On Mon, 18 Jun 2001 09:31:08 -0400, siobhan <[log in to unmask]>
quoted:

>1)  Clinical Applications of Fatty Acid Profiling; ...
>  " Abnormal levels in erythrocyte membranes cause alteration in membrane
>fluidity.  Increased fluidity is associated with active tumor
>proliferation."
>And:
>2)...Erythrocyte stearic to oleic acid ratio in prostatic carcinoma.
>
> "The ratio of stearic to oleic acids in red cell membranes has been found
>to be a strong indicator of the presence of malignant tissue as it reflects
>the lowered ratio found in malignant tissue cell membranes."

The imbedding of unsaturated fatty acids in cell membranes is the main
beneficial purpose these (MUFA and PUFA), besides prostaglandin synthesis,
I repeatedly referred to.

Udo Erasmus described in his book "Fat that kills.." intensely about the
importance of LA and ALA in cell membranes.

Now you give references about clinical connections of cell membrane
structures to cancer (Erasmus claimed them, but didn't give references).

There were 25-35% PUFA in any paleolithic diet, weren't they?
If the structure of cell membranes depends on the available fatty acids in
the blood, how can it be then, that eating a very much altered fatty acid
profile shouldn't alter your cell membranes?

Well it seems such altered cell membranes do have some significance.

In this context a cholesterol surplus in the blood seems to be an indicator
more than a cause. Cell membranes normally include cholesterol to achieve
increased stiffness. The more saturated fat they are made of, the less
cholesterol can they absorb.

w-3 topic:
Karen wrote about the conversion rate from ALA to EPA/DHA,
"bioavailability". ALA is already a w-3 fatty acid, not only EPA/DHA.
It is directly bioavailable.

There are more reasons for the organisms to make ALA than to just end
up into EPA and DHA.
If plants and animals make so much ALA (and LA) and only a few percent of
this end up into EPA and DHA, *why* should they make so much, anyway?

>  I won't disparage pemmican, but as a mostly intuitive eater I've been
>unable to bring myself to put it in my mouth and swallow it.

Pemmican was an emergency food of the native americans,
used for for travelling and shortages.
Or not?
It wasn't a staple and shouldn't be a staple, I think.

Amadeus