Ages ago, Paul Bragg recounted a similar tale. He knew a couple who were diabetic and in terrible condition, and he put them on what I recall as something like a raw diet. They had a remarkable improvement. I kind of discounted it at the time, mainly due to some of the kooky ideas in "The Shocking Truth About Water", where I read it. This book was given to me by a junky friend. He seemed to believe Mr. Bragg, but didn't exactly live the lifestyle. He liked to shoot up PCP, among other things. These days, considering some of the data that's come out of Helen Vlassara's lab, I'm more inclined to believe in the groovosity of Raw. It isn't about magical vitamins, "live" enzymes, or other similar Unicorns & Leprechauns stuff. It's about the pro-inflammatory endogenous AGEs that form when food is heated. Of course, most of the people in the before and after site linked above lost a ton of weight, so they are obviously getting less total calories. Another thing that must be having a huge impact is a major reduction in carbs and simple sugars.
Keep in mind that most people in this poor state of health will of course benefit from a raw diet, because practically any semi-healthy diet will be superior to what they're currently eating.
I'm totally for raw veggies and fruits, over cooked. There's no question raw is better. But, too many people on a raw diet are also vegetarians, and that's where they make a mistake. A vegetarian diet is basically a high-sugar diet, and a high-sugar diet is not healthy. My brother, 6 yrs younger than me, has been a vegetarian for 20 years, and looks 10 years older to me. AGEs has devastated him, not to mention he doesn't get nearly enough saturated fat or protein.
It's funny when I hear vegetarians say, "Well sure, you need to supplement with protein powders." Is this what vegetarian caveman did, too?