> Date:    Thu, 22 Jan 1998 00:16:25 -0500
> From:    Bob Avery <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: 1. Adaptation 1. Adaptation
>
> Todd Moody wrote:
> >puzzle is the Bellevue experiment of 1928 in which Vilhjalmur
> >Stefansson and Karsten Andersen ate only meat for a year.  A
> >study of two people can hardly be the basis for generalizations,
> >but it is nevertheless interesting that Stefansson's total
> >cholesterol dropped slightly during the year while Andersen's
> >climbed all the way to 800, but returned quickly to normal levels
> >after the conclusion of the experiment.  We don't know HDL/LDL
>
> On another newslist, I saw the actual cholesterol levels of these men
> posted.  Both were over 300 at the conclusion of the experiment.  I would
> hardly call that "normal."  Mine is 152.

Andersen's total cholesterol, a few weeks after the conclusion of
the experiment, was 200; Stefansson's was 218.  Both values would
be considered normal, I think.  But Stefansson's cholesterol
never went way up the way Andersen's did.

I have to emphazise that without knowing the HDL/LDL values we
are not in a very good position to guess at the health
implications of these cholesterol readings, although I confess
that I find it difficult to believe that Andersen's peak readings
of 600 and 800 could be a good thing.

I'd like to try stay connected to the subject matter of this
list, however.  On the (reasonable) assumption that Andersen's
total cholesterol values were problematic from a health
standpoint, the question to ask is why he might have had this
response to the diet while Stefansson did not.  I mentioned that
Stefansson preferred lamb, while Andersen preferred beef.  The
fatty acid composition of these meats are somewhat different.
Furthermore, I believe that even in 1928 cows for slaughter were
more likely to be grain-fattened than were lambs.  Recent
discussions on this list suggest the hypothesis that this could
have been relevent; I would gladly hear other opinions on this.

Or it is possible that Andersen was descended from people who,
for whatever reason, had become disadapted to a meat-dominated
diet.  Of course, we can't test that hypothesis directly but it
becomes plausible only if there is good reason to believe that
there is such a thing as genetic disadaptation of this sort.

And of course it is also possible that Andersen suffered from
sort of metabolic disorder that interfered with his ability to
tolerate dietary fats, if there is such a disorder.

Todd Moody
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