snip
> Why do the aborigines
> and Inuit suffer from even higher rates of diabetes and other
> diseases than the rest of us, when exposed to civilized diets?
> Why aren't their disease rates the same as ours?  The obvious
> answer is that they are even less adapted to civilized diet than
> we are.  Why should we assume that they are well adapted to each
> other's diet?

Todd, I generally agree with your point, that Natives/Inuit are probably
genetically less adapted to western diets, but I don't think the
aboriginal version of the western diet is the same as the "typical"
western diet.

How are the diabetes statistics done? Do they compare aboriginal disease
rates to that of the entire North American population, or do they compare
with non-Natives living/eating in the same conditions as aboriginals -
i.e., in isolated regions where western food (particularly produce)  is
expensive and limited in variety, and where poverty is commonplace?

The typical Cree family lives on the following while in the bush: flour,
lard, tea, sugar, milk, potatoes, and wild meat. Vegetable consumption
while in the community is still very low because 1) produce is old and
expensive, and 2) because it has entered the diet so recently, many people
avoid buying them, because they don't know how to cook them properly. Yes,
the aboriginal diet is western-based, but in different proportions. Do the
disease stats ever take this into account?



Cheyenne