Hi Todd, 

An autoimmune attack on the intestinal wall that damages the microvilli to
the extent that fats are not easily absorbed, while preserving enough of the
villi to absorb other nutrients into the circulation would likely result in
food cravings, perhaps due to essential fatty acid deficiency. These
cravings would cause people to eat even though they feel full, leading to a
dynamic of continuously expanding their capacity for eating food and storing
the excess as fat. 

Carbs, peptides, and amino acids are absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
On the other hand, fats are not water soluble so they must be absorbed into
the lymph system then transported to the liver for conversion to a form in
which they can be circulated in the bloodstream. Mild autoimmune damage to
the intestinal wall can cause enough damage to compromise our capacity to
absorb fats while our ability to absorb most other nutrients continues at a
high level.  

Celiac disease, and autoimmune condition, has long been characterized as a
condition of fat malabsorption. Perhaps Ray Audette thinks there is mild
autoimmune damage to the intestinal mucosa that would not be diagnosed as
celiac disease or any of the food allergies that can cause an autoimmune
attack on the intestinal mucosa, but causes incessant food cravings which
lead to obesity. From 12% to 15% of the population produces antibodies to
gluten alone. Allergies to milk proteins can incite similar autoimmune
damage to the intestinal mucosa. Perhaps there are other foods that can
trigger a mild autoimmune attack on the wall of the intestine.        

I don't know if this was Ray's thinking, but I have long suspected such a
dynamic. There are a number of cases of obese people who were diagnosed with
celiac disease and despite the much greater caloric density of gluten-free
foods they began to lose weight after beginning a gluten-free diet. It seems
plausible that a similar, less dramatic autoimmune dynamic could be at work
in many cases of obesity.  
  

Ron Hoggan, Ed. D.
co-author of Dangerous Grains ISBN: 1-58333-129-8      
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Paleolithic Eating Support List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Todd Moody
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 9:14 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: What do ordinary people think fat is for?

Ashley Moran wrote:

> Perhaps.  Ray Audette claimed that obesity is an auto-immune disorder  
> in Neanderthin.  And I once knew a woman who said that eating wheat  
> made her weight balloon rapidly.  I'm sure there are plenty more  
> people like her.  But I'm sure there are plenty of overweight people  
> who would still be fat if they switched their carbs from wheat to  
> rice, or some other switch where the carbohydrate source was  
> different but the effect on insulin is the same.


The claim that obesity is an auto-immune disorder is one that I've 
tended to be skeptical of.  For one thing, the definition of an 
auto-immune disorder is a condition in which the body's immune system is 
mobilized to attack its own tissues, "mistaking" them for invaders.  
It's not clear what this has to do with obesity, and Audette doesn't 
make it clear.  He simply points out some aspects of obesity that are 
similar to auto-immune disorders.  Many people do correct obesity with 
lowcarb diets, where the carb aren't necessarily paleo.

Todd Moody
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