>>considering its very poor track record, just claiming that a few of
>>your friends have been doing well on such a diet will not cut it.

Carol:
>I think it likely -- though I don't know it for sure -- that no
>credible science supports fruitarianism because no credible science
>has ever investigated it.

I doubt this is any coincidence. :)

Carol:
>And as for Alan claiming that he knows people who do well on it...
>How different is that from your statement of fruitarianism's "poor
>track record" if neither of you have scientific studies to back you
>up?

I do not need scientific studies to draw the conclusion that
fruitarianism basically is a hoax and a health fraud. The raw-food
archives provide more than enough evidence for me.  Besides, I am not
making the claims, Alan is, so I do not need to prove anything.  Being
skeptical of a phenomenon cannot be compared to making a claim.

Peter:
>>Poor argumentation - bad science does not justify unfounded claims or
>>hype.

Carol:
>I don't think that is what he was saying.  I took Alan's little story
>to be just an explanation of why he doesn't put much stock in
>scientific reports.  He's seen too much slop, as have I.

A lot of bad and corrupt science is being conducted but that is no
excuse to dismiss the good science that is being done just because it
threatens your dogma.

Carol:
>Seems to me that as much as we differ, Alan and I would agree that
>putting a couple of scientific references at the end of one's
>statements shouldn't be assumed to give that statement any more
>weight. One would have to go back to the orig-inal article and read it
>to find out.

True but all it takes is one person to pull out the original article to
refute the claims being made.  When Alan makes vague references to
successful fruitarians or sweeping generalizations about human health,
with little or no evidence these statements are not falsifiable. At
least scientific references can be checked on.

Carol:
>How many of us do that whenever we see a scientific reference??

Not nearly enough that is for sure.  We all need to learn to be
critical consumers of information regardless of its source.

Peter:
>>A good nutrition library will provide you with many reports of
>>how cooking enhances the uptake of nutrients.

Carol:
>A gentle reminder: One must always read beyond the abstract to see if
>the study makes good sense.  Never trust the conclusions of those who
>wrote the study.  Think for yourself.

I could not agree more.

Best, Peter