Yanomamo From Amazon Rainforest

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Yanomamo From Amazon Rainforest

10 May 2022

Disclaimer

Almost 20 years ago, I read about the Yanomamo in a book on introductory anthropology. Many years later, I learnt that they are famous for having low blood pressures throughout their lifetimes! This stability in blood pressure is attributed to zero salt diet. No salt is added by Yanomamo to their meals; sodium is derived from natural foods.

(5 mins, 2022) Yanomamo, Low Sodium, No HTN, No Obesity, Active & Fit in Hot Climate | Dr Peter Rogers

This chart is from a well cited paper by MacGregor (1985). It shows that cultures who added no salt to their meals experienced relatively stable blood pressures throughout their lives. Cultures with salt added to meals experienced elevated blood pressure as the population aged.

Source: This chart is from this writeup on hypertension and salt at Jeff Novick's website. The chart is an adaptation of Figure 1 from this paper: Sodium is more important than calcium in essential hypertension by G A MacGregor, Hypertension, Jul-Aug 1985;7(4):628-40 (PDF file).

Note: In the original paper, the dotted lines corresponded to 'diet with no salt added to food'. In the adaptation, the legend has been changed to 'low salt diet' (which is not exactly the same thing).

(2015) High Blood Pressure May Be a Choice | Dr Greger

(6 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Eating a diet low enough in sodium (salt) can prevent the rise in hypertension risk as we age." Excerpts:

"Meet the Yanomamo people, a no-salt culture."

"Lowest salt intake ever reported, which is to say a normal-for-our-species salt intake. And so, what happens to their blood pressure? They start out with a blood pressure of about 100 over 60 and end up with a blood pressure of about 100 over 60."

"Those in their 50s have the blood pressure of a 20-year-old. What was the percentage of the population tested that had high blood pressure? Zero, whereas elsewhere in Brazil, up to 38% of the population may be affected. The Yanomamos probably represent the ultimate human example of the importance of salt on blood pressure."

Research Papers

Pre-historic eating patterns in Latin America and protective effects of plant-based diets on cardiovascular risk factors by Navarro et al, Clinics (San Paulo), 2010 Oct; 65(10): 1049-1054. Excerpts:

In 1990, Mancilha‐Carvalho and Crews[18] conducted a study with Yanomami Indians. That population has quite a different lifestyle from individuals living in the industrialized world. Their diet is based on local agriculture, including roots, sweet potato, and sugar cane, with the addition of wild fruits and insects. The Yanomami do not raise animals, and the meat they include in their diet comes from hunting; therefore, it is relatively rare. They have little access to processed sugar, salt, alcohol, milk and its by‐products, and eggs. In the study, the lipid profile of Brazilian Yanomamis was compared to that of American men from studies such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey‐1976‐80 (NHANES) and the Lipid Research Clinics Population (LRC). When compared to Americans in the NHANES study, the Yanomamis reported lower TC serum levels compared to Americans – both males and females. When compared to Americans in the LRC study, the Yanomamis were found to have lower TC, LDL‐C, and HDL‐C (high‐density‐lipoprotein cholesterol) levels – also in both males and females.

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