On Sun, 6 Sep 1998, Robert A. McGlohon, Jr. wrote:

>         Wouldn't seasonal variations in weight be expected in a paleolithic
> human?  I'd guess that our hunter-gather ancestors would gain weight
> during the summer and late fall, when high-carb foods were in season;
> that they would lose weight in winter, when fruits and nuts are out of
> season; and that this weight lose/gain process is a survival mechanism.
>
>         If that were the case, wouldn't our bodies have a hereditary
> inclination toward gaining weight when consuming lots of carbohydrates?
> And couldn't that inclination be sharper in some people, and less
> pronounced in others?  And wouldn't this type of weight gain in
> non-obese people be consistent with, or rather, outside of, the
> Neanderthin theory that obesity is an auto-immune disorder?

Yes, your theory makes sense to me, especially in the case of
fruits.  Since nuts are not high-carb food, I'm not sure what the
mechanism is.  The main point is that people concerned about
weight issues need to understand that it may not be true for them
that non-forbidden foods can be eaten in unlimited amounts.

Todd Moody
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