Macrobiotic diet

Description and background

Macrobiotic diet, as we know it today, was developed and promoted by Michio Kushi and is based on concepts of the Japanese philosopher George Ohsawa. Several degrees of strictness in adhering to an essentially vegetarian regimen exist. A typical macrobiotic diet would consist mainly of whole grains, cereals and cooked vegetables. Some types of fish are allowed but only in moderation. Dieters are encouraged to adhere to a lifestyle which includes eating vegetables while in season, avoiding processed food and overeating, as well as chewing food thoroughly before swallowing (Kushi 2001).

The term ‘macrobiotic’ goes back to Hippocrates and was extensively used by Christoph WF Hufeland, a German physician (1762-1836) who published his book “The Art of Prolonging Human Life” (1797) using the term ‘macrobiotic’. Macrobiotics encompasses behaviour, thought, breathing, exercise, relationships, customs, cultures, ideas, and consciousness, as well as individual and collective lifestyles found throughout the world (Kushi 2001). 

The popularity of macrobiotics varies from country to country and by ethnic group surveyed (Sparber 2000, Supoken 2009).

Ingredients and quality requirements

The standard macrobiotic diet consists of 50 – 60% whole grains, 20 – 25% vegetables, 5 – 10% pulses and sea vegetables as well as 5% vegetable soup; nuts, seeds fruits and fish can be added occasionally (Kushi 2001, Jonas 1999). Essentially, the macrobiotic diet is a high-fibre, low-fat, high complex carbohydrate, mainly vegetarian diet (Lerman 2010).

While not related to cancer outcomes, an observational study was conducted in the USA to compare the nutrient composition and inflammatory potential of a macrobiotic diet with national dietary recommendations and intakes of a sample from the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey (NHANES). The study found that the diet met or exceeded recommended dietary allowances and that it had a lower inflammatory index compared to NHANES data (Harmon 2015).

Alleged indication

Proponents believe that this diet prevents illness in general (Lerman 2010, Hübner 2012). Some even claim that a macrobiotic diet effectively treats and prevents cancer of all types (e.g. Lerman 2010).

Application and dosage

Proponents recommend adopting this diet for life, and it is possible to do this at different levels of strictness.

Mechanism of action

Macrobiotics is based on the Taoist philosophy of balance; restoring balance between the inner opposite yet complementary forces Yin and Yang treats and prevents disease and illness. The postulated cancer-related mechanisms of action of the macrobiotic diet are not entirely clear. As the diet contains less saturated fat and protein (Porrata- Maury 2012), it seems conceivable that it is less carcinogenic than a diet with a high fat content. There is some preliminary evidence that adherence to this diet might reduce some risk factors (Bhumisawasdi 2006, McEvoy 2012). Being a high fibre and low-fat diet, macrobiotics might normalize risk factors such as obesity (Craig 2010).

Legal issues

There are no legal issues.