Aboriginal Research

You and I know that sitting on your arse and having a sedentary 'Western' lifestyle is bad for you. In fact this lifestyle is actually more related to wealth than geography. I can tell you about the rich classes in many African countries and elsewhere, who are also obese and suffer some of the same problems as the overweight in the UK or USA. Money tends to naturally generate a gathering of appliances, gadgets and home helps that reduce physical workloads. The wealthy (and I include myself in this because I am hundreds if not thousands of times, richer than the real poor of the world) also concentrate on work that does not require physical effort. I have always had an interest in the exploitation and racism inherent in Australian society which suppresses Aboriginal living styles and aims to generate more 'civilisation'. The following paper indicates how bad that sudden change in lifestyle can be for human health:

The traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle of Australian Aborigines, characterised by high physical activity and a diet of low energy density (low fat, high fibre), promoted the maintenance of a very lean body weight and minimised insulin resistance. In contrast, for most Aborigines a Western lifestyle is characterised by reduced physical activity and an energy-dense diet (high in refined carbohydrate and fat) which promotes obesity and maximises insulin resistance. When they make the transition from their traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a westernised lifestyle, Aborigines develop high prevalence rates for obesity (with an android pattern of fat distribution), non-insulin dependent diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, hypertriglyceridaemia, hypertension and hyperinsulinaemia. The striking improvements in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in diabetic and non-diabetic Aborigines after a temporary reversion to a traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle highlight the potentially reversible nature of the detrimental effects of lifestyle change, particularly in young people who have not yet developed diabetes. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that insulin resistance was important to the survival of Aborigines as hunter-gatherers, but is also the underlying metabolic characteristic predisposing them to obesity, NIDDM and CHD after westernisation. Intervention strategies to prevent chronic diseases related to insulin resistance should be directed at lifestyle modification. To be effective such programmes will have to be developed and implemented at the community level.

Westernisation, insulin resistance and diabetes in Australian aborigines. O'Dea K Med J Aust 1991 Aug 19;155(4):258-64