The author near the end of the article stated that the paleolithic diet "increased bodily inflammation" and "reduced endothelial vasoreactivity". The actual study he was citing was on the Atkins diet, not the paleolithic diet (to the authors discredit, the two are different). I have no interest in defending the Atkins diet's performance in this study, so I'll let Dr. Michael Eades do that.

When the author issued the caveat that "results show that the Paleolithic Diet is only good for a) people who eat almost no carbs to lose weight and b) people with diabetes or the Metabolic Syndrome" he is citing two studies which again are regarding carbohydrate restriction, not the paleolithic diet. Still, these studies demonstrate the benefit of carbohydrate restriction on people with metabolic syndrome and diabetes while also not ruling out the possibility that low carb dieting could benefit people without such conditions.

Regarding his comments on the Masai, Stephan Guyenet covered their atheroscerosis rates a while back. It's worth a read.

Finally, the author says a lot about cholesterol, including "their argument is that cholesterol does not matter". I don't think we're saying cholesterol doesn't matter at all. I'm not. It's just more complicated than low>high.

I'm not going to touch his unsubstantiated claims and appeals to epidemiology. They don't convince me and they prove nothing.

I personally find this article unconvincing and continue to not fear for the future of my erections.

I have an arterial disease called FMD and my vascular dr at Clev Clinic is amazed at the vast improvement since eating paleo.

It might be helpful to read the post on this subject by a former paleo blogger, Don Mastesz, which was deleted because a bunch of other people posted out how dumb it was. OP:https://www.facebook.com/notes/free-the-animal/don-mateszs-deleted-post-on-the-melting-temperature-of-dietary-fats/10150436146419081

Comments by Chris Masterjohn, Dr. Stephen Guyenet and others https://www.facebook.com/notes/chris-masterjohn/comments-from-the-missing-physics-post/212743168746835

Rob, I'm sure as others see your questions they'll provide the info you need but I couldn't help noticing just how OLD most of the references cited by those articles are.

If I were you, I'd read more up-to-date sites such as The Daily Lipid which has a great 3-part series in collaboration with Chris Kresser.

Or, you could do some reading on Gnoll.org, or Whole Health Source or many others.

Just a personal experience: I've been giving blood regularly for over 20 years. Each time I go in, the staff remark on how quickly I fill up the "jar." If anything, my blood flows stronger and faster now than it did when I was a SAD-eatin' youngun.

Also, I believe Don Matesz got himself mocked a while ago for posting some nonsense about saturated fat "thickening" blood because, well, sat fat is solid at room temperature. Silly man. :)

Blood isn't room temperature either. IF it is your dead. Its usually around 98.6 which would melt saturated fats solid at 72*.