Unit 3
The Concept of “Western Disease”

Overview

In this unit, we explore the most important concept in modern nutrition; namely, that the major non-infectious diseases present in Western countries, such as Canada, are caused by the Western lifestyle and are largely absent in those populations that have not adopted that lifestyle.

The importance of these studies has been underlined by Thomas McKeown of Birmingham University, Birmingham, England, who wrote as follows in 1983:

The most important medical advance in the nineteenth century was the discovery that infectious diseases were largely attributable to environmental conditions and could often be prevented by control of the influences that led to them. The most significant advance in the twentieth century is the recognition that the same is true of many noncommunicable diseases.

These diseases, listed below, include many of the most common causes of sickness and death in Canada.

1. coronary heart disease (CHD), the second most common cause of death (just behind cancer)
2. the three most common cancers of women (lung, colon, and breast), and of men (lung, colon, and prostate)
3. stroke, the third most common cause of death
   1. Other common disorders of the circulatory system are hypertension (the major cause of stroke), varicose veins, and thromboembolism, which occurs when a clot forms in a vein and then breaks away and lodges in the lung.
4. several of the major metabolic diseases—obesity, gallstones, kidney stones, osteoporosis, and type 2 diabetes
   1. Note: The form of diabetes referred to here is type 2 diabetes, formerly known as “adult-onset” diabetes, but not type 1 or “juvenile-onset” diabetes, which is not generally regarded as a lifestyle disease.
5. several of the most common gastro-intestinal disorders—constipation, hiatus hernia, appendicitis, diverticular disease and hemorrhoids
6. dental caries

It is important to understand that these diseases are largely or entirely absent in populations which are truly non-Western. This fact does not mean that they are absent in all Third World countries, however. Although many Third World countries have a low level of technological development, they often produce or import large quantities of “Western type” foodstuffs, as well as cigarettes. Consequently, the Western diseases are becoming increasingly common, particularly in the cities and among the wealthier members of society.

The concept of Western disease arose from comparative studies of disease incidence in Westernized and non-Westernized populations. Therefore, to understand the concept, it is necessary to examine the usual diets of these societies.

Objectives

After completing this unit, you should be able to

1. identify and describe, briefly, the diseases associated with the Western lifestyle.
2. describe, in general terms, the historical and geographical occurrence of these diseases.
3. compare the Western diet with traditional human diets, namely the paleolithic diet and the diet eaten by members of modern pre-industrial societies.