On Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:10:27 -0500, Kenneth Anderson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>New people on this list should at least hear of the problems that can
>be caused from the meat-and-fat-only diet promoted here. So once
>again, I feel I should mention that according to Dr Cordain, who was
>one of the originators of this diet, and this list, bone health is
>substantially dependent on dietary acid/base balance. ...

I used to tentatively promote this hypothesis (tentatively because the
evidence was limited) and I am a big fan of Dr. Cordain and was even
criticized multiple times for citing his work and saying positive things
about it both here and elsewhere, but this is one area where I now disagree
with him. Lex Rooker at another forum found that his "loose teeth firmed up,
gums quit bleeding" and the enamel on his teeth improved after switching to
a raw meat and fat diet. I have experienced the exact same improvements
myself since adopting a mostly raw meat and fat approach, as have others. I
don't fully understand the mechanism(s) behind why a very low carb diet
heavy in meats and animal fats actually improves bone density, but it worked
for me and others. 

One thing that Dr. Cordain himself mentioned in explaining why most
traditional Inuit did not have low bone density is that the amount of
calcium excreted on a 99% flesh Inuit diet is very low.