Developed by Dr Jean Seignalet in the 1990s, the Seignalet - or hypotoxic - diet surprisingly advocates a return to the dietary habits of our ancestors. Discover the principles behind it and its alleged powerful benefits.
Jean Seignalet was a physician. A specialist in immunology, he was a university lecturer and hospital doctor. He published numerous works on histocompatibility, ie, tissue compatibility between individuals (important data for transplants) (1).
Following a conference on instinctotherapy (instinct-based eating) which he attended in the 1980s, and a personal bout of depression, he developed a keen interest in nutrition.
He was convinced that the modern Western diet leads to inflammation of the lining of the gut, potentially triggering an auto-immune response which could explain the development of certain types of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.
The scientific nature of Jean Seignalet’s approach and conclusions remains controversial. Nonetheless, there’s now an overwhelming consensus among doctors that diet is a key factor in maintaining good health and Jean Seignalet is recognised as being an early identifier of the fundamental importance of the gut microbiota (even if he didn’t express it as such).
To remedy this inflammatory diet, Jean Seignalet proposed an “ancestral anti-inflammatory and hypotoxic approach” (2).
He believed that:
In summary, the Seignalet or hypotoxic diet is very similar to what we now know as the paleo diet, the kind eaten by our ancestors. The overriding principle behind the Seignalet diet is to reconnect with man’s natural diet.
Basically, the scientific community has two criticisms of Seignalet’s approach:
But:
But all in all, the Seignalet diet poses no risk in itself: it’s simply a healthy diet compatible with the human body.
Dr Jean Seignalet recommended supplementing with vitamins, trace-elements and mineral salts, which he believed were necessary to offset modern lifestyles for which the body was not designed. The nutrients to focus on are:
Very concerned about intestinal health, Jean Seignalet was also one of the first doctors to recommend the consumption of lactic acid bacteria (from foods such as fermented cabbage and pickles, miso…), especially as he advocated the exclusion of dairy foods.
The Seignalet diet thus incorporates what we now refer to as probiotics for taking care of the gut microbiota (5). It’s worth noting that some probiotic formulations include several strains of lactic bacteria.
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