On Sat, 13 Nov 1999, Erik Hill wrote:

> Now I have a question about fat.  Neanderthin is very up on fat.  But
> weren't most animals availiable to the hunter-gather during paleo-times much
> leaner than now?  Could there still be a problem with eating substantially
> more fat than our ancestors ate?

In my opinion, yes.  In particular, it may be important to watch
the *kinds* of fat consumed rather than just the amount.  It's
true that most of the animals available to paleo people were
quite lean most of the time, in comparison with modern cattle.
It's also true that paleo people made every effort to harvest
whatever fat they could from the animals they killed, such as
bone marrow, brains, and orbital fat from the eye sockets.  Most
of us Neanderthiners (but not all) ignore those sources of fat
and get fat from the meats we consume.  This is mainly
intramuscular fat from animals made obese by being grain
"finished."  According to authorities such as Eaton and Cordain,
the differences between this fat and the fat harvested by paleo
people are significant.  In particular, the paleo fats were higher
in monounsaturates and omega-3s, which are now recognized to be
beneficial, and lower in saturates, some of which are now
believed to be problematic.  In particular, the saturates
increase insulin resistance.

Todd Moody
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