Wes,

I would be very interested if you could help find some references
(books of journal articles) on leukocytosis (other, and more recent,
than Kouchakoff's).

Also, would you happen to have references on food enzymes research
(journal articles or books that are more recent than Howell's)

> Kautchakoff was no vegetarian yet his findings show that flesh would
> have to be eaten raw to avoid leukocytosis which would be unpalatable to
> humans, but prepared meat (cooked, smoked, salted, etc.) brought on the
> most violent reaction equivalent to the leukocytosis count manifest in
> poisoning."

Koutchakoff doesn't say that. I have read the original article in
French (1937). Meat cooked at, say, 85 degree C, doesn't induce
leukocytosis. Alternatively, you can eat 200 grams of meat cooked at
high temperature, and mix with 20 grams of meat that is raw OR cooked,
say, at 85 degree C. Re-read carefully what I posted.

> My thoughts: It's common knowledge that heavy exercise stresses the
> immune system - i.e. invokes leukocytosis. Does ALL exercise produce
> leukocytosis? In other words, does brisk walking do it as would running
> or weight lifting?

Moderate exercise produces less leukocytosis than heavy exercise.

> The mechanism/implication in my opinion: stress to the body. It seems
> that such things as cooked foods, especially processed, and heavy
> exercise, pregnancy, etc. are all stresses to the body, thus stimulate
> the immune response/leukocytosis...

Stress can indeed have some effect, but we have to keep in mind that
exercise-induced leukocytosis differs in nature from infection induced
leukocytosis (fractions of white blood cells don't increase in the
same way).

In addition, an elevated white blood cell count can have many other
reasons than stress. We just don't know. Also, why 200 grams of fried meat
would cause leukocytosis, whereas 200 grams of fried meat+20 grams of
raw meat wouldn't?

My point was only to say that leukocytosis occurs under natural
conditions. Exercise and pregnancy are natural (remember that women in
ancient times had more children than today). So, leukocytosis is
natural and therefore we don't have to be afraid of it.


--Jean-Louis Tu <[log in to unmask]>