On Mon, 27 Sep 1999, Troy Gilchrist wrote:

> Cordain, Eades, Eaton, Sears, and Simopoulos and their ilk are the experts.
> I would like to see people on this list keep in mind that most of us on this
> list are not "experts." We're just a group of educated folks trying to help
> each other in good faith.

Bravo!  And the experts will be the first to acknowledge that
there is much, *much* that we don't know -- and may never know --
about the actual diets of paleolithic human beings.  I am also
pleased to learn that Cordain will specifically address some of
the potential dangers of paleodiet
implementations/interpretations.  This is an area that needs to
be looked at carefully, since we are all experimenting with our
lives and health.  As we've recently discussed, for example, the
homocysteine issue is a potentially serious one.  A diet with
lots of red meats is one that could well elevate homocysteine
levels.  I don't take this to be an argument against red meats
but I do take it to be an argument for paying close attention to
getting adequate B-6, B-12, and folate.  And that's just one
example of a case where a superficially compliant paleo diet
might nevertheless involve nutritional deficiencies.  We should
be alert to such things.

A further point is that we are not entitled to assume that
paleolithic people were paragons of health, invulnerable to
disease.  While there is evidence that they enjoyed good health
as compared to their immediate neolithic descendants, we do not
know how much of that difference is attributable to diet.
Agriculture changed *everything*, not just what people ate.  Our
existence today does not depend upon our paleolithic ancestors
having been perfectly healthy; it depends upon their having been
healthy enough to avoid extinction.  That leaves room for many
questions about what an optimal sort of diet should look like.

Todd Moody
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