This is a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, so it is also called vitamin C deficiency. However, vitamin C deficiency can not only cause scurvy, but is also related to inflammation, arteriosclerosis, tumors and other diseases.
It has been a disease that seriously threatened human health in history.
In the past few hundred years, it has been widely popular among sailors, explorers and armies, especially among long-distance sailors, so it is known as "the fear of sailors" and "the evil god of the sea".
The clearest description of scurvy in ancient classics is in the records of the Crusades in the Middle Ages.
Some scholars trace it back to the time of Hippancrates BC, and others claim that traces of scurvy were also found on the remains of humans in primitive societies.
At the end of the fifteenth century, scurvy was also the reason why many sailors were bedridden for long periods of time. It was not until 1753 that Scottish naval surgeon James Lynd discovered that the disease was related to diet, and discovered that drinking orange juice and lemon juice could treat and prevent scurvy. Blood disease, only then did the prevention and treatment of scurvy begin.
This disease is actually very easy to prevent. As long as you eat vegetables and fruits regularly, you don’t even need to take supplements.
However, if left untreated, it can lead to iron deficiency, ranging from anemia to skin bleeding, loose and falling teeth, personality changes, and ultimately death.
"So, scurvy is a disease that only seafarers who eat only meat and no vegetables will suffer. But there is another phenomenon that has troubled this scientist in modern times."
"Then the Inuit people who only eat meat and no vegetables, how come they don't have scurvy?"
Talented in a different place?
Or is there another way?
The audience's curiosity was aroused, and many water friends couldn't help but sit up straight and listen to Bifang's explanation.
Bi Fang cut open another salmon, took out the belly, stuffed it into his mouth with satisfaction, tasted it deliciously, swallowed it, and finally sat cross-legged on the ground, and leisurely began to tell the reason.
"I just said that low temperature can also kill parasites, and it only needs to be minus 20 degrees. In fact, this is just the normal temperature in the Arctic. Although the relative temperature in the water is much higher, it is not liked by parasites, but this Of course it’s not absolute. Low temperature is far less effective than high temperature in killing insects, but it can greatly reduce the chance of being infected.”
"Moreover, most of the parasites that can survive in the Arctic are actually harmless to the human body. In addition, the Arctic is almost pollution-free. The combination of the three means that even freshwater fish can be eaten raw. There is no need to be afraid."
"As for why it is necessary, actually eating raw meat can also supplement vitamin C, eh!"
Bi Fang choked. He hadn't eaten meat for a long time and ate too much.
Patting his chest and taking another sip of water, Bi Fang said slowly: "Between 1906 and 1918, Vihjalmurstefansson, an anthropologist and explorer at Harvard University, was Vihjalmurstefansson."
In order to facilitate everyone's memory, Bi Fang translated the Icelandic into English.
"Wehjarmul visited the small northern region of Canada three times, where he spent the winter with the local Inuit people, eating and living together.
"Due to geographical restrictions, the Inuit can only eat meat and animal fat most of the time, such as birds, reindeer, seals, walruses, whales, etc. These foods provide them with all their needs for at least 10 months of the year. Nutrition, in summer, they may eat some plant foods, such as berries, roots, etc."
"However, like the Inuit, the Wehjarmul did not suffer from scurvy due to a diet so devoid of fresh fruits and vegetables."
"When he made his findings public, he was strongly criticized by some skeptics."
[Hiss, if it were me, I would doubt it too]
[It doesn’t seem to be a genetic problem]
【Can raw meat also supplement vitamin C?】
Bi Fang took a sip of warm water, chewed a piece of raw meat, and continued.
"In order to verify again and delve deeper into the principles behind it, in 1928, Vihjarmul and his colleagues were admitted to Bellevue Hospital in New York. Under the strict control of the hospital and the supervision team, they started a 'diet'
Experiment', that is, eating meat and animal fat year-round like the Inuit, this persistence lasted for one year."
"Before the trial began, many experts predicted that Vihjarmul would eventually suffer from scurvy due to lack of vitamin C. The result... was naturally shocking."
After the experiment, Vihjarmul was still healthy, and his physical condition improved to varying degrees, such as his thinking was sharper and his blood pressure was more stable, not to mention scurvy. He did not have any symptoms of vitamin deficiency."
Lack of vitamin C can lead to scurvy
Scurvy was first discovered by the French Breton explorer Jacob in 1536, when it extremely troubled people who were exploring the St. Lawrence River.
Jacob also gave a detailed description of scurvy. Even if you read it now, you can still feel a bit of horror.
"Some people lost all their strength and couldn't stand up...Others also had purple scars on their skin and then they started to appear on their ankles, knees, thighs, shoulders, etc., and their mouths stank.
, the gums gradually rotted away, and the flesh on the body began to fall off, even the roots of the teeth, almost all fell off."
There is no doubt that humans cannot do without vitamin C, otherwise the consequences will be serious. Moreover, the human body cannot synthesize vitamin C by itself. Unlike cats and dogs, these animals can synthesize vitamin C by themselves.
"About 60 million years ago, human ancestors, great apes, lost an enzyme required to synthesize vitamin C from glucose. It has a long name, called gulonolactone oxidase, and eventually lost the ability to produce vitamin C.
Ability."
“There is no doubt that Darwin’s evolutionism is fundamentally correct, but it does not mean that there are no problems. It can even be said that the problems are huge.”
"The current state of human beings is not necessarily the most adaptable to the environment. There is a considerable factor of luck, so some non-fatal flaws will also exist. Of course, this is complicated to expand on, so I will just mention it briefly.
, I won’t go into details.”
Bi Fang shook the kettle, returned to the topic, and directly explained the reason.
"The end result is actually very simple. A high-sugar diet requires more vitamin C. As long as you don't eat staple foods, the body's vitamin C demand will drop significantly."
"And there is actually vitamin C in meat. The most important thing is that the vitamin C content in raw meat is much higher than that in cooked meat. This is because the heating process will cause some vitamin C to be oxidized and lost."
"The custom of the Inuit people is that they like to eat raw meat. I told you this when I was in Mohe, so I got a slightly contemptuous name, called Eskimo."
"If you increase revenue and reduce expenditure, scurvy will stay away from me."
Bi Fang took a big bite of the fish and chewed it down.
Finally had a full meal.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Scientists have discovered that more than 80% of body fat leaves the body through exhalation, making the lungs our main organ for weight loss. There is a type of fat in the human blood called triglyceride, which is composed of three atoms: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Composition. Releasing excess fat requires unlocking the atoms in the triglyceride molecule through a process called oxidation. By tracing the path of each atom in the body, a team of scientists from the University of New South Wales in Australia found that when 10 kilograms of fat are oxidized
, 8.4 kilograms of fat will leave the body in the form of carbon dioxide through the lungs.