On Mar 05, 2007, at 10:56 pm, Paleo Phil wrote:

> I found that zinc now worked to clear up the
> remaining breakouts. If I go a single day without the zinc I get minor
> breakouts of acne the next day. If I then take the zinc again it  
> clears up
> within a day or two. So for me, the combination of a Paleo diet and
> supplements did the trick, but neither alone was sufficient in the  
> long run.

Hmm I still get acne after three years of paleo.  I always assumed it  
was due to low adrenal function, but I guess there's a possibility of  
malabsorption.  I might try some zinc and/or chromium and see if it  
helps.

How long have you been eating paleo?  Do you think you will  
eventually be able to live zinc-free?

Also, do you take zinc+copper supplements?  I read that taking excess  
zinc can cause serious harm from copper deficiency.


> Nutritional deficiencies and malabsorption are common symptoms of  
> autoimmune
> disorders that are not necessarily corrected completely in the  
> short term by
> a Paleo diet. Coverage of this topic is something that is sorely  
> missing
> from the books, NeanderThin and The Paleo Diet.

Possibly.  One problem I've always had explaning paleo is the two  
types of illness - those caused by an immediate or short-term  
reaction to food, and those caused by long-term damage.  I imagine  
most people have a bit of both.  The body seems to usually repair  
quite quickly when a toxin is removed.  Any idea why malabsorption  
would last?  What sort of damage does it take to cause long term  
malabsorption?