Roland, My understanding of your reply to my posting (about dietary potassium, dietary protein, and renal acid load) seems to do 2 things: 1. To negate the perceived importance of the protein/potassium ratio [which you seem to do by arguing that protein does not induce a net acid load] 2. To implicate a new dietary ratio (ie. carbohydrate/potassium or carbohydrate/cations) to be of primary functional importance in maintaining human health [which you seem to do by arguing that carbohydrate intake in the context of a subclinical potassium deficiency may be at the root of most (all?) of the modern-day diet-related metabolic disorders that have surfaced as public health concerns in the past century or so - primarily due to diet-induced insulin resistance] While you may be found to be entirely correct in these 2 seperate postulations, will you please respond to the following concerns which surface when your post is subjected to the scrutiny of critical analysis? First, with regard to point #1 from above (that protein does not induce a net acid load), I understand that, at least in theory, protein might be thought of as being alkaline to the human body (by providing an excess of ammonia). Still, empirical observations have quantified a renal acid load following increases in dietary protein [1,2]. Can/will you provide any reasoning for these observations (as they directly contradict the "protein doesn't induce a net acid load" argument)? And secondly, with regard to point #2 from above (that the dietary carbohydrate/cation r atio is the pivotal dietary factor implicated in the recent rise of insulin resistance in Western populations): How do you explain other 'competing' theories that seem to have data supporting them, such as a dose-response effect of the long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on insulin sensitivity in the animal model [3] which, I must admit however, has not been conclusively substantiated in humans [4]? Ed Thompson References: [1] Remer T, Manz F. Estimation of the renal net acid excretion by adults consuming diets containing variable amounts of protein. Am J Clin Nutr 1994 Jun;59(6):1356-61 [2] Manz F, Remer T, Decher-Spliethoff E, Hohler M, Kersting M, Kunz C, Lausen B. Effects of a high protein intake on renal acid excretion in bodybuilders. Z Ernahrungswiss 1995 Mar;34(1):10-5 [3] Somova L, Moodley K, Channa ML, Nadar A. Dose-dependent effect of dietary fish-oil (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids on in vivo insulin sensitivity in rat. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol 1999 May;21(4):275-8 [4] Vessby B. Dietary fat and insulin action in humans. Br J Nutr 2000 Mar;83 Suppl 1:S91-6