More catching up.

I don't see how a HG diet can consist of very many eggs.  They are only available for a short
time each year during nesting season (maybe several weeks at most).  Does anyone think that 4
large hens eggs/day would equal the smaller, wild birds eggs, both for quality and quantity
harvested during a short time once/year?

One very general way of looking at aging _is_ the given calorie allotment theory.  This says we
each have a certain amount of calories our bodies will use in our lives, then that's it.  It is
kind of a backwards way of looking at aging, but it is fairly valid.  More specifically, it is
thought that CR ramps down the bodie's aging processes (but not thinking, immune response,
etc.).  Their are numerous theories to try and explain it, most of which are probably true to
varying degrees.  One popular theory states that the mitochondria (which produce ATP, the energy
packets used by the body) produce less free radicals on CR.  This greatly reduces free radical
damage to cells.

Actually immune system health, cognitive ability, many measurable physical statistics, etc., are
much better in CR subjects at advanced ages than in control groups.

The research on CR is definitely not outdated.  Most of the best research took place from the
'70's to the present.  In many ways, the most interesting studies are going on right now.  These
are the primate studies, which should convince even the most speculative scientists that CR
works in humans just as in all the other species.

Calories and early fertility:
My understanding is that humans shrank by about 6 inches with the onset of agriculture.  At the
same time, their caloric intake went up, eating grains, and other things in relative abundance
to their HG lifestyles.  They also didn't need expend calories to forage for food.  While the
caloric intake/output remained high, the intake of quality (complete) proteins went down.
Instead of a balanced diet (fresh plants, nuts, wild animals) they ate grains.  Grains are high
in protein, but it is not complete.  (legumes and grains do make a "complete" protein).
Populations also exploded.  This was the result of a higher calorie intake.  My understanding is
that higher calories cause faster maturity, and quicker reproduction.

In the modern century, we continued with the high calories, and people have been eating more
animal proteins as our society has become more affluent.  The result is not only a younger
reproductive age, but an increase in average body size.  I can't rembember where I read it, that
Americans will be an average 2" taller by the end of the century.  This is supposed to be from
more protein.

This relates to HG's in the following ways:  People want to go for the higher calories
naturally, to reach reproductive age sooner.  But a naturally lower calorie (and nutritionally
superior) diet provides an automatic check and balance.  It's the breads, cereals, sugars, and
fats that give Americans so many calories (50% fat, 25% sugar sometimes!) and the faster
maturation/reproduction ability.  HG's simply don't have these calorie dense foods to provide
this effect.  So, they mature and reproduce at more 'normal' rates, eating the foods humans
evolved on.  It's the refined foods in SAD style diets that causes the higher calories and
faster reproduction relative to HG's.

In 3rd world countries they have high birth rates, higher death at birth rates, etc.  They also
sometimes get starved out.  There are several factors here.

1)Affluent countries do have better medical procedures to prevent childbirth death.  The 3rd
world countries are probably closer to HG's in this regard I would guess.

2)Inadequate birth control.

3)Inadequate nutrition.  Starvation is FR or DR (food/diet restriction).  BTW - FD/DR are very
different from CR with optimal nutrition.  Inadequate nutrition causes a host of problems, most
notably perhaps compromised immune response.  Also, more susceptibility to parasites.  With more
diseases and parasites, and worse health, this leads to higher mortality.

James Crocker