tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post4543123221932702067..comments2024-03-27T23:47:41.656-07:00Comments on Whole Health Source: Beyond Ötzi: European Evolutionary History and its Relevance to Diet. Part IIIStephan Guyenethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09218114625524777250noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-39754773203601532412013-01-07T11:54:08.787-08:002013-01-07T11:54:08.787-08:00Great Series, thank you for your perspective.Great Series, thank you for your perspective.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-18130309346263297142012-06-13T00:22:28.227-07:002012-06-13T00:22:28.227-07:00Logistic function for growth of a population of a ...Logistic function for growth of a population of a species in a habitat. It was worked out in the early 1800's to graph the ideas of populations limits explressed by Malthus and is still used today.<br />Logistic function is quite different from logistic regression of data points, which many people might accidentally get it confused with.<br />There is a discussion of logistic function on Wikipedia and 366 movies if you search Youtube for logistic function and 36 movies if you search for logistic function evolution.<br />HTH<br />BenBBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17999691181942775302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-35262482626024672202012-06-07T14:16:31.583-07:002012-06-07T14:16:31.583-07:00What do you think of sourdough bread made with eik...What do you think of sourdough bread made with eikhorn wheat (the ancestral variety)? This procedure was inspired by Ramiel Nagel, but I would soak the grain for 24 hours, dry it, grind it into flour, sift the flour two times to remove all the bran and germ, and then ferment for several days. I believe this would result in a bread with little to none phytic acid and hopefully very little gluten; there is an Italian paper online that was able to reduce gluten in sourdough bread to a level safe for celiac patients to eat with only 1 day of fermentation (however they used three strains of bacteria that were very good at breaking down gluten)! Would you consider this a healthy food?Go Meat!https://www.blogger.com/profile/12229943291883990671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-27007516612372558372012-06-01T11:16:37.607-07:002012-06-01T11:16:37.607-07:00BP,
"as espoused in the Logistic Function wh...BP,<br /><br />"as espoused in the Logistic Function which is quite different to logistic regression"<br /><br />I'm curious, please explain.<br /><br />SlainteLeonRoverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01484097018449402128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-90606732815987197202012-06-01T09:38:34.349-07:002012-06-01T09:38:34.349-07:00I like this series. This was the issue I had with...I like this series. This was the issue I had with the paleo diet for years before I decided to just try it even if it sounds crazy. Of course we've evolved since agriculture and it makes sense that we would have evolved faster since it was a huge environmental change.<br /><br /> The other issue I have with the whole evolution argument for paleo is that evolution only favors those who pass on their genes to as many kids as possible. This is not always going to coincide with my definition of health, which would involve longevity past childbearing. I have yet into see a good article taking on this issue. I have a feeling menopause is part of this, since isn't it the case that only humans have that?<br /><br />My current working theory is that a traditional diet in the WAPF idea is probably great for most people if they do it from birth or are pretty healthy. I think paleo is better for those who have been too damaged by SAD (or vegan/vegetarian diets, like me) so even traditional agricultural diets don't work well for them. I also really wonder about modern wheat's role in all this.Wanna Be Motherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07463224427748832508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-319239815805342262012-05-29T05:20:35.106-07:002012-05-29T05:20:35.106-07:00One adaptation that is counter intuitive, is the s...One adaptation that is counter intuitive, is the selection for small heads. Loren pointed this out years ago perhaps in not quite the same words.<br />The Neolithic diet/lifestyle leads to a smaller pelvis, hence difficulty in birth. Hence increased maternal and infant mortality. This is very expensive to the tribe, and is one of the most powerful inflexion points for natural selection.<br />Infants with smaller heads will have a safer passage through the birth canal.<br />Natural selection can favour that even if it means reduced intelligence. Better small head than dead. I've attached a long post on this issue with more details.<br />The mathematics of selection alluded to by Stephan basically fit in with classical evolution/population theory as espoused in the Logistic Function which is quite different to logistic regression.BBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17999691181942775302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-65418531781880754592012-05-27T18:45:39.371-07:002012-05-27T18:45:39.371-07:00Awesome post. It shows that one diet does not fit ...Awesome post. It shows that one diet does not fit all, thanks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18325700034394137041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-56358086949773799052012-05-25T14:00:26.979-07:002012-05-25T14:00:26.979-07:00Postmenopausal women do serve an evolutionary purp...Postmenopausal women do serve an evolutionary purpose: providing extended familiar care for grandchildren. This fact is also probably why women live longer than men. <br /><br />I'm still curious about evolutionary adaptations that may predispose an individual to heart disease. I've read about adaptations to the immune system as a result of plague and other historical pandemics. Could some of these changes in the immune system be a tradeoff: resistance to disease but susceptibility to dietary causes of heart disease?allisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00035675984343369850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-19024394243033155752012-05-23T10:11:08.292-07:002012-05-23T10:11:08.292-07:00I have similar concerns as Pieter... in that I'...I have similar concerns as Pieter... in that I'm a postmenopausal woman, so evolution has little use for me. But *I* still have use for me even though I will never reproduce again.<br /><br />Thus I'm never sure how much credence to give evolutionary arguments since they apply to me less than to a young Creationist. <br /><br />Nevertheless, I've found this series interesting; particularly like the even-handed discussion as opposed to the normal cherry-picking most blogs seem to do to bolster their preconceived notions. <br /><br />As far as the yeah or nay to grains, my own take on it is this...<br /><br />Buckwheat and barley generally have more micronutrients, especially flavanols, than other grains, so are preferred. I buy both whole - hulled barley and buckwheat groats and soak before cooking. BTW, barley makes a decent risotto.<br /><br />Wheat is OK if not gluten-intolerant. Bought bread is OK if it's sprouted or REAL sourdough (not just sour flavor added). <br /><br />I do a homemade bread using regular yeast, but it sits from 18-24 hours before baking, so I consider it well-soaked, if not fully fermented.<br /><br />Non-wheat pastas are sad and not very edible, IMO. I do like pure buckwheat soba noodles. But they work better in Asian cuisine than in Italian. Having spent over 2 decades as a low-carber, I'm familair with doing zucchini noodles or cabbage strips, etc. IMO, nothing replaces wheat pasta!<br /><br />White rice has less phytic acid than brown, so I figure it's preferred.<br /><br />I soak scottish or steelcut oats overnight before cooking them... with a TB of wheat flour as oats don't have much phytase. <br /><br />I buy organic masa harina to use as "cornmeal". I also buy frozen, canned or fresh corn only if organic, so as to avoid GMO corn.<br /><br />Dry beans or peas, I just soak overnight in water, same as all your regular recipes say to. <br /><br />Main thing is grains are never a main component of our diet. <br /><br />We eat gobs of veggies (half the diet by volume) and lots of low-sugar fruit. No shortage of fiber here! My grocery cart ALWAYS has mostly produce in it, even if I just went to the Farmer's Market beforehand.<br /><br />I get raw milk, pastured dairy, eggs and meat delivered from two local farms. <br /><br />When we're too broke for as much grass-fed meat as I'd like, we buy more eggs and cook more legume-based meals.<br /><br />Generally, I don't prefer we eat a lot of starch, but as far as starches go, I prefer potatoes. <br /><br />When we do eat grain, it's almost always cooked in a bone broth with a few drops of Concentrace added. For me, reducing phytic acid is only half my nutritional strategy, I add lots of minerals too.Jackie Pattihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045742074108609096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-57114356524554859252012-05-22T18:21:25.543-07:002012-05-22T18:21:25.543-07:00I would think that, both logically and from my obs...I would think that, both logically and from my observation, those genetics that come from people who were very recently huntergathers, like native americans, would be more likely to be more maladapted to high grain intake. Using an even more rough mental hueristic, you can look at those populations that statistically are more overweight with more health problems. Now look at how their recent ancestors lived and you will find that their recent ancestors were less agricultural. A scant few generations of grain evolution puts some people at more of a disadvantage in adaptation to current food sources than others. One might be advised to look to one's ancestors for clues on what might work better for each individual, but considering how few if any races are unmixed and considering high levels of diversity even within groups, there will still be much that has to be figured out on an individual basis.Evahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18224463305848437035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-32440019307656320452012-05-22T06:16:59.159-07:002012-05-22T06:16:59.159-07:00The application of the adaptation paradigm to spec...The application of the adaptation paradigm to species history AKA Evolution has resulted in two outcomes:<br /><br />a) The Darwinian narrative which provides one explanation for the Fossil record - Food Source change providing an impulse to utilising chance changes in genes. (Bones)<br /><br />b) The Red Queen narrative which has led to an explanation of how costly secondary traits have resulted from their use as health indicators promoting sexual selection. (Covering and decoration.)<br /><br />I am not clear which narrative (or even another one) is the basis for promoting those changes involved in any Expensive Tissue hypothesis. (Internal soft tissue organs.)LeonRoverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01484097018449402128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-69467158320866633292012-05-21T18:22:18.900-07:002012-05-21T18:22:18.900-07:00Stephan, what you are describing falls under the g...Stephan, what you are describing falls under the general classification of "costly traits". <br /><br />They are fascinating, and their existence is sobering. Evolution may look simple at first glance, but may lead to counter-intuitive outcomes. <br /><br />A couple of posts further illustrating this comment:<br /><br />http://bit.ly/qiXjwZ<br /><br />http://bit.ly/bW0jCRNed Kockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02755560885749335053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-81763469756279978842012-05-21T12:31:03.956-07:002012-05-21T12:31:03.956-07:00Having a dietitian background (Tulane U. and BS fr...Having a dietitian background (Tulane U. and BS from KSU) from a standard american diet point of view; I find your article educational and informative. I was in school when the 1st version of the Food Pyramid was published by the USDA. And I am one of those few people out there who lost a great amount of weight and have maintained it for over 20 years. I teach consumer nutrition classes at businesses throughout a large US city in the manner that you describe. My audience is not the "paleo" community. My audience is middle class, moderately overweight and believes that MyPlate and the Food Pyramid are correct. Your article is the first common sense, yet scientific article that I have read that I would pass on to my students. Your article makes sense and yet is not fanatical!!! Thank you!Paige Gersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11129320032506352907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-8619280813686594512012-05-21T05:48:25.642-07:002012-05-21T05:48:25.642-07:00Regarding "crude genetic adaptations" wh...Regarding "crude genetic adaptations" which can confer BOTH helpful and harmful effects....<br /><br />In the excellent book "The Rational Optimist" (written my evolution writer Matt Ridley)we learn about how hemochromatosis was natures way of bestowing immunity to the bubonic-plague. Apparently many pathogen thrive in high iron environment, so this mutation results in iron being sequestered into organs rather than blood. Of course that in itself eventually kills you as well,, but would at least keep you alive in an environment chock full of the plague long enough to reproduce and perpetuate your genes into the next generation.<br /><br />Also, very interesting what you mentioned about potassium being much higher in tubers than grains. Since it is a mineral which has much to do with insulin sensitivity and controlling blood pressure, that may explain why the kitavans seem to do well on a higher carb diet, as compared to those who get lots of their carb intake from grains.Jeff Consigliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11741635715928361614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-53384204961903461122012-05-21T00:27:32.731-07:002012-05-21T00:27:32.731-07:00Yes really you always provide good tips about heal...Yes really you always provide good tips about health in your posts.<br /><a href="http://myvolcanovaporizer.info/" rel="nofollow">vaporizers</a>rahulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05861399620503614382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-29724236241239371772012-05-20T22:40:41.481-07:002012-05-20T22:40:41.481-07:00Great information about archaeology, celiac, diet,...Great information about archaeology, celiac, diet, evolution, genetics, gluten, Masai, minerals, native diet, paleolithic diet, phytic acid. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.fluoresentric.com/" rel="nofollow">PCR Primers</a>fluoresentrichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02580932218275453964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-5005724840384238852012-05-20T15:01:20.066-07:002012-05-20T15:01:20.066-07:00The negative effects of wholemeal bread, based on ...The negative effects of wholemeal bread, based on the studies you presented, don't seem too convincing. Notable excerpts from the study you cited: <br /><br />"two young Americans who had <b>not previously consumed</b> fiber, phytate-, and phosphate-rich bread of this type"<br /><br />"However, all had become positive or nearly so after 50 days"; signifying that there is adaptation taking place, with a timeframe that is still not understood, rather than unable to be overcome.psychic24https://www.blogger.com/profile/02007506132069495095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-33751930476495688322012-05-20T07:31:15.567-07:002012-05-20T07:31:15.567-07:00Thank you for providing a fair view of the health ...Thank you for providing a fair view of the health effects of grains in the diet. I believe humans were meant to eat almost anything, as long as our diet was varied.<br /><br />Today we develop may illnesses due to eating less-than-optimal foods in large quantities.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07736460490996354290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-25244794868409144852012-05-19T10:25:16.296-07:002012-05-19T10:25:16.296-07:00i am john fromPrivate Health Care and this was rea...i am john from<a href="http://autohealthworld.com" rel="nofollow">Private Health Care</a> and this was really a great experience :).BLUE HACKERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08094965521729777770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-84835256296496861892012-05-19T07:51:50.310-07:002012-05-19T07:51:50.310-07:00Thanks for this series, it's very helpful espe...Thanks for this series, it's very helpful especially for those of us trying to live out a healthier diet on a low income--hence wanting to include some grains. <br /><br />One lingering question I'm having is whether untreated phytates in grains only block the absorption of minerals from the grain itself or whether they affect absorption of nutrients from the rest of the meal or the body.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-76838080856596232752012-05-19T07:09:04.705-07:002012-05-19T07:09:04.705-07:00Great series, indeed. Thank you for your intellig...Great series, indeed. Thank you for your intelligent and enthusiastic blog. I'm glad I stumbled upon it, and glad I check in frequently. Terrific work.Karen Dicksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14675676367311234818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-26615312225797428102012-05-19T03:46:45.808-07:002012-05-19T03:46:45.808-07:00I think we have to distinguish between evolution o...I think we have to distinguish between evolution of our genome and evolution of our gut bacteria. It's true rodents can deal with phytic acid very well, but that isn't because they have a gene for phytase, it's because their gut bacteria do. <br /><br />Our own gut bacteria have phytase as well. Until we know how much phytase activity our own gut can produce under optimal conditions - and we may never know because ideally it would have been measured in the Hunza 100 years ago - we can't really say we are not adapted to eating grains because of the phytic acid.<br /><br />BTW, that study of macrobiotic children may not be all it seems. The parents were sieving their children's porridge. Did this remove the bran and germ? <br /><br />Porotic hyperostosis is not due to iron deficiency, and kwashiorkor is not due to protein deficiency but to iron overload. See Golden on this. The anthropologists often don't know about the latest research in nutrition. They are stuck in the dark ages where everybody has iron deficiency.Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18175128589806816624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-61480338802993634242012-05-18T16:19:40.835-07:002012-05-18T16:19:40.835-07:00SG - I think you need another post talking about t...SG - I think you need another post talking about the recent changes in wheat that is currently in the food supply. The parallels between Otzi and grain adaptation, and the current state going on with modern america trying to adapt to a vastly different wheat grain (one that could never exist without human interference). It would complete a nice circle. Just my $0.02. I've enjoyed this series and the timing was perfect with the recent published lit. and Nova.Chemical Blenderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13795015320574020697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-16373438161606393192012-05-18T12:18:16.815-07:002012-05-18T12:18:16.815-07:00@Shawn,
I used to bake a sour dough rue bread from...@Shawn,<br />I used to bake a sour dough rue bread from a wholegrain rue flour from Hudson Mills and fermented it with starter in my fridge.It took longer fermenting time than on a counter-top, but the taste and rise were much better. I always kept a back-up starter in my freezer, also I usually have a self-made sauerkraut in my fridge, and sauerkraut brine and sourdough bread starter are interchangeable. I also usually added one tsp of molasses per loaf. It is better to be realistic and realize, that it is impossible to make a beautiful high raised loaf without substantial amount of gluten in your dough and adjust your expectations. It takes time to figure out small details of a bread preparation, first effort would be a failure most of the time. I am not baking bread nowadays, looks like I am better off grains.<br /><br />I am eating LC for almost 5 years now, tried to add more starches last 6 months, but first time since I started LC diet, my dental hygienist noticed several inflamed areas on my gums. I am from Eastern Europe, and my appearance suggests some of my ancestors came to Russia with Genghis-khan . It looks like I am not among thous who can safely rely on more carbs in their diets. There are individual variations.Galina L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09156132815504279615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-63667624352069895012012-05-18T12:11:44.579-07:002012-05-18T12:11:44.579-07:00Best post of the series, I think (despite the crac...Best post of the series, I think (despite the crack elsewhere about Oetzi's chromosomes increasing his risk for being killed in the back of beyond :) ). Thanks for the book recommendation; sounds like a perfect addition to the shelf.<br />I am further edified by Chris's comment that I am unlikely to succomb to bubonic plague.Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10703308019856972175noreply@blogger.com