>>>1. One study of the Eskimos has showed them to have high rates of
>osteoporosis. [See Mazess RB, Mather W (1974) "Bone mineral content of
>North Alaskan Eskimos." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 27,
>no. 9 (Sept. 1974), pp. 916-925.] This is a study I have looked at myself,
>and although it has been awhile since I've seen it, I believe this study
>>>was of Eskimos prior to acculturation, eating their traditional diet.
>
>But this incidence is long after the Inuit had adopted the Western diet,
>rich in sugar and laden with cereal grain. I spent some time in the Arctic
>in the early to mid sixties, on reservations. It sometimes appeared that
>the staple of their diet was Kraft Dinner. I'm not joking here. They were
>buying it by the case. And the kids seemed to consume tremendous amounts of
>sugar.
>
>>>2. Lee Hitchcox, in his book Long Life Now, points out that Eskimos also
>"bruise easily, are slow to form blood clots, develop fatal nosebleeds, and
>have no heart disease.... The Eskimos have one of the world's highest rates
>of hemorrhagic stroke, osteoporosis ["starting at age 40," he mentions
>elsewhere in the book p.189)], obesity, and one of the shortest life spans.
>They apparently die from other diseases before cancer or heart disease have
>a chance to develop." (p.93) However, in info from a 1993 study (which may
>not apply to the earlier studies of Eskimos living in purer environments)
>Hitchcox also states that "the fat tissues of Inuit mothers contain the
>highest known levels of organochlorine pesticides" (without, unfortunately,
>giving any help as to how that fact might confound any interpretations of
>the dietary evidence). Lee gives as references the one above, as well as
>two additional ones: [Ho K (1972) "Alaska Arctic Eskimos: responses to a
>customary high-fat diet," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol.25,
>p.737.; and secondly, Dewailly E (1993) "Inuit exposure to organochlorines
>through the aquatic food chain in Arctic Quebec," Environmental Health
>Perspectives, vol.101, p.618] I haven't looked at these two studies myself,
>but thought I would post the references. I believe I have another reference
>or two from Hitchcox about health problems in the Eskimo I would be happy
>>>to share but can't currently locate them,
>
>But anything that examines the Inuit populations after about 1920 in more
>accessible regions, and after 1935 in the more remote regions, only
>reflects how poorly the Inuit is adapting to the European cereals, and
>other Western eating habits.
>
>
I keep reading on this list about how perfectly healthy the eskimos were
when they ate almost no plant foods.  How do we know that if we need to go
back before the 1920's?  Were there studies of their cholesterol count or
triglycerides or insulin levels?
It is stated over and over again that people who ate only meat were so much
healthier than people who ate mostly plant foods, but I'm skeptical.
Mainly I'm skeptical because without Ward, no one would have written about
studies that are contrary to the Paleodiet philosophy.
        When I was really into no fat diets, I read books pushing vegetarianism.
In those books there would be studies and statistics and stories about
cultures that were basically vegetarian and how healthy there were.  These
sources would make the point that the less animal foods in the diet, the
healthier people were....sort of a direct relationship.  I remember
thinking that what was obviously and significantly absent were eskimos and
their diets.  By these sources, I would have thought that eskimos barely
lived long enough, in terribly diseased states, to have babies.  But I knew
that eskimos were at least a relatively healthy people, before the addition
of modern processed foods.  Something was wrong with this omission from
these sources.  Pritikin, McDougal, Ornish ....why didn't they address the
eskimos and why they could thrive?
        Now on this list I feel the same way.  Vegetarians who are healthy are
dismissed as genetic variants.  Eskimos are talked about as the perfect
example of an animal in exquisite harmony with nature.  It's confusing to
know which diet is best, and I'd like to be able to pick one and go with it
and feel good that I'm doing the right thing.  But I'd hate to pick the
Paleodiet and inadvertantly or purposely dismiss everything that does not
support it.
Paul Getty
Morehead City, NC
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