Andrew Millard points out that beer making may have been invented as early as the 4th millenium BC because of the presence of beveled rimmed bowls. This is likely, and it wouldnt surprise me if evidence is eventually found for beer brewing even earlier. There is evidence (McGovern PE, Fleming S, Katz S. The origins and ancient history of wine. The Biblical Archaeology Review 1997;23:62-68) that wine making may have occurred even earlier than beer brewing. Jon Bayh argues that Atkins' recommendation of 10-40 mg folic acid is excessive. I would tend to agree given that the RDA is 200-400 mcg. However, folic acid insufficiency/ deficiency is quite common in industrialized countries (1) primarily because the best sources of folic acid are leafy green vegetables, organ meats, fruits and other vegetables, and in most western countries fruits and leafy green vegetables are eaten infrequently and in small quantity (2). Hunter-gatherers would have little trouble achieving dietary folate levels of 400 mcg given their regular consumption of organ meats and fruits and vegetables. Low folate levels are known to be involved in the etiology of neural tube defects (3), coronary artery disease via their hyper-homocysteinemic effects (4) colon cancer (5) and cervical cancer (6). Primarily because of the neural tube defect data, the U.S. government has now decided to fortify cereal grain with folate (7). Alcohol consumption and oral contraceptives impair folate metabolism, and given the generally low level of folate consumption in this country, supplementation would go a long way in preventing many health problems. REFERENCES 1. Rosenberg IH. Folic acid and neural tube defects- time for action? N Engl J Med 1992;327:1875-77. 2. Patterson BH et al. Fruit and vegetables in the american diet: data from the NHANES II survey. Am J Pub Health 1990;80:1443-49. 3. Czeizel AE et al. Prevention of the first occurrence of neural tube defects by periconceptual vitamin supplementation. N Engl J Med 1992;327:1832-5. 4. Graham IM et al. Plasma homocysteine as a risk factor for vascular disease. JAMA 1997;277:1775-81. 5. Stampfer MJ et al. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphism, dietary interactions, and risk of colorectal cancer. Cancer Research 1997;57:1098-102. 6. Butterworth CE et al. Folate deficiency and cervical dysplasia. JAMA 1992;267:528-33. 6. Romano RS et al. Folic acid fortification of grain: an economic analysis. Am J Pub Health 1995;85:667-676. In regards to soluble fiber, there are numerous literature citations to show that it improves lipid profiles primarily by lowering LDL cholesterol. Most trials show little or no improvement in HDL cholesterol, however there is at least one recent study (1) showing a lowering of the LDL/HDL with psyllium fiber. Meat contains significant amounts of non-digestible connective tissues and is therefore not devoid of fiber. High meat diets have been shown to not decrease stool weight or fecal transit time and are therefore considered to not cause constipation (2). I believe Ray Audette has previously commented upon this from his personal experience with stone age diets. REFERENCES 1. Jenkins DJA et al. Effect of pysllium in hypercholesterolemia at two monounsaturated fatty acid intakes. Am J Clin Nutr 1997;65:1524-33. 2. Cummings JH et al. The effect of meat protein and dietary fiber on colonic function and metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr 1979;32:2086-93. Cordially, Loren Cordain, Ph.D.