Andrew Millard points out that beer making may have been
invented as early as the 4th millenium BC because of the presence of
beveled rimmed bowls.   This is likely, and it wouldnt surprise me if
evidence is eventually found for beer brewing even earlier.    There is
evidence (McGovern PE, Fleming S, Katz S.  The origins and ancient
history of wine.  The Biblical Archaeology Review 1997;23:62-68) that
wine making may have occurred even earlier than beer brewing.

        Jon Bayh argues that Atkins' recommendation of 10-40 mg folic
acid is excessive.   I would tend to agree given that the RDA is 200-400
mcg.   However, folic acid insufficiency/ deficiency is quite common in
industrialized  countries (1) primarily because the best sources of
folic acid are leafy green vegetables, organ meats, fruits and other
vegetables, and  in most western countries fruits and leafy green
vegetables  are eaten infrequently and in small quantity (2).
Hunter-gatherers would have little trouble achieving dietary folate
levels of 400 mcg given their regular consumption of organ meats and
fruits and vegetables.    Low folate levels are known to be involved in
the etiology of neural tube defects (3), coronary artery disease via
their hyper-homocysteinemic effects (4) colon cancer (5) and cervical
cancer (6).   Primarily because of the neural tube defect  data, the
U.S. government has now decided to fortify cereal grain with folate (7).
        Alcohol consumption and oral contraceptives impair folate
metabolism, and given the generally low level of folate consumption in
this country, supplementation would go a long way in preventing many
health problems.

                                REFERENCES

1.      Rosenberg IH.   Folic acid and neural tube defects- time for
action? N Engl J Med 1992;327:1875-77.
2.      Patterson BH et al.  Fruit and vegetables in the american diet:
data from the NHANES II survey. Am J Pub Health 1990;80:1443-49.
3.      Czeizel AE et al.  Prevention of the first occurrence of neural
tube defects by periconceptual vitamin supplementation. N Engl J Med
1992;327:1832-5.
4.      Graham IM et al.  Plasma homocysteine as a risk factor for
vascular disease. JAMA 1997;277:1775-81.
5.      Stampfer MJ et al.  Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase
polymorphism, dietary interactions, and risk of colorectal cancer.
Cancer Research 1997;57:1098-102.
6.      Butterworth CE et al.  Folate deficiency and cervical dysplasia.
JAMA 1992;267:528-33.
6.      Romano RS et al.  Folic acid fortification of grain: an economic
analysis. Am J Pub Health 1995;85:667-676.

        In regards to soluble fiber, there are numerous literature
citations to show that it improves lipid profiles primarily by lowering
LDL cholesterol.    Most trials show little or no improvement in HDL
cholesterol, however there is at least one recent study (1) showing a
lowering of the LDL/HDL with psyllium fiber.
        Meat contains significant amounts of non-digestible  connective
tissues and is therefore not devoid of fiber.   High meat diets have
been shown to not decrease stool weight or fecal transit time and are
therefore considered to not cause constipation (2).   I believe Ray
Audette has previously commented upon this from his personal experience
with stone age diets.

                                REFERENCES

1.      Jenkins DJA et al.  Effect of pysllium in hypercholesterolemia
at two monounsaturated fatty acid  intakes. Am  J Clin Nutr
1997;65:1524-33.
2.      Cummings JH et al.  The effect of meat protein and dietary fiber
on colonic function and metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr 1979;32:2086-93.

                                        Cordially,

                                        Loren Cordain, Ph.D.