* Thomas E. Billings ([log in to unmask]) [991008 11:45]: * Subject: Re: Loetschental Valley: > >I found a reference in a book on longevity by Hitchcox > >where the average coloric intake of the Hunzas, the > >Russian Georgians, and the Vilcabamba indians was given. > >All were considerably lower than the American average, > >but the lowest was the Vilcabambas at 1200 cal/day. > >This is a average, and not much higher than Loren's. > > And what is known about the accuracy of such estimates? > Self-reporting of food intake is often inaccurate, due to > uncertain portion sizes, memory lapses, and the limits on > food tables (especially tables that don't include the > foods eaten in the region of interest). That's a good question, and unfortunately I can't answer it since I just browsed the book at a used-bookstore and didn't purchase it. I did notice, however, that it was a heavily cited book, but I didn't grab the references for the table. :-( --alan