On Sat, 17 Jun 2000 07:55:26 -0400, Todd Moody <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>On Fri, 16 Jun 2000, Mary wrote:
>
>> Is Cordain in favor of a low fat diet??
>
>Cordain's reconstruction of paleo diet is basically high protein
>and low to moderate fat.  See
>http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?A2=ind9811&L=paleodiet&P=R62
>
>The point where he is basic agreement with AHA guidelines is on
>consumption of highly saturated animal fats, which he regards as
>disease-causing and not very abundant in a true paleo diet.  When
>fat intake is low, of course, energy needs must be made up by
>fruits and vegetables.

Except that Drs. Eades point out in Chapter 3 "the Fat of the Land" in their
recent book "Protein Power Life Plan" that the mistake here is in comparing a
"steak" from a game animal to a modern cattle steak - whereas actual
hunter-gatherers would eat the entire game animal, including very fatty organs.

And, in fact, the footnote in that chapter implies that they and Dr. Cordain are
involved in a joint study of analyzing the nutrient composition of whole elks,
for the purpose of further clarifying the macronutrient (and perhaps
micronutrient as well) composition of the Paleolithic diet.

By the way, they also point out in the same chapter that saturated fats are
safely converted to unsaturated fats, as long as everything else is working
properly, and there is sufficient supply of essential Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty
acids.   I think that this is in response to Dr. Sears' statement that saturated
fats can cause cell membranes to become rigid, thereby causing insulin
resistance.  It seems likely that observed insulin resistance in populations
consuming high quantities of saturated fat, could actually be due to lack of
EFAs necessary to prevent adverse effects from saturated fat - which is why only
excessively controlled studies actually prove anything at all.


--
Cheers,

Ken
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