Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

11

1

I was just wondering if you know of anybody who followed a dedicated ancestral diet who has met an untimely end through disease, and if you're willing to share, what the disease was.

Some pertinent details:

Their age/gender
How long they'd been eating an ancestral diet
What was their disease/cause of death - cancer? Heart disease? Being really, really, ridiculously good looking? (Sorry, I couldn't resist an attempt at levity in an otherwise serious question.)

flag	asked Dec 24 2011 at 13:05 familygrokumentarian 12.4k●3●23●87

I asked something similar to this a while back: paleohacks.com/questions/74015/… – April S.♦ Dec 24 2011 at 18:00

Oh and +1 for Zoolander. – April S.♦ Dec 24 2011 at 18:00

1

Bumping because I'm curious. Guessing the radio silence thus far is a good thing! Hard to know though due to a bjillion confounding factors. For example, I just had a weird mole removed, and as I waited for the results (benign), I wondered what I would do if it were melanoma. Would I be upset that my diet hadn't save me? And the answer was "no" mostly because I've been at it just less than a year, and I'm unsure whether that's enough time to undo the damage. Add to that the fact that our environment is toxic (BPA, phthalates, radiation from Japan, etc.) and it's too multifactorial. – Karen P. Dec 25 2011 at 23:40

Good question, I'm glad the moderators thought so too! I wanted to ask the same question, but phrased as, "has anyone died paleo?" – Henry S Dec 27 2011 at 20:07

Bread-Eating Beelzebub · Answer 1 · 2011-12-27 20:13:26Z UTC

1

Owsley Stanley, who was really a pioneer and popularizer of carnivore diets, even if he was a bit extreme, died in a car accident this year. He had also had cancer, but you know...with someone like that who was a pioneer of LSD and a rock n' roller, there are so many environmental factors that it's hard to say what was caused by diet and what was not.

answered Dec 27 2011 at 20:13

Bread-Eating Beelzebub
55.6k●9●62●236

3

Regardless of diet, if you live long enough, you will get cancer. He died at 76 years (auto accident) after periods of heavy drug/alcohol use. Thats a hell of a run if you ask me. – Bill1102inf Dec 27 2011 at 20:38

1

I believe his cancer was most likely due to an HPV infection. – Harfatum Dec 27 2011 at 20:50

I don't know if cancer is inevitable. They say that they often find thyroid and prostate cancers in autopsies of older people who died of other things. I'm hoping some of my 90-101 year old relatives will donate their bodies to science because I'd be curious to know what was lingering in them. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Dec 27 2011 at 21:00

He also wasn't eating carnivorous/paleoZC until later in life. – Paul Dec 28 2011 at 1:23

He was eating a steak while driving. – Cacktus Wayfinder Jan 4 2012 at 1:06

Bill1102inf · Answer 2 · 2011-12-27 20:03:25Z UTC

0

Crickets ......

answered Dec 27 2011 at 20:03

Bill1102inf
7,507●7●26

Henry S · Answer 3 · 2011-12-27 20:09:27Z UTC

0

I read somewhere about a woman whos father had been paleo for at least the last thirty years of his life, and that he only got ill shortly before he died, but had been playing golf and been active in that period up until he got ill. I can't find where I read this, but I'm not making it up, why would I?

answered Dec 27 2011 at 20:09

Henry S
1,221●4●14

10

I heard about this guy who knew the cousin of a friend of mine who died last year after eating paleo for 70 years. The paleo diet has a terrible mortality rate. I hear it's 100%. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Dec 28 2011 at 0:43

^Are you alright Melissa? – Henry S Dec 28 2011 at 3:57

Henry, I believe Melissa was pointing out the limited value of anecdotal evidence, especially of this kind. It made me lol anyway. – Coja Jan 1 2012 at 22:51

PaleoJW · Answer 4 · 2012-01-03 02:52:24Z UTC

0

I was really expecting that if I ate this way - I'd live forever! Dangit! :(

answered Jan 3 2012 at 2:52

PaleoJW
71●3

Do you know of any dedicated ancestral community folks who have met an untimely death?

4 Answers