On Friday, June 10, 2005, at 11:23 AM, Robert Jones wrote:
> Can anyone explain why organ meats are good for us, but fatty muscle
> meats
> and eggs are bad for us? They seem to have pretty similar percentages
> of
> saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. Both have
> saturated
> fats that are mostly 16:0 and 18:0. Pork brain has DPA and DHA, but
> beef
> brain doesn’t; and they both have five time the cholesterol of eggs.
>
> Thanks for any insights into this issue,
> Robert
Hi Robert, welcome. You have hit some of the points of argument pretty
clearly. Cordain has one opinion, but there are others. I eat organ
meats and muscle meats and eggs. Brains are hard to find here, and I
have to admit being squeamish about them anyway! There is little or no
evidence that eggs or cholesterol in the diet are bad for you.
Cholesterol at high blood levels does increase risk to the heart, but
it also has many benefits to the body as well. It is a bit of a trade
off as to whether you prefer to die from a heart attack, stroke, or
cancer. I have been reading the scientific literature on this topic for
several years and can't find any study that shows that high
cholesterol results in earlier death, unless your cholesterol is very
very high, in the 300 range and above. Even then, many people who go
with the paleo diet, or even Atkins, report lowering their cholesterol.
Some do raise it, though. I am one. My cholesterol rose from 180 to 270
on the Atkins diet, then has fallen back to 230 since I cut out most
milk products. At 230, there is no scientific basis to worry about
heart disease over lower levels.
My person view is that a variety of animal products is good. Eat some
of all of it, and don't worry about your cholesterol level unless it
goes through the roof. I also use blood thinners such as tea and grape
juice, and donate blood twice a year, to limit iron buildup. Everyone
on this list has his own idiosyncratic ideas about the diet. Do what
seems best for your own health, from your personal observation and
study. Cordain and the others can play dueling experts, I take from
them what seems logical and is validated by my own experience.
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