Page 18 - Summer2011

UNAPPRECIATED DEFICIENCIES epicenter of the modern agricultural practices
Sulfur is found in a large number of foods, (mega-farms) that lead to sulfur depletion in the
and, as a consequence, it is assumed that almost soil. Among all fifty states, Oregon has the lowest
any diet would meet the minimum daily require- childhood obesity rates.
ments. Excellent sources are eggs, onions, garlic, Hawaii’s youth are faring less well than their
and leafy dark green vegetables like kale and parents, however: while Hawaii ranks as the fifth
broccoli. Meats, nuts, and seafood also contain from the bottom in obesity rates, its children
sulfur. Methionine, an essential amino acid, aged ten through seventeen weigh in at number
is found mainly in egg whites and fish. A diet thirteen. As Hawaiians have recently become
high in grains like bread and cereal is likely to increasingly dependent on food imports from the
be deficient in sulfur. Increasingly, whole foods mainland, they have suffered accordingly with
such as corn and soybeans are disassembled into increased obesity problems.
component parts with chemical names, and then In her recently published book, The Jungle
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reassembled into heavily processed foods. Sulfur Effect, Dr. Daphne Miller devotes a full chapter
is lost along the way, and so is the awareness that to Iceland in which she struggles to answer the
this loss matters. question of why Icelanders enjoy such remark-
Experts have recently become aware that ably low rates of depression, despite living at a
sulfur depletion in the soil creates a serious northern latitude, where one would expect a high
deficiency for plants, brought about in part incidence of Seasonal Affective Disorder. She
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by improved efficiency in the U.S. agricultural points out, furthermore, their excellent health
industry, which has steadily consolidated into record in other key areas: “When compared to
highly technologized mega-farms. North Americans, they have almost half the death
It is estimated that humans obtain about rate from heart disease and diabetes, significantly
ten percent of their sulfur supply from drinking less obesity, and a greater life expectancy. In fact,
water. Remarkably, people who drink soft water the average life span for Icelanders is amongst
have an increased risk of heart disease compared the longest in the world.” While she proposes
to people who drink hard water. Many possible that their high fish consumption, with associated
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reasons have been suggested for why this might high intake of omega-3 fats, may plausibly be the
be true, and just about every trace metal has been main beneficial factor, she puzzles over the fact
considered as a possibility. However, I believe that former Icelanders who move to Canada and
3
My extensive that the real reason may simply be that hard water also eat lots of fish do not also enjoy the same
literature is more likely to contain sulfur. decreased rate of depression and heart disease.

In my view, the key to Icelanders’ good
search has SULFUR AND OBESITY RATES health lies in the string of volcanoes that make
led me to two The ultimate source of sulfur is volcanic up the backbone of the island, which sits atop

mysterious rock, mainly basalt, spewed up from the earth’s the mid-Atlantic ridge crest. Dr. Miller pointed
out that the mass exodus to Canada was due to
molecules core during volcanic eruptions. It is generally extensive volcanic eruptions in the late 1800s,
believed that humans first evolved in the African
found in the rift zone, a region that would have enjoyed an which blanketed the highly cultivated southeast
bloodstream abundance of sulfur due to the heavy volcanic region of the country. This means, of course, that
the soils today are highly enriched in sulfur. The
and in many activity there. cabbage, beets and potatoes that are staples of
The three principal suppliers of sulfur to

other parts of the Western nations are Greece, Italy and Japan. the Icelandic diet are likely providing far more
the body: These three countries also enjoy low rates of sulfur to Icelanders than their counterparts in
the American diet provide.
vitamin D heart disease and obesity and increased longev-
ity. In the United States, Oregon and Hawaii,
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sulfate, and two states with significant volcanic activity, have TWO MYSTERIOUS MOLECULES
Now comes the difficult question: why does
cholesterol among the lowest obesity rates in the country. By sulfur deficiency lead to obesity? The answer,
sulfate. contrast, the highest obesity rates are found in like much of biology, is complicated, and part
the midwest and in southern farm country: the
18 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2011

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