Hi All,
Further to our discussion of Loren Cordain's position on fats and
acid/base balance, I cc'd him with my December 15, 1:17 PM post to this
list. In the ensuing discussion, Dr. Cordain said: "Fats are neutral in
regard to acid/base; hence when they displace protein, the net acid load
is consequently reduced."
However, Kenneth Anderson posted on 12/14/2009 3:20 PM, in part:
"Fats typically displace base yielding fruits and vegetables, they are partially responsible for the net acid load in the typical western diet) that is, adverse effects including: osteoporosis, hypertension, stroke, calcium kidney stones, age-related muscle wasting, asthma and exercise-induced asthma 2-6."
Ken attributed the above to Loren Cordain. When I checked the source Ken
offered (http://www.thepaleodiet.com/nutritional_tools/acid.shtml ) the
only mention of fats that I could find on that page is where they are
listed as neutral.
Thus, I appear to have done Dr. Cordain a disservice by accepting Ken's
interpretation of Cordain's position rather than check the source
myself. I apologize for that oversight. I would be very critical of a
student for doing that, so I'm doubly embarrassed by my mistake.
At the end of the day though, I think it is very important for list
members to know, especially those who follow a low carb regimen, that
while fats do not buffer the acids, they do not add to the acidity that
causes losses in bone density.
I don't know where the notion came from that fats "typically displace"
fruits and vegetables, but that is a separate facet of this issue, and I
would need to see evidence before I'd be willing to give it much credence.
Finally, Cordain also sent me a listserv thread from 1997 in which Inuit
bone health was depicted as a contentious issue. Some experts claim that
the Inuit suffered bone mineral losses due to their traditional diet,
while others attributed the diminished bone densities to the influence
of European foods.
Best Wishes,
Ron
--
PK
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