Comments on: Debunking the paleo diet

By: Lisa Whiton

Lisa Whiton — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 16:29:39 +0000

The Paleo Diet’s ENTIRE PREMISE is totally wrong. Cordain, Sisson, Wolfe …..NONE of those hucksters understands evolution. Richard Dawkins would laugh at them.

By: Duncan Owen

Duncan Owen — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 05:22:23 +0000

Don’t you have to eat a truckload of green vegetables to meet your daily calcium requirements? So basically it can’t be a sole source of Calcium?

I think you hit the nail on the head Bill. People see results when switching to a Paleo diet primarily because they are eating healthier than before they started. But first and foremost they should be focussing on getting their daily dose of all nutrients – something vegetarians, vegans and paleo peeps need to be conscious of.

Duncan Owen

Healthy Weeknight Dinners
weeknightdinners.squarespace.com

By: Julianne

Julianne — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 21:33:42 +0000

I’m not someone who thinks that paleo has to be low carb. Nor do I think it should be high fat or high saturated fat. I look at a macronutrient ratio that is supported by science for my clients.
The O’Dea study shows us what happens when people embrace a hunter gatherer lifestyle – it gives us much to learn from.
Many of us who embrace paleo as a diet embrace lifestyle too.
Eating less, moving more, circadian rhythms, sleep are all important.

By: Bill Shrapnel

Bill Shrapnel — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 20:36:40 +0000

Hello Julianne. I’m glad you mentioned the seminal study by Kerin O’Dea in 1984. But you need to be careful about what you attribute to a Paleo diet.
Those indigenous Australians who adopted the hunter-gather lifestyle effectively went on a 1200 calories diet, with high physical activity, for seven weeks. All lost appreciable weight, averaging 8kg. No wonder their blood glucose and blood lipids improved – they would have improved irrespective of the composition of the diet.
Interestingly, their diet wasn’t low carb; it was low fat. Regards, Bill

By: George Henderson

George Henderson — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 09:13:38 +0000

Bill, you seem to be implying that Jullianne and other experienced nutritionists should not be listening to their clients and passing on what they learn from them, but instead pass on to those clients the debunking notions of Zuk and Warriner, who are not nutritionists and have no clinical experience or responsibilities.
I doubt the concept of “anecdotal” or (“unpublished”) has the same distinction today, when anyone can copy official medical records and laboratory results directly into an blog post. It used to apply to the things one heard third hand about the auntie of a friend of a friend.
Do you understand the difference between an anecdote and a case study?
Type 1 diabetes mellitus successfully managed with the
paleolithic ketogenic diet [external link]

By: Julianne

Julianne — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 08:36:02 +0000

Here are a few clinical studies on paleo diets, I suggest people read them and come to their own conclusions:
“Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study”
“A paleolithic diet is more satiating per calorie than a mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischemic heart disease”
“Subjective satiety and other experiences of a Paleolithic diet compared to a diabetes diet in patients with type 2 diabetes”
“A Paleolithic diet confers higher insulin sensitivity, lower C-reactive protein and lower blood pressure than a cereal-based diet in domestic pigs”
Jönsson et al
O’Dea K. “Marked improvement in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in diabetic Australian aborigines after temporary reversion to traditional lifestyle”. Diabetes. 1984;33(6):596–603.
Frassetto LA, Schloetter M, Mietus-Synder M, Morris RC, Jr., Sebastian A. Metabolic and physiologic improvements from consuming a paleolithic, hunter-gatherer type diet. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009;63(8):947–955.
Osterdahl M, Kocturk T, Koochek A, Wändell PE. Effects of a short-term intervention with a paleolithic diet in healthy volunteers. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008;62(5):682–685
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation and dietary interventions to reduce oxidative stress in a secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patient leads to marked gains in function: a case report
David Reese, Ezzatolah T Shivapour, Terry L Wahls, Shauna D Dudley-Javoroski, Richard Shields
Cases J. 2009; 2: 7601. Published online 2009 August 10. doi: 10.4076/1757-1626-2-7601
Agrarian diet and diseases of affluence – Do evolutionary novel dietary lectins cause leptin resistance?
Tommy Jönsson, Stefan Olsson, Bo Ahrén, Thorkild C Bøg-Hansen, Anita Dole, Staffan Lindeberg
BMC Endocr Disord. 2005; 5: 10. Published online 2005 December 10. doi: 10.1186/1472-6823-5-10

By: Bill Shrapnel

Bill Shrapnel — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 05:35:02 +0000

Julianne, no anecdotes please. This blog is about nutrition science. Regards, Bill

By: Julianne

Julianne — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 04:57:57 +0000

I am a nutritionist, and as you may be are aware advocate a paleo diet.
As you may also be aware there are hundreds of anecdotal success stories …

By: Bill Shrapnel

Bill Shrapnel — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 05:35:51 +0000

KayJay, I don’t support high carbohydrate diets. Please read everything I have written on the topic in the last five years. Regards, Bill

By: KayJay

KayJay — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 04:46:17 +0000

Kate you don’t really want to read peer reveiwed papers. You just want to criticise! Harvard School of Public Health did a 2 year study and the low carb (Paleo) out performed the Meditteranean and low fat diets! How is that for you?