Think of the Victorians and characters like Fagin, The Artful Dodger, and Oliver Twist come to mind. And along with them come images of orphanages, malnourishment and short cruel lives.
But are these pictures a record of fact or fiction?
New research published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine contradicts everything you may believe about your great-grand parents’ era.
Not only did their generation live longer than we do today, but they were stronger and healthier. And their immune systems were better at fighting infection.
Hmmm… and you were so sure we live longer now, than they did back then. Right? Well, it’s a matter of statistics…
It’s true, the average age at death of the entire population is going up. But that’s not difficult when infant mortality has decreased by a factor of 15, since 1900.
Think of it like this. If the entire population is three people… two die at birth and the other dies at 90… the average age at death is just 30. So a high number of infant deaths massively reduces the average age at death.
The truth is if you made it through early life in Victorian times the chances are you lived longer than today—with illnesses like cancer and heart disease at only one tenth of the rates they are currently.
Of course, there were many reasons for the Victorians’ stronger constitutions: They were more active, and ate much more than we do today…
… consumed less sugar, salt, tobacco and alcohol. And what they did eat was generally unprocessed, with a much higher vitamin and mineral content than we eat today.
According to the authors of the Royal Society study – Dr Paul Clayton and Dr Judith Rowbotham (a historian with special interest in the Victorian era) – men and women consumed almost twice the calories they do today! Yet being overweight and obese were unknown to all but the wealthier class.
Assuming you made it to age five back then, if you’re a man you were expected to live ‘till 75, and if you’re a woman 73. That’s even though infectious diseases like cholera and typhoid were rampant.
So what was their secret? How did so many survive dangerous infections in a time before you could get vaccinated for just about everything? Let me explain…
Hidden in their food was something with almost magical properties. You can’t make bread rise without it, beer was full of it, and it tainted a large proportion of the other foods they ate, as well.
It turns out there are substances in yeast that keep your natural immunity in battle ready condition. Unfortunately, nowadays these compounds called beta 1-3, 1-6 glucans are refined and processed to death, and chemically destroyed by intensive farming.
Beta 1-3, 1-6 glucans are substances you’ll find naturally in some bacteria, yeast and other funguses. And of course, some bacteria and funguses are healthful and some are harmful. It just so happens that one of the markers your system is looking for to activate your innate immunity, are these beta 1-3, 1-6 glucans—that’s regardless of whether they come with a friend or a foe.
So by eating a huge hunk of Victorian era wholemeal bread, you weren’t only taking in nutrition. You were ensuring the troops were on guard not sleeping in the barracks.
These special glucose polysaccharides kept your innate immunity geared up for the fight. So when a real threat came to town it was ready to savage the intruder!