>  Liza:
> > The only way that it would be possible to study the real,
> > long-term effects of a raw vegan diet on human health would
> > be to find a population that ate this way.

> Carol:
> Of course! :D  Since grabbing a big bunch of people and putting them
> in cages to control their environment etc. is generally not considered
> cricket, that would be the only way to do it that would be ethically
> acceptable to most of us (I assume).

Liza:
What I mean is, that unless there is a population in real
life that exists on raw veganism, the _long-term_ effects of
such a diet in real life are impossible to know about, as
people age, and across generations.

(Btw, just as an aside on this theme: the following was
posted yesterday on another list:

"Vegetarian mothers seem more likely to have a son born with
a genital defect than meat-eating mothers, according to a
new study. University researchers in a investigation of more
than 7900 mothers found vegetarians were nearly five times
more likely to give birth to a boy with a malformed penis -
a condition known as hypospadias.  [snip] "They reflect
other current research indicating an increased incidence of
problems of the male reproductive system - such as low sperm
count, undescended testicles and testicular cancer." (from
The Canberra Times, Saturday February 27 1999, Page 12)

> > Liza:
> > Other than that, there are just too many confounding factors to
> > come to any kind of an intelligent conclusion about whether the
> > rawness makes any difference or not.

> Carol:
> Unless we're talking about someone experimenting on their own self,
> that is.  Self-experimentation can be done well and can yield results
> more meaningful to the person doing the experimenting than any
> population study can.

Liza,
My comments are only with regard to reaching any conclusions
about such a diet being somehow more compatible in general
with human nutritional requirements, as compared to a cooked
or a non-vegan diet. I agree with you that individual needs
are so unique, that the ONLY way for someone to figure out
what's best for him or herself, is through experimentation
and the designing of a diet that is uniquely one's own.

> > > Carol:
> > > That is *not* to say that raw vs. cooked *couldn't* have anything
> > > to do with changes in their health, but such a conclusion would be
> > > unfounded in such a situation.
>
> > Liza:
> > Oh noo-ooo!!! It's the hilarious logic thing, starting
> > again!! :D heeee heeee ...
>
> Carol:
> I'm sure I come across as geeky when I talk like that, but I'm just
> trying to avoid the misunderstandings that I think are most likely,
> to nip them in the bud.  :)

Liza,
You don't sound the least bit "geeky." You sound
delightfully clear, precise, and interested in thinking
logically. :) It's ME who gets giddy and starts laughing
nervously and uncontrollably when I try to FOLLOW your good
logic. :)

Love Liza

--
[log in to unmask] (Liza May)