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