On Thu, 18 Feb 1999, Lady Ariel wrote:

> Okie, here's my latest burning question for the day.  Does a paleo
> diet increase ones risk of colon cancer?  I'm not through the entire
> book...and it does address cancer in general.  This is probably way
> way too much info, but I tend on the constipated side.  So, keeping my
> colon healthy is pretty important to me.  Then again eating broccoli
> and cabbage make things even worse which seems extremely odd as you'd
> think all that fiber would get things moving along quite well.

The colon cancer matter is controversial around here.  Not all
studies show the correlation between red meat and colon cancer,
but most do.  Bruce Ames, one of the sources cited in Neanderthin
in support of the carcinogenic properties of corn and peanuts,
thinks it is valid.

But if there is a connection between red meat and colon cancer,
no one yet knows *why* there is.  One theory is that cooking
meat, especially broiling or frying at high temperatures, creates
heterocyclic amines, which are carcinogenic.  The use of dried
raw meats or boiled meats would minimize this risk factor.

Also, you should remember that there are two kinds of fiber,
soluble and insoluble.  Soluble fiber absorbs fluid and fat and
tends to increase stool volume.  Insoluble fiber does not have
this property. I find that insoluble fiber speeds but transit
time considerably.  There's a lot of insoluble fiber in wheat
bran, but since you won't be eating wheat your next best source
may be nuts.

Todd Moody
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