> I would like to point out two things:
>
> 1. Numerous populations have survived for very long periods of time on
> what
> would be considered acid promoting diets (very low in fruits and
> vegetables,
> very high in meat and fat) without any evidence (from examining their
> corpses) of any bone degradation - in fact, the opposite. Inuit come to
> mind, but there have been others (the usual suspects). This makes me
> question the validity of the conclusion.
>
> 2. I looked at that study and as many others as I could find on the
> subject, and they all compared people on a mostly SAD (standard american
> diet) with relatively more or fewer fruits and vegetables. That is, both
> subject groups were eating grains, dairy, etc., processed meat (at least
> not
> grass fed beef), which means they all had serious deficiencies in Vitamind
> D3 and K2M4 intake. I haven't found any studies comparing, for example,
> people who eat raw meat and organs and zero carbs (meaning zero fruits and
> vegetables) with people who eat lots of fruits and veggies - it may be
> that
> the protective value of the increased vitamin intake for the zero carb
> crowd, if they're eating healthy (grass fed) meats, more than makes up for
> the acid load of the food.
I doubt that grassfed vs. feedlot makes any difference on this particular
issue. But I think your points are well taken. I guess Herta Spencer's
work is familiar to everyone here, but here's some commentary anyway:
http://www.siteground217.com/~westonap/modern-diseases/29-modern-diseases/271-dem-bones
I've read estimates that paleo people got over 90% (but I've never seen
100%) of their protein from meat. This is interesting, since non-meat
paleo foods tend to be low in protein. So to get even 10% of protein from
non-meat sources, you'd need to eat a good amount of low-density veggies.
An interesting question is whether this ratio is essential for bone
health, or makes no difference at all.
Concerning the list, I think it's good to have a variety of approaches
represented here. We are *all* susceptible to confirmation bias.
Todd Moody
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