No Two Alike
Why do some people lose weight on low carb diets and others don’t?
Why do some people have a 10 times greater ‘tolerance’ to alcohol than others?
Why is there a 4-fold variation in liver size in healthy individuals?
Why do some people have higher nutrient needs compared to others?
Because, there are no two alike.
When I was young, we went on an excursion to the local police station where the police officer took our fingerprints.
He told us that no one else in the world has the exact same set of ridges and lines that we had on our fingers.
My mind was blown!
Fast forward 30 or so years and I understand that it's far more than our fingerprints that make us unique.
Our medical history, genetic characteristics, epigenetic influences, anatomical makeup, microbiota profile, biochemical differences, enzymatic variation, stage of life, personal goals and preferences, socio-cultural influences and environment are ALL factors that make an individual “unique”.
To share a few anatomical and biochemical examples from Roger Williams’ ground-breaking book from 1956 (“Biochemical Individuality"):
There is a 50-fold variation in enzymatic capacity in healthy individuals.
The standard/ normal number of parathyroid glands is 4, but there may be anywhere from 2-12.
In a series of 182 healthy young men, heart rate ranged from 45-105 beats per minute.
In 3 out of 20 000 cases, the thyroid gland is found at the base of the tongue!
As Fred Provenza says, “Evolving relationships among genes, organisms and environments ensure no two individuals are alike.”
Part of the Naturopathic approach to nutritional medicine is around individuality, which means there is no “one size fits all” approach to nutrition.
This means that you cannot compare yourself and your unique needs to others, and that your nutritional and general health needs will change over time as your needs, context and environment changes (so what worked well for you in your 20’s may not work so well for you in your 40's).
Given that comparisons are unhelpful and previous experience can't be relied on, it also means that you have to take the time to figure out what works well for you!
The more I learn about health and nutrition, the less I subscribe to the traditional RDI model of nutrition. Although RDIs can be helpful, they are only estimates for "healthy" people and are not suitable for those with "specific nutrient needs", those with "disease" or "various other conditions". So, I often wonder how many people these recommendations are actually applicable to? Especially if we're all so unique and therefore all have "specific nutrient needs". ;)
There are certain things which of course apply to all of us from a nutritional perspective (like staying hydrated and eating enough of all of the essential nutrients), but these shouldn’t be fixed or rigid recommendations.
They should always be individualised to a person’s situation and needs.
