On 10/17/2009 04:58 PM, steve wrote:
> I've always assumed that modern man has higher iron levels since Paleo
> man probably lost a lot more blood from cuts, scrapes, parasites,
> hunting injuries, etc

Sorry my friend, but this doesn't make any sense.

First of all, the amount of blood lost this way is completely trivial.  I
do farm-work and I regularly walk through thick underbrush wearing
only shorts and toe-sandals and I get plenty of cuts and scrapes
(although less than a few years ago as my subconscious is learning
how to move more effectively in those environs) but the total amount
of blood lost doesn't even amount to a milliliter per week.  Cuts and
scrapes coagulate fast, and even I know of many plants that I can
find wherever I am that help a deeper cut coagulate more quickly
when needed.  And paleo man knew how to move in the wild 100x
better than me and healed 10x faster.  I'm sure there were the
occasional large wounds, but not so frequent as to affect iron levels
from blood loss for more than a week or two.

I really can't imagine that the average paleo MAN lost more blood to
any of these factors than the average WOMAN, paleo OR modern,
loses to her period every month.

Secondly, even if they did, there was an ample source of iron in
their diet at all times... the blood and organ meat of animals.   There
really is no better regular source than that.  And they ate less stuff
that interferes with iron absoption in the body.

No, if anything paleo man/woman was more likely to have higher
iron levels than modern humans, or at least far less likely to ever
have a deficiency.

> it would lower iron levels (higher iron helps infectious bacteria to
> reproduced)

I think it is probably more accurate to say that lower iron levels
can help make it more difficult for /some/ infectious bacteria to
reproduce.  But as always that's only one factor of many.  Your
body has far more effective weapons against infectious bacteria
than to lower iron levels.

> and force replacement of blood cells with more youthful
> ones.

No need to force anything.  Red blood cells get cycled faster than
almost anything else in your body anyway.  Your liver eats them
like candy and your bone marrow pumps them out steadily.  So
long as there's enough iron!  ;-)

:j