too bad, I didn't say 'loads' of high glycemic food. and that's my point . . there are too many variables at work here. much of the empirical evidence works well in theory only. and many other factors influence dietary outcome of years of un-healthy eating. people are predisposed to genetical make-up from the start and health in general . . this is another point I'm making. Besides, there is no 'bad stuff', only too much or imbalance of food in general > -----Original Message----- > From: Robert Krikorian [SMTP:[log in to unmask]] > Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2001 12:45 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [EVOLUTIONARY-FITNESS] EVOLUTIONARY-FITNESS Digest - 18 > Feb 2 001 to 20 Feb 2001 (#2001-13) > > > > It certainly is possible to get good strength results and to stay lean > eating > so-called complex carbohydrates and sweets, given adequate exercise. > However, > these are high glycemic foods in general and stoking the furnace higher > does not > eliminate all the negative effects. Jim Kick, the long distance runner > who died > many years ago in his early 50s, is one great example of this notion. He > ran > and ran because his father died in his 40s of heart disease. He assumed, > correctly, that he possessed the genetic constitution that would lead him > to > early cardiovascular disease as well (most likely a tendency toward high > insulin > response). However, he did not know that diet can modulate the effect of > genes > and that exercise alone cannot. He got 6 or 7 more years than his father, > presumably because of his running. But, I assume he consumed a diet > similar to > what most people in western cultures consume - loaded with high glycemic > foods > that jack up the insulin response and precipitate gobs of negative > effects, many > of them having to do with vascular and cardiac risks. Another example is > a > close friend of mine who suffered a heart attack in middle age. He was > generally very healthy. He ate little or no red meat, few sweets, > moderate > amounts of fish, and lots of supposedly wholesome whole grain and bread > products > (following the establishment dietary guidelines). He might have died but > luckily is left with minor heart damage, because he received treatment > within > the first hour of the attack. > > These, of course, are anecdotes and don't prove the argument. But, I > believe > they dramatically illustrate what empirical studies show. I believe it is > a > mistake to think that one can just burn off the bad stuff in the internal > furnace. The bad stuff takes a toll, whether or not one exercises away > the > caloric load. I wouldn't recommend indulging in bread, pasta, grains, > legumes, > or sweets at all and certainly not more than once a week or once a month. > > - Robert.