Todd Moody wrote:

> I agree, and in fact it's not difficult to surmise the
> evolutionary basis for this.  The series 2 eicosanoids govern
> such processes as inflammation and clotting.  For most of our
> evolutionary history, some of the main threats to human life have
> been infection and trauma, and inflammation and clotting are
> essential to surviving these.

Eicosanoids of the series 2 type are integral to immune function and its
proper induction.  What is really cool is that one immune cell type can
manufacture one type of inflammatory fatty acid which attracts another
type of immune cell who "consumes" the original inflammatory FA.  Then
this second cell type can restructure the comsumed inflammogen and spit
it back out and so on and so on.  In addition, these inflammogens can
result in immune cells manufacturing protein(glyco) which results in
very broad reactions.  In short, an enhanced presence of serie 2
eicosanoids are believed to be linked to a surge in autoimmune disease.
I feel there is a link here, but there are many pieces to the puzzle not
yet known.

> In the age that we now live in, however, infection and trauma are
> *not* the primary threats to human life; the degenerative
> diseases are.  This means that AA, while still important, is not
> as important as it used to be.

True and I agree.  However, I feel that there is probably an poorly
describe function of AA within the lumen of the bowel regarding
peristalsis and pathogens which needs to be explored.  I might be more
comfortable with higher levels of AA within the bowel and less within my
arteries.  Besides it goes something like this ... inject 1-3 cc of AA
into a bunny rabbits arteries and he's dead from massive blood clots
within minutes.

> But it is a villain if it is present in sufficient quantities to
> cause clotting in coronary arteries, etc.

I still believe that we manufacture more hepatically from upregulation
of D5D via hyperinsulinism than from diet.  Besides saturated fats such
as steric acid cannot be destaurated at the omega 6 position.  Vegetable
oils are rather rich in n-6 FA.

> We need to ask ourselves whether this aspect of the paleodiet is
> in fact optimizing our bodies for survival in an environment
> quite different from the one that we actually live in.  And if
> our modern food sources are even higher in AA than those to which
> we are biologically adapted, this only magnifies the problem.

True.  However, we must not lose sight of exercise as an integral
component of diet.  Exercise is an important factor in enhancing insulin
sensitivity ignoring for a moment the burning of fat calories.  With
exercise lowing insulin requirements, D5D is down regulated and AA
production is abated.

> In the "Paleolithic Nutrition" article (NEJM 312:5), Eaton and
> Konner point out that "the fat of wild animals contains an
> appreciable amount (approximately 4 percent) of eicosapentaenoic
> acid (C20:5) ... Domestic beef contains almost undetectable
> amounts of this nutrient."  This means that while our ancestors
> probably ate adequate amounts of dietary EPA, we don't, unless we
> eat a fair amount of oily fish.  Thus, even though it might not
> be "natural" to take fish oil supplements, it might nevertheless
> be a good idea, given that our ancestors adapted to an intake of
> this substance that most of us are not getting.  And dietary EPA,
> as you know, can reduce AA levels in the body.

And as you must be aware, EPA and diet too high in n-3 FA can result in
inhibition of the clotting mechanism.  Eskimos in the past have been
known to not clot very efficiently.

> So the situation seems to be this:  We probably need less AA than
> our paleolithic ancestors needed.  On a contemporary paleodiet,
> we are probably getting more than they got.  We are also probably
> getting less EPA than they got, which makes the situation further
> unbalanced.  This implies that we might be best served by
> limiting our intake of dietary AA somewhat and supplementing our
> intake of EPA, in order to approximate the levels to which our
> bodies are best adapted.

I agree that we need to lower our AA load.  I feel the best way to this
end is to eat less insulin-elevating foods.  Thanks Todd, I'm enjoying
this!

Andrew =8-)
--
Andrew S. Bonci, BA, DC, DAAPM
Assistant Professor, Department of Diagnosis
Cleveland Chiropractic College
6401 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, Missouri   64131
(816) 333-7436 ex39