The Eades make a pretty interesting argument in Protein Power Lifeplan  
that modern males have *too much* iron. They recommend periodically  
giving blood to bring down iron levels.


Jim Swayze
www.fireholecanyon.com
Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 31, 2009, at 8:43 AM, Juergen Botz <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> On 10/17/2009 04:58 PM, steve wrote:
>> I've always assumed that modern man has higher iron levels since  
>> Paleo
>> man probably lost a lot more blood from cuts, scrapes, parasites,
>> hunting injuries, etc
>
> Sorry my friend, but this doesn't make any sense.
>
> First of all, the amount of blood lost this way is completely  
> trivial.  I
> do farm-work and I regularly walk through thick underbrush wearing
> only shorts and toe-sandals and I get plenty of cuts and scrapes
> (although less than a few years ago as my subconscious is learning
> how to move more effectively in those environs) but the total amount
> of blood lost doesn't even amount to a milliliter per week.  Cuts and
> scrapes coagulate fast, and even I know of many plants that I can
> find wherever I am that help a deeper cut coagulate more quickly
> when needed.  And paleo man knew how to move in the wild 100x
> better than me and healed 10x faster.  I'm sure there were the
> occasional large wounds, but not so frequent as to affect iron levels
> from blood loss for more than a week or two.
>
> I really can't imagine that the average paleo MAN lost more blood to
> any of these factors than the average WOMAN, paleo OR modern,
> loses to her period every month.
>
> Secondly, even if they did, there was an ample source of iron in
> their diet at all times... the blood and organ meat of animals.    
> There
> really is no better regular source than that.  And they ate less stuff
> that interferes with iron absoption in the body.
>
> No, if anything paleo man/woman was more likely to have higher
> iron levels than modern humans, or at least far less likely to ever
> have a deficiency.
>
>> it would lower iron levels (higher iron helps infectious bacteria to
>> reproduced)
>
> I think it is probably more accurate to say that lower iron levels
> can help make it more difficult for /some/ infectious bacteria to
> reproduce.  But as always that's only one factor of many.  Your
> body has far more effective weapons against infectious bacteria
> than to lower iron levels.
>
>> and force replacement of blood cells with more youthful
>> ones.
>
> No need to force anything.  Red blood cells get cycled faster than
> almost anything else in your body anyway.  Your liver eats them
> like candy and your bone marrow pumps them out steadily.  So
> long as there's enough iron!  ;-)
>
> :j