scientific independence is the most beautiful goal of academic training, and a scientific conviction gained through honest work provides a firm anchoring from which you can maintain an essential independent perspective even with respect to the moral foundations of society and all other changes you may face in life.

The noblest of man’s moral qualities and also its most characteristic is without doubt truthfulness: that fidelity to truth, through an awareness of personal responsibility, leads to inner freedom. It deserves to be held in far higher regard in our current public and private life.


He has done more for mankind (at least for those who read his work, which makes this so sad) than most of the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine of the past 50 years

.^ said...

Thanks for letting us know. I also was influenced by Life Without Bread.

Changing the subject ... have a look at this news item, which I was startled to find in my local paper: Apples Linked to Fetus Harm

.^ said...

(Previous comment by Chainey in NZ - forgot to sign it)

nancan said...

A great man. His showing that too thin people get as much benefit as too fat people do from low carb was a huge insight for me. I had a tall skinny dad, and short fat mom, turns out they both would have benefitted had they known what Lutz taught.

Peter said...

Hi None,

Interesting that the volume of juice mentioned is in the same ball park as those observationally associated with 1.5 X inc risk of T2DM in the USA.

Stan has a link here. I would detach this from pregnancy. Just not the best idea for anyone....

Peter

blogblog said...

Ancel Keys was more than happy to perform dangerous and pointless experiments on people.

Keys 'Minnesota Starvation Experiment' was an utter disgrace.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment

Typical of Keys work it was the worst sort of pseudo-science.

However it is widely praised as a masterpiece in the mainstream nutrition literature.

blogblog said...

It is great shame that Life Without Bread took so long to be translated into English.

Unfortunately we got the folsksy anecdotes of Robert Atkins whose main obsessions were self-promotion and making money.

blogblog said...

I was waiting for Rosemary Stanton to say that Dr Lutz was killed by his "fat-laden" diet.

Then I realised Stanton would have no idea who Dr Lutz was.

Galina L. said...

To None

In the article about possible danger of fruit juice they also said-

"Pregnant women are now eating low-fat milk and low-fat yogurt. But less attention is paid to fructose content," said senior research fellow Deborah Sloboda.

There is a nutritional progress in Australia - pregnant women are going low-fat!

Anonymous said...

Hi Peter,
thanks to you for having me get closer to Lutz and Gottschall's works.

"Life w/o Bread" is one of the best book I've ever read.

Does anyone know the cause of death?

Marco

Anonymous said...

Very sad. Life Without Bread was one of the first books I read on low carb. Thanks for the info Peter.

Peter said...

No info Marco, I guess at just short of 100 we all have to go of something....

Peter

rpineau_2001 said...

Peter: a little off the subject, but I have a question if I may. I have started reading your blogs at the beginning and am currently in early 2008. I read in one of your blogs that you use dextrose if you need to make a sweet treat. Does dextrose do less damage to the body than other natural sweeteners? Thanks for your time. Ron

marco said...

Peter, I'm sorry I have to put this link in your post about Dr.Wolfgang Lutz, but have you read this?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20685275

"Undiagnosed CD can confer benefits and liabilities to older individuals.".

Ohh... just a bit of osteoporosis and hypothyroidism (Hashimoto anyone...?), but ENORMOUS BENEFITS caused by a lower cholesterol, obviously.

In a couple of years being celiacs will become a desirable thing.

Marco

Owen said...

Marco, the idiocy of that link reminded me of an article in the WSJ the other day where they print a recommendation to use rancid cooking oil to achieve better browning and crispiness (AGE formation!) when deep-frying:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704709304576124353978673570.html

It's the part listed as "PROBLEM #2".

It's even more astounding when you consider the apparent understanding the author of the cookbook has for the science behind this type of reaction...

Peter said...

Chainey, missed that you were "none". I must need more fat. Hi!

Marco, just keep away from Nottingham...

Peter

blogblog said...

Plasma Phospholipid Trans Fatty Acids, Fatal Ischemic Heart Disease, and Sudden Cardiac Death in Older Adults

The Cardiovascular Health Study

Rozenn N. Lemaitre, PhD, MPH; Irena B. King, PhD; Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, MPH; Nona Sotoodehnia, MD, MPH; Thomas D. Rea, MD, MPH; Lewis H. Kuller, MD, PhD; Russel P. Tracy, PhD; David S. Siscovick, MD, MPH

Circulation. 2006;114:209-215
Published online before print July 3, 2006, doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.106.620336

Conclusions— Higher levels of trans-18:2 and lower levels of trans-18:1 fatty acids are associated with higher risks of fatal IHD and sudden cardiac death. If confirmed, these findings suggest that current efforts at decreasing trans fatty acid intake in foods should take into consideration the trans-18:2 content.