Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I have a cast on my hand so can't type much, but curious on your thoughts. They are comparing a veggie diet to one full of grain-fed meat. Wondering what the results would have been had they had a grassfed-eating test group as well. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/11/vegetarianism-stress-happiness-_n_1335664.html?ref=topbar&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

flag	asked Mar 12 2012 at 11:55 Renee 11.1k●1●4●42

	This study is useless to explain anything. It neither supports nor contradicts paleo. This is simply a good example of a poorly done study that is then marketed according to preconceived notions. It's applicability to making food choices is nil. – Dave S. Mar 12 2012 at 14:15
	For what improves 'mood' - I'll think I'll stick to what Dr. Emily Deans has to say. (Eat more wild caught salmon, etc.) – Dave S. Mar 12 2012 at 14:17
	PUFAs are toxic, sugar is good. Who would thunk it. I wouldn't trust emily deans she claims people are liars but neglects to inform us why. – cliff Mar 12 2012 at 14:21

Bread-Eating Beelzebub · Answer 1 · 2012-03-12 13:58:47Z UTC

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Dr. Emily Deans already wrote about this http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.com/2012/02/meatless-and-happy-in-short-term.html

answered Mar 12 2012 at 13:58

Bread-Eating Beelzebub
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Sean Abbott · Answer 2 · 2012-03-12 13:33:22Z UTC

Yeah, this is the same idiot who wrote that paleo is bunk a while back. From the article:

But eating a diet high in whole grains is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke and obesity. Whole grains are filling. They’re packed with fiber—which keeps food moving through our bodies quickly. They’re also high in minerals and antioxidants—in fact, researchers at Cornell University found whole grains are actually higher in polyphenol antioxidants than many fruits and vegetables.

Ha ha, grains are associated with lower risk of obesity!!! Oh, right, just whole grains. Yeah keep on saying it, maybe close your eyes and try clicking your heels together and it'll come true.

Diseases of civilization can be cured by eating a lot of grains, imagine that. But the paleo diet is bunk because it's not based on 'science'. That word does not mean what you think it means.

DFH · Answer 3 · 2012-03-12 12:49:10Z UTC

That vegan nonsense is no help. Vegans are like the church down the street that became a cult. You can't rely on anything they say because everything they say and think is designed to lead you in the wrong direction.

The best approach is switch them off, wait, then send Denise Minger in to rip it up. :)

greymouser · Answer 4 · 2012-03-12 12:19:33Z UTC

Looks like it confirms one of the core paleo mantras: that Omega 3:6 ratio has an incredibly important role in health (or in the case of the study "mood").

The part about the veggie test group having negligible EPA&DHA was a little scary. Lower Omega-6, good; no Omega-3, bad.

Alex · Answer 5 · 2012-03-12 12:30:25Z UTC

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It's odd to me that there's so much focus on the arachidonic acid in animal products when the human animal will make its own arachidonic acid from the N6 PUFA in seed oils. Personally, I don't worry about the N6 that is naturally found in "real" foods because my diet has long been completely devoid of all the industrial N6 seed oils found in modern diets.

answered Mar 12 2012 at 12:30

Alex
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From the conclusion of the study- "The amount of meat and poultry consumed is important since very little AA is formed from LA [17]; in fact, diets high in short chain essential fatty acids down reg- ulate conversion to longer chain metabolites, particu- larly AA, and experimental diets high in LA do not raise tissue AA [18,19]. Preformed AA, however, is readily incorporated into tissues and competes for desaturases with EPA, increasing production of proin- flammatory metabolites such as PGE2 and TNFa [17]." – Mazer Mar 12 2012 at 13:52

Wow, thanks! I learn something new every day. – Alex Mar 12 2012 at 16:06

Now I'm kind of confused, though... if that is correct, why would things that are high in LA, like nuts or seed oils, have such an inflammatory effect on the body? Is it simply the huge amounts consumed? – Mazer Mar 12 2012 at 16:14

Zach · Answer 6 · 2012-03-12 13:54:49Z UTC

Okay first of all there should be a serious red-flag reading through this study that makes most all of it's conclusions useless. It's a self-report study, but the three groups participating were given broad, general instructions for what to include and exclude from their diet.

"OMN participants were directed to continue consumingmeat and/or poultry at least once daily. FISH participants were directed to avoid meat and poultry and consume at least 3-4 servings of seafood weekly (eggs were permitted). VEG participants were directed to avoid all animal foods except dairy for the 2-wk trial period. Participants were given written diet instructions and directed to maintain their activity pattern and lifestyle habits."

This tells us absolutely nothing about what else they were eating besides that (we hope) the omnivores were eating some meat every day. The vegetarians for all we know opted for more nutrient dense foods and avoided the junk. The fish group were eating seafood most likely, once again what else were they eating? They managed a report of >95% compliance to the "diet" but this is terribly easy when the requirements are simply "avoid this" and "continue eating this". Plus, high compliance is not at all suprising in a self-report, because people often report they complied when they in fact did not. They feel breaking the rules will somehow invalidate their contribution.

does this study support or harm Paleo?

6 Answers