Is it the ketogenic diet that caused the premature aging, or is it the lack
of vitamin C?  For example, what if the Eskimos would have had access to
fruit.  Most of the Eskimos would still have stayed in ketosis.  A couple
pieces of fruit per day would still allow ketosis (although not for all).

Although I generally agree that ketosis isn't optiumum and will induce free
radical damage, I feel the premature aging of the Eskimos was far more
related to a lack of vitamin C.  Maybe the Eskimos problem was more along
these lines: premature aging = 80% no vit. C and 20% ketogenic diet.  The
assertion that the Eskimos had more of a problem with vit. C than ketosis is
supported by the fact that they suffered from hemorrhaging and nose bleeds,
a symptom of vit. C deficiency.

Some paleo dieters who emphasize too much protein and too little fruit and
vegies induce free radical damage in much the same way as the Eskimos.  With
the Eskimos, it was because ketones don't burn as clean as glucose does
because ketones leave byproducts which *might* be hard on the body.  With
some paleo dieters who eat too much meat in ratio to fruit and vegies,
although it is a glucose fueled system, the body will start to make glucose
out of protein -- just like ketones don't burn clean, neither does making
glucose from protein.

Just a thought,
Justin Hasselman


>From: Todd Moody <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Paleolithic Eating Support List <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: [P-F] Inuit and aging
>Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1999 07:52:37 -0500
>
>A while back I posted, or re-posted, a study that had appeared on
>the lowcarb list indicating that ketosis increases free radical
>formation in the body.  At that time I conjectured that this
>might have the effect of increasing the rate of aging and noted
>that I "remembered reading" about the premature aging of the
>Inuit.  I could not, however, recall where I read it.  Well, I
>just found the reference as I was cleaning out old files and
>stuff.  I believe the following is an excerpt from a web site,
>and I'm sorry I can't give more information, but the reference to
>Hutton may be useful.
>
>Todd Moody
>[log in to unmask]
>
>
>Studies of primitive Eskimos in the late 1800's
>and early 1900's revealed no evident cancer and
>heart disease among them. These robust and happy
>people, living in their natural state existed
>almost entirely on animal protein and fat, and so
>impressed were some of the observers, they adopted
>all-meat diets themselves.
>What these people overlooked was that the Eskimos
>vigorous health was enjoyed only by the young, and
>that by middle age when their vital organs began
>to break down, eht Eskimo aged rapidly, and
>suffered severe osteoporosis.  At the same time,
>the Eskimos had a very low resistance to
>infectious diseases whenever exposed to them. Dr
>Samuel Hutton,one of the observers (1902-1913) in
>his book 'Health Conditions and Disease Incidence
>Among the Eskimos of Labrador', confirmed the fact
>that cancer and other diseases of civilisation
>were not evident among the Eskimos but had this to
>say about their life expectancy:
>"Old age sets in at fifty and it's signs are
>strongly marked at sixty. In the years beyond
>sixty, the Eskimo is aged and feeble.
>Comparatively few live  beyond sixty and only a
>very few reach seventy. Those who live to such an
>age have spent a life of great activity, feeding
>on Eskimo foods and engaging in characterisically
>Eskimo pursuits...Careful records have been left
>by the missionaries for more than a hundred years.
>Perhaps the most striking of the peculiarities of
>the Eskimo constitution is the tendency to
>haemorrhage*. Young and old alike are subject to
>nose bleeding and these sometimes continue for as
>much as three days and reduce the patient to a
>condition of collapse".
>

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