In a message dated 8/2/02 10:09:34 AM, [log in to unmask] writes:

> This is where the "Lights Out" book (admittedly flawed) may have some
>> application.
>>
>> Their theory is that in the summer, when both fruit and light are
bountiful,
>> humans naturally stayed up late and ate more carbs.   Then in winter,
>when
>> daylight was short lived and there was no artificial light, humans went
>to bed
>> early and slept longer and due to the meager results from hunting and
>gathering
>> in the winter, lived off their fat.
>>
>> If there is any truth to this, then losing 50 lbs may have been an "every
>year"
>> occurrence in the paleo era, and the key would be to start your diet
>on the day
>> in October when Daylight Savings Time ends.
>
>I wonder if this much of a body fat gain and loss would actually
>be typical for humans.  Do they have any information on this?

Lights Out has been a favorite of mine since it first came out a couple of
years ago. I think Wiley and Formby have connected a lot of dots. However,
they do not suggest that stone age people routinely put on and lost 50 lbs --
they do say that in the summer (long lights) our hormonal system would have
cued us to eat sugar (when it was available) in order to lay down fat to see
us through the  coming winter or famine (at least as far as carbohydrates
were concerned). We would have become insulin resistant as well as leptin
resistant making it more easy to lay down fat. However, no where do they
suggest we would have laid down 50 lbs of extra fat. That only happens now
that we have a constant supply of carbohydrates, perennial summer (artificial
lights) and no winter or non-fruiting season to use up the extra storage. As
they say: "we wear our winter coats of fur all year round". The government
telling us to eat less fat just makes the situation worse! I think Lights Out
is an incredible book -- still mining it for information. It has over 100
pages of endnotes -- worth the price of the book.  Someone said they thought
the book was flawed -- admittedly, Wiley style is a bit caustic at times --
and there were some errors that her editor should have picked up. Could
whoever said it was flawed amplify what they meant.

Recently saw a documentary about the effects of cold on people -- a group
went out and lived in arctic conditions for several weeks -- although they
ate what all they wanted and theoretically had sufficient calories --
including fat calories -- they all lost substantial weight. Cold is a fat
burning experience.


Also just saw this -- more evidence that soy has a dark side!!

Cancer Detect Prev 2001;25(6):527-32    Related Articles,  Books,  LinkOut

Effects of the dietary phytoestrogens daidzein and genistein on the incidence
of vulvar carcinomas in 129/J mice.

Thigpen JE, Locklear J, Haseman JK, Saunders H, Grant MF, Forsythe DB.

Comparative Medicine Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of dietary
phytoestrogens on the incidence of spontaneous vulvar carcinomas in 129/J
mice using three natural ingredient diets and two purified diets containing
predetermined levels of daidzein and genistein. Eighty weanling female mice
without clinical evidence of vulvar carcinomas were randomly assigned 16 per
diet to each of 5 test diets. Mice were clinically examined for vulvar masses
weekly for 3 months and at monthly intervals thereafter. Vulvar carcinomas in
representative groups of mice were confirmed using routine histological
procedures. The incidence of vulvar carcinomas increased sharply in mice on
all test diets during the first 2 months with minor changes during the
remainder of the study. Within one month, the incidence of vulvar carcinomas
in mice fed the AIN-76A modified soy protein diet was significantly (P < .05)
increased over those of mice fed the AIN-76A modified casein diet, the #5K96,
or the # 5058 diet. At three months, the incidence of vulvar carcinomas in
mice fed the soy protein diet was significantly (P < .05) increased over
those of mice fed the NIH-31 diet or the PMI #5K96 diet. There was a
marginally significant (P < .10) correlation between the total daidzein and
genistein levels in the five test diets and the incidence of vulvar
carcinomas in mice as determined by clinical examination. We concluded that
dietary levels of daidzein and genistein were associated with an increase in
the incidence of vulvar carcinomas in mice and that the 129/J mouse may
provide an animal

Namaste, Liz
<A HREF="http://www.csun.edu/~ecm59556/Healthycarb/index.html">
http://www.csun.edu/~ecm59556/Healthycarb/index.html</A>