Roger Williams: Your Internal Environment

You Can Achieve Your Genetic Potential with Nutrition

Roger Williams, Ph.D. (1893 - 1988) was a biochemist known for discovering vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) and for naming several other nutritional molecules.

Dr. Williams spoke of a person's "internal environment." One's internal environment includes the nutrients and toxins that reach one's cells — the available raw materials and poisons.

These nutrients and toxins come from the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe — sources in the external environment.

Dr. Williams found that nutrition profoundly affects biochemical function.

Indeed, Dr. Williams said, if yeast cells had optimal nutrients for reproduction at all times, they could grow from a small yeast cake to a billion tons in a week, and would have engulfed the world by now instead of remaining in a petri dish. All lifeforms, including humans, are accustomed to suboptimal nutrition.

Dr. Williams found that his lab animals ate better quality nutrition than many people do, and became less healthy if eating typical human-quality diets. Few people eat well enough even to approach the upper limit of their genetic potential, Dr. Williams believed. We are capable of much more in our lives if we optimize nutrition.

Annotated References:

Williams, Roger J., Ph.D. (1971). Nutrition against disease. New York: Bantam Books. Dr. Williams advocates that we aim for excellent health. We do so, he says, by working together with Nature's processes — by supporting the cells with nutrition.

• "[T]he microenvironment of our body cells is crucially important to our health." (p. vii).
• Excellent nutrition supplies our cells with what they need to unlock our genetic potential. (ch. 2).
• Individuals have differing nutritional needs. Many require certain nutrients far outside accepted ranges. (pp. 39-40, 50).
• Dr. Williams calls for consumers, farmers, and the food industry to aim for better quality food with higher nutrient levels. (chs. 13-14).
• See pages 27-8 re yeast cells would have engulfed the earth long ago with an infinite supply of optimal nutrition.
• See page 39 re rats fed average American diet grew half as fast as rats fed excellent diet.
• See pages 51, 231 re "internal environment."
• "Impure air and water would be harmless if they failed to pollute our internal environments." (p. 231).
• "When in doubt, try nutrition first." (p. 138).