In a message dated 5/26/02 4:00:24 PM, Todd Moody <[log in to unmask]> writes: << On Sun, 26 May 2002, Tom Bridgeland wrote: > I saw my farm dogs when I was a kid eating the pigs that had died in > my Dad's pig house. They really seemed to like the ones that had sat > in the summer sun a few weeks, bloated and stinking. Supposedly we > are very similar to dogs in digestive design....considering so many > cultures love for rotted foods like saurkraut, kimchi, cheese, maybe > this is our natural food. ;--) A key digestive difference between humans and dogs is stomach acid levels, with dogs producing much more. At least one function of stomach acid is thought to be the destruction of bacteria and parasites. Also, in at least this particular the "blood type" diet theory is correct: people with type A blood have lower levels of stomach acid than those with type O blood. This would make them less able to tolerate carrion, I think. I'm less sure whether it has any implications for aged or fermented foods. Todd Moody [log in to unmask] >> Scientifically we know a sample size of one is totally meaningless, but not to the one person in the sample! So, speaking for myself, I know that I am blood type A positive. I am supposed to do well on mostly vegetarian foods/grains and little or no meat. And for myself, that is total bunk. I was a mostly vegetarian for 25 years, and got progressively sicker and fatter the whole time, until I got into a low carb and then Paleo eating style 5 years ago. About a year ago I was scheduled for an endoscopy and intestinal biopsy to check for Celiac Disease, and it was about the same time that I began suffering from pretty bad stomach pain, indigestion and some heartburn. The endoscopy showed extremely severe esophageal inflammation from acid reflux disease- this despite the fact that type "A"s are supposed to have less stomach acid. The biopsy was negative for intestinal evidence of Celiac Disease. Also, only one of the five blood tests for Celiac was positive, so a definite diagnosis is not possible. BUT, as I have written about extensively before on this list, the total elimination of gluten containing grains has completely cured my 15 history of severe and poorly controlled bipolar disorder. I do cheat now and then on such non-Paleo treats as ice cream, cheese, chocolate, etc., but will never, ever, to my knowledge, put a speck of any gluten in my mouth again. I am simply fanatic about that. Personally, I believe the success of the Blood Type diet comes from the exclusion of garbage foods of all sorts that is required of all the different plans. If you take a person of any blood type eating the SAD and cut out the junk, he is bound to improve to some extent just from that small change, regardless of the specifics. It is a principle similar to the statement that any diet at all works (for weight loss) as long as one sticks to it! I would wager a guess that nearly all the people embarking on any eating plan generally lose some weight, at least in the beginning, and just weight loss itself (if not caused by terminal illness) produces beneficial across the board changes, according the theories of the caloric restriction adherents. Maddy Mason Hudson Valley, NY