Medicine Men

Episode 3 Healthiest Hearts 20 July 2008

Healthiest Hearts

Chukotka is the farthest northeast region of Russia. An icy peninsula, it is washed by the Bering Sea, a section of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Arctic Ocean. Its vast geographical area of over 737,000 km² is home to a population of only around 55,000.

Much of the mainly rural population still exists on subsistence reindeer herding, hunting, and fishing. Their diet consists almost entirely of sea mammals, which is mainly protein and fat. Yet mysteriously, the people of Chukotka report no incidence of heart disease, and their cholesterol levels are incredibly healthy. Could this change the way we think about the diet/health connection, and go against everything the twins have been taught about nutrition?

Chris and Xand are once again immersed in the culture, including the challenge of both eating and hunting walrus and whale. They are struck by the respect the hunters have for their prey, and learn about a lot more than medicine during their time with the Chukotka people…

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Do you know of any alternative approaches? Are you aware of any similar ones?

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• martynh says:

  05 February | 21:35

  To Chris and Xand, Humans may have needed to hunt and kill animals in our distant past, but we are now perfectly capable of living healthy lives WITHOUT KILLING animals. To show the BARBARIC killing of a mammal such as the walrus - WHEN IT WAS SO TRAGICALLY DEFENCELESS was an extremely poor judgement of broadcasting taste - exacerbated by showing the driving of a spear into a living creature bigger than a human and obviously in extreme pain. As a vegetarian of some twenty years, I have felt much healthier since giving up meat and enjoy a broad and healthy diet: There is no longer any valid reason to eat meat, and the broadcast of footage such as this under the guise of cultural journalism is APPALLING.

• maldini says:

  05 February | 21:50

  Not sure I can agree with you martynh when you say "There is no longer any valid reason to eat meat". That may be possible in a society where plentiful food is trucked or flown into urban centres at great environmental cost, and where we have plentiful choice - but for the people of Chukotka there is no such luxury. Some foodstuffs come in on occasional boats, but otherwise they are too far north for any vegetables to be grown locally - very little grows in permafrost except for lichens, moulds, and some shrubs. Perhaps you missed the bit where Chris and Xand made this clear in the narrative. Hunting is shocking, and not everyone can bear witness to it - but the respect which the hunters showed towards their prey, giving thanks and asking for forgiveness, was both moving and a timely reminder of the continuing loss of a way of life which is increasingly swamped by consumerism. Well done Chris and Xand for showing us a true and genuine, if sometimes harsh, way of life.

• sagat4 says:

  05 February | 22:07

  Like Maldini said, these guys don't farm (so can't be vegeterians) and they respect the animals they hunt (guardians of the walurses). For example they hunt two grey whales a year which is great to hear as they don't sell the meat but use it to feed the entire village. The documentary was great, unbaised and showed how the human race survives in such great adversities. Great work guys and keep it up:)

• Poora says:

  05 February | 22:23

  Meat Vs Veg contributed by: Poora 05 February | 22:22 to Chris and Xand ! have just watched the episode about the healthiest heart and something struck me…how about you do a comparison , exactly how you did with the siberian people, but instead do it with people that are 100% vegetarian like in india ?? so you could see of there is any benefit for eating 100% veg diet and what its effects are on your bloods??? you could even do it comparing south indian ( rice based )to north indian (wheat based) ? up for it? regards Poora.

• tel1749 says:

  05 February | 22:46

  How can you make a comment that there is a vegetarian alternative for the people living in such a isolated place where there are no shops for hundreds of miles certainly no way of growing fresh veg i am a anti whale hunter for profit but where it means just to get what is wanted & not to exploit the fact i can tolerate. there was more to be had but they did not kill just for the sake of killing.the dead walrus on the beach could not have been used it was not any good as they had already started to decay. those people treated the dead walrus with great respect. Last year i had a trip of a life time going round the island of svalbard (Spitsbergen) i got to see 41 polar bears hundreds of walrus & seals also hump back & minky whales. great we were on a small ship but all our food was (normal) western menus no seal whale etc Terry

• irishsue says:

  05 February | 22:53

  These people are living the way that many generations before them have also lived. It is a very difficult life compared to our life here in the Western world but they see to be very happy. Many food companies now are adding Omega 3 to their foods, there are alternatives though to fish,flax seed or linseed are just two of the best, Omega, without killing animals. These are plant sources of these oils, maybe not as powerfull but the killing element does not come into play, consistent use of these plant products will have the same effect as the fish.

• jassi_kg says:

  05 February | 22:59

  I found this episode so interesting and have to say that i also disagree with martyhn. They clearly showed in the episode that those people live in quite an isolated area -they don't have a local supermarket they can pop into whenever they feel or have an environment fit enough to grow crops. Accept it: it's their way of life. And as for showing us the 'barbaric killing'.. hey it's education.. think about it: if it hadn't been filmed and showed - it doesn't mean that those animals wouldn't have been killed. I'm also against hunting but surely you should be able to understand the point of view of those hunters - how else are they meant to live? Anyway the findings from this episode are intriguing, and as usual your experiments - ingenious. xx

• riverofnight says:

  05 February | 23:33

  what a pity the doctors were not upto date on their knowledge of heart disease. As their experiment clearly showed it is trans fatty acids found in processed foods which cause high cholesterol not an animal based diet . Omega 3's play a part but a diet of meat fish fruit and veg will be just as healthy as the chuchi diet especailly with that much exercise.We don't have to eat whale blubber and warus

• fergusc says:

  05 February | 23:51

  I have to say as a former vegetarian (now lapsed) I thought the programme was teriffic. It's hypocrtical to be squemish about the killing of a wild animal when we live in a country where industrialised slaughter is the norm. More importantly, it was so refreshing to see some of the cholesterol myths exploded. We're one step closer to the realisation that dietary fat has little to do with cholesterol levels, and that cholesterol levels have nothing to do with coronary heart disease. These people are by no means the only ones living on a high fat diet, with no incidence of heart disease, stroke, hypertension or diabetes. Bravo!

• Janny says:

  06 February | 11:26

  Okay I think that riverofnight may have misinterpreted what the doctors were trying to show. My interpretation was that they showing that a Western diet is high in trans fatty acids while eating western food vs whale meat which does not contain trans fatty acids but rather healthy fats. I say well done to Chris and Xand for being brave enough to explore a somewhat difficult topic and to give the diet a go. I'm rather squeemish and almost lost my dinner a few times last night! I hope they carry on with this facinating show. It's the best show I've seen on channel 4 for a long time. I say head to South Africa next. The Transkei and Ciskei would be a real eye opener for Westerners.

• markus says:

  06 February | 12:46

  poora meat v veg the largest ever epidemiological study was done in india, comparing regional health associations - here is a quote: Epidemiology of Ischaemic Heart Disease in India with Special Reference to Causation. S. L. MALHOTRA From the Medical Department, Western Railway, Bombay, India Br Heart J. 1967 November; 29(6): 895–905. “Our data, however, do not support this association of high fat intake with the liability to develop ischemic heart disease, because while in the north the consumption of fats, most of which are animal fats, is 19 times more than in the south (Indian Council of Medical Research, 1964), the disease is 7 times less in the north than in the south. Moreover, while the milk fats eaten in the north have a preponderance of saturated fatty acids, the seed oils used in the south are mainly composed of unsaturated fatty acids (Indian Council of Medical Research, 1963).”

• Rune says:

  06 February | 13:23

  I thought the programme was very good, particularly that Chris and Xand's dietary experiment did indeed contradict all they had been taught about diet not influencing cholesterol levels in a short space of time. I'd have also liked to see some of the Chukota's natural medicine, their day to day concoctions for common ailments. I was intrigued as their season for vegetation is so short that they probably don't have a herbal system like we do and I'm wondering what they do use.

• sarahslatter says:

  06 February | 13:50

  On a lighter note! It's the best documentary I have seen in years - you made me laugh, feel a little sea sick and nearly cry! What a wonderful experience for you both, I look forward to watching more.............Xand if you read this, please get in touch! Sarah

• Lincslass says:

  06 February | 16:26

  There were too many variables Chris and Xand's dietary experiment to make it a fair test. When carrying out an investigation you should vary only one thing. There was quite obviously more than one variable, the groups of fats in each diet varied Omega 3, trans fats, and saturated fats and the most obvious one carbohydrate levels. In the west it is a well known fact that you can not control cholesterol levels by diet alone. A cholesterol lowering diet involves you reducing your over all fat intake. There is no differentiation between good and bad fats. You could equally draw the conclusion from their experiment that a diet low in carbohydrates lowers your cholesterol levels.

• LoveIsJustAGame says:

  06 February | 18:42

  I can see where martynh is coming from. For people in Western society, we are being bombarded with pressure groups who tell us not to kill or be cruel to animals, as well as other ethical attributes. However, this is a cultures' way of life. They have been doing this for centuries, and they only kill what they need to survive. They saw themselves as guardians to the walrus' and whales', and said prayers after they had killed them. They were also respectful of the rest of the walrus' near by, and left them alone so they weren't disturbed by the killing. (I'm sure to many people in the world, they're culture would be seen as inhumane. Many things us Brits do is disliked by many countries. But that does not mean that the VT's can't document what goes on in different cultures. Ever heard of freedom of speech?) And later on in the programme, the Chukotka people were obviously saddened by the low flying aircraft that had killed a generous proportion of the walrus, which was needless. I think the VT guys did a really good job of bringing the culture's ways to us. And the programme was meant to be focusing on the health of the Chukotka people, not the way they catch their food (even though that was interesting).

• Zora says:

  06 February | 23:32

  Martynh- I am a vegetarian and an animal lover, but I can accept that eating meat can be necessary- such as in remote places like where the awesome twins (Snap! I'm a twin too.) go. And as long as the animal suffers as little as possible, I think it's not so bad. Obviously, animal cruelty is totally unecessary, inhuame and.. well, stupid. But what you watched there, that was not it. They only kill what they NEED, which is totally ok! AND they try not to prolong the dying part.. nicer for the whales and walruses. You, Martynh, have had all that "barbaric" stuff drilled into your head, and you just can't look through it, and see that it's nowhere near as bad as you're telling us it is. You're sounding very narrow-minded, actually. Yes, yes, YOU are capable of living quite healthily without meat. So am I, whoppee for us! THEY are not, so just turn your brain on and have some real thoughts of your OWN, would you? I might eat meat if I could be sure of where it all came from and that the animals had good lives and were slaughtered humanely, but you really can't be now. Chris, Xand- guys, if you read this, you rock! It's really brave, doing all the stuff you do, because you do look quite scared about a few things, and you can't be brave if you're not! And the shows are really funny! It looks fun, but hard, so here- have a nice shiny gold star! *Gives both nice shiny gold stars* =) Zora X

• Roxanne says:

  12 February | 19:37

  Wow, what a show. after watching the previous two shows i was looking forward to this one- and i was not disappointed!! it was amazing, and you guys are pretty brave!, i would never have eaten that walrus meat!!! It also would never have crossed my mind, that the people of Chukotka, would be forced to solely rely on the walrus' and whale meat. I must say it also has changed my views on whale hunting, when on a small scale, it can be accepted and it was clear in the "healthiest hearts" that the people did not kill for enjoyment, but in order to feed the village. On a much happier note,I really did learn quite a bit, you guys are amazing! also, i have always considerd persuing a career in science, and your documentries have encouraged me even more, so thanks!!

• maryann says:

  12 February | 21:43

  any chance of sending the wonderful words of the fishermen's song sung at the end of the Chukotka programme.........wonderful

• earththemapman says:

  13 February | 12:14

  Thanks for the programme with Chris and Xand in the far east of Russia/Siberia. Watching them catch Walrus and then eating it was certainly not for the faint hearted! May I also say thanks to the twins for presenting this series; I hope there will be other series to come where we see them in action in other parts of the world.