Category Archives: Around the Web - Page 2

Around the Web: Preparing to Give Thanks Edition

I’ve just touched a finished copy of our new book for the first time: it is gorgeous! This picture is a poor substitute, but here’s a view of the cover.

[1] Cute animals:

Via Yves Smith.

[2] Semi-cute animal: K-pop is so hot, even the Oregon Duck can’t stop dancing Gangnam style:

[3] Interesting Items:

Peter Dobromylskyj of Hyperlipid has been looking at how different dietary fatty acids help or hinder mitochondrial control of cellular metabolism. He has two intriguing posts today:

–          In the first, he proposes that saturated fats make long fasts more tolerable by enabling better control of energy utilization; polyunsaturated fats make long fasts intolerable and trigger hypoglycemia, stimulating appetite. This would be the second known pathway by which omega-6 fats upregulate appetite: omega-6 fats can also degrade to endocannibinoids which stimulate eating.

–          In the second, he suggests that an omega-6 rich ketogenic diet would promote diabetes by creating conditions of cellular energy excess. Saturated fats protect against that scenario. Perhaps Peter and CarbSane can agree: There is such a thing as “nutty ketosis”!

Meanwhile, Jimmy Moore is doing well on nutritional ketosis, but Neely Quinn of Paleo Plan had trouble.

CarbSane finds another zero-carb danger: thiamin deficiency neuropathy.

Mark’s Daily Apple has a 204-page forum thread on the “Potato Diet.” Tatertot asked me what I thought of a potato-only diet as a weight loss tactic, and I gave my thoughts here. I might add: Safe starches have come a long way, if the hot new Paleo/Primal weight loss fad is 100% safe starch!

Dr Weil is behind the times; he thinks Paleo doesn’t include starches.

Kaleigh Laventure, The Paleo Angel, talks to Abel James about the trouble she had on Leangains. It seems like the junk-food binging part of the protocol was a big problem.

Hey, what does Stephan Guyenet have against bacon egg doughnut burgers?

If you want a starch-free breakfast, Laura at This Felicitous Life has a recipe: banana and egg pancakes. She writes:

Well, we’re starting our fifth week here of the Perfect Health Diet.  Pat is down about 8 pounds and has noted that he now has to wear a belt to keep his pants from sliding down.  He’s been overheard marveling, “I can’t believe I’m losing weight by eating steak and nuts and cheese and butter!”  So far I’ve refrained from socking him in the schnozz.

I’m stuck at starting weight – 1lb.

Figures.

Razib Khan subscribes to a rather unusual version of Paleo.

Sean at PragueStepChild has good parenting advice.

Ray Medina looks at foods that can affect sleep.

Stefani Ruper has a manual for overcoming PCOS. Sol Orwell offers supplement advice at Examine.com.

Prof Dr Andro reports that frying creates peroxides and destroys vitamin E; and that the more fat toddlers eat at age 2, the less fat is around their waist at age 20.

Is fish oil a toxin whose benefits come through hormesis?

Chris Kresser reports another reason we’re undernourished:  we eat foods long after harvest.

David Despain has plenty to say about the diet of lemurs.

[4] Not the Weekly Video: Primal Chef has a cookoff between Sarah Fragoso of Everyday Paleo and Cindy Anschutz of Cindy’s Table:

[5] Reader Results: Our last roundup of reader results was two months ago, and a number of reports have rolled in since.

Conor says:

First of all – thank you. I started on the PHD a couple of years ago after buying one of the earliest copies of your book (you were kind enough to ship it to New Zealand). I’ve found it extremely successful, with a couple of nagging issues (rosacea for example) resolving totally. I also noticed greatly increased energy.

Evan had the high LDL on Paleo problem and after following our suggestions – safe starches and mineral supplements – says, “WOW, Feeling great in just 3 weeks.”

Laura has also had good results.

Jonathan cured his restless leg syndrome:

Hi Paul, just wanted to let you know that after approximately 2 months on PHD and taking the recommended supplements, my restless leg syndrome has completely disappeared. I was a bit hesitant at first to believe it could be true, but it’s been a few weeks now so I can say it’s officially gone. This is something I remember having since I was a young child, maybe 6 or 7 so it’s pretty neat to resolve the issue through diet.

An email:

Incredible book! The most fascinating book I’ve ever read. It has helped me cure all my health issues and I can’t thank you enough for writing this book. I pass it on to everyone I meet. This book can definitely put chronic diseases in the past.

Johnny reports PHD is working well for weight loss:

Hi Paul,

At 235lb I started a low carb diet and went to 198 but my loss stalled.

I changed to the Perfect Health Diet: Weight Loss Version, consuming at least 600 daily calories combined protein and carbs, with overall calories of 1,200-1,500 per day.

My weight loss restarted, although at about 1 lb. per week, and I’m now at 188.

Mike C had a similar experience:

Hey Paul, Just want to thank you for taking the time to research and write a book that makes sense in every aspect. I am a 44 year old male who started this journey at 405lbs with LC/Atkins but after losing the inital water weight I then proceeded to lose and gain the same 3 pounds over and over again during the next 4 months. I was strict, ate no more than 20 net carbs per day and felt ok, but no weight loss….

Eating by PHD rules, the weight has begun to come off again!! I don’t count anything, but always ensure to eat by the guidelines you suggest and I find I eat less calories and feel full longer naturally and the “IF” that I really did not want to do as part of the plan has come naturally and not eating till noon from the night before is really no problem. I have dropped weight and a few pants sizes since started this plan and more importantly I am really enjoying my food again. Adding 300 to 400 calories in potatoes or rice each day has really opened up the dishes I can make again. I feel better, less hungry and more satisfied eating PHD and real food. French fires made in grass fed tallow are my new health food and we have them 3 or 4 times a week! I wanted a way I could eat for life and I found it. Thanks again and I look forward to the new version of the book!

FYI: I would guestimate I eat around 2300 calories a day. I am losing 2 pounds per week and am down to 372lbs.

Paloma reports that intermittent fasting cured her insomnia:

Thanks for this post! I have been doing this for a week now and it works!

I was desperate because I wasn’t able to get asleep… I have two small kids so imagine how tired I was! But I was doing it all wrong. Now I skip breakfast, have an early lunch, some merienda at 17 h and dinner at 20:30. Then a cold bath at 22h and get asleep in 5 minutes! Thanks!

Linda Wyatt has eliminated her migraines:

I started a ketogenic diet for other reasons, but the first and most obvious change was that my migraines stopped. I had no idea this would be a possible benefit, but now, it is my primary motivation for staying on the diet. I have no interest whatsoever in going back to frequent, debilitating, migraines.

Allison is recovering from hypothyroidism:

Hi Paul,

You may remember I commented about a month or so ago that I’d started following PHD after a year of struggling with debilitating hypothyroidism (despite supplementation with compounded thyroid and cytomel), along with low testosterone, low DHEA, underfunctioning adrenals, and a vitamin D deficiency. Less than two months ago, I was unable to drive, and was having trouble walking due to the fatigue and trouble with muscle coordination.

The results of my most recent blood work are in, and there are great improvements: my vitamin D levels have returned to optimal levels, my DHEA is normal, my testosterone has increased (although its not at a normal level yet), and my free T3 has increased to 3.1. Before, it was so low it wasn’t even on the chart and only my total t3 could be reported (which, obviously, was mostly reverse t3). My adrenals have yet to show any improvement.

I still have a way to go, but what a huge improvement! Most days, I feel pretty good. I’ll keep at it.

Dave Baird was one of those who had a brief weight gain before losing weight on PHD:

When I first started following the Perfect Health Diet I gained 1.5 kilos – this has since been lost again and I’m consistently losing about a kilo per week.

Jack Cameron improved his cardiovascular health:

After reading “Perfect Health Diet” I increased my intake of saturated fats and reduced intake of grains and legumes. After a few months on the improved diet I had an echocardiogram and a VAP test. The echo showed that my ejection fraction had increased from 65 two years earlier to 75 which is about as good as it gets. The VAP test showed by TG dropped from 66 to 60 and HDL increased from 80 to 88. Apo B dropped from 98 to 90. Blood pressure is now 110 over 60.

Ana Cheeseman noticed something odd – a new eye color:

I have been following your diet for the past months and I have been feeling amazing!!! My acne has cleared up, my periods are normal, I have lost weight, everything’s been great!! What I have noticed however is a change in my eye colour. My eyes used to be dark brown but now they are hazel.

Cindy Rosenberg left a nice comment on Facebook:

this way of eating is changing my body and my life, and that of many of my patients. thank you so much for your wisdom and guidance. so so grateful

Nora is also happy:

I love PHD. It makes me feel great, I am always satisfied at the end of a meal. I don’t have to eat as much anymore because I don’t have cravings.

Finally, a case of recovery from tortilla poisoning:

Thank you so much for writing the Perfect Health Diet book!

I have lost 20 pounds in six months by simply reducing the amount of tortillas I was eating. I used to eat up to 15 tortillas a day. Now I eat about five for the whole week. Like you guys said; the dose is the poison!

[6] Shou-Ching’s Photo Art:

[7] Video of the week: The Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3D:

via Jennifer Fulwiler.

Around the Web: Back to School Edition

Greetings, everyone! It’s hard to believe our last Around the Web was all the way back on April 21. And that we’ve only managed a few days off for swimming and hiking in that time.

We’re very excited about the new Scribner edition: Perfect Health Diet: Regain Health and Lose Weight by Eating the Way You Were Meant to Eat. Can’t wait for it to come out! This version is really solid scientifically, we believe it will bring many people to better health, and we’re very excited to have the opportunity to bring PHD to a popular audience.

We want to extend our thanks once again to all the readers who have left their stories on the Reader Results page, and who gave permission for their stories to be used. Thank you! We were recently in New York to meet with the Scribner editorial staff and they said the reader stories were the best part of the book. I don’t think that was only in comparison to the parts we wrote.

[1] Prayers needed: Frequent commenter erp’s daughter and son-in-law have suffered severe burns in a small plane crash and are in critical condition. Please pray for their recovery.

[2] Podcasts: Let me recommend once again my podcast with Abel James, the Fat Burning Man: Paul Jaminet: The Perfect Health Diet, Safe Starches, and Intermittent Fasting. Abel was very well prepared, indeed he read the whole manuscript of the Scribner edition before our chat, and we covered a lot of material from the book. (By the way, Abel has a $0.99 Intro to the Paleo Diet. Can’t beat the price!)

I’ll be appearing on Cary Nosler’s Wide World of Health on Sunday September 9 at 4 pm EDT/1 pm PDT, unless baseball playoffs interfere in which case it will be at 3 pm EDT/noon PDT.

Finally, I’ve recorded an interview with Jordan Reasoner and Steve Wright of SCDLifestyle.com, scheduled to go live on Sept 27. Topics included the role of infections in inflammatory bowel disease, and how diet can help. Jordan and Steve have a great site for bowel disease patients. Both have been friends of the blog for quite some time; Jordan was one of our first readers and wrote one of the first Amazon reviews of our book.

[3] Music to read by:

[4] Reader Results:

Kevin Lyons started our diet two weeks ago and is live-blogging his experience at “Perfect Health Diet in Practice.” So far, so good: he’s lost 5 pounds, lowered his blood pressure, hasn’t been hungry, and “my energy and mood was great.”

Francesca has some good news about her husband:

He is 68, has a severely degenerated mitral valve and the surgeon’s opinion nine months ago was that immediate surgery was necessary. After just over a year on PHD he feels great and has no symptoms other than atrial fibrillation. He refuses to have the operation while he feels so well, has plenty of energy and is never breathless, not even when walking fast up steep hills or doing hard physical work.

He has refused all blood thinners, even baby aspirin, which infuriates his doctors…. [His] severe fatigue … has miraculously almost disappeared since going on PHD.

JonMarc Grodi has lost 50 pounds, and his wife Teresa 45 pounds.

Her complexion, body composition, energy levels, cravings/hunger, digestion, and other aspects of health have all improved. I have cut my exercise down to a fraction of what I am used to and at the same time put on a ton of muscle.

Pam has improved her cholesterol numbers and increased bone density. Ryan has improved his skin and appetite control.

A friend of Rich’s lost 35 pounds and

more importantly I feel fantastic…. Food no longer has a hold of me…. After 7 months of being on the Perfect Health Diet, my blood pressure was good. (I have always been borderline high). My bad cholesterol was good and my good cholesterol was outstanding. My triglycerides were ridiculously low.

I am now a huge advocate for this way of eating. It has changed my life, and I am excited about it.

MH has “been following PHD for 8-9 months, with wonderful results across the board.”

Marc got rid of his rosacea and stubborn body fat.

Catherine fixed her blood glucose and her headache vanished.

MsBB says “since following this diet-I have boundless energy. My yoyo hypoglycemic events have ended. Sleep like a rock.”

Daniel Han has lost over 90 pounds.

Lauren had chronic migraines for 16 years. No more!

Dr. Helen Riley has dropped a dress size and has more energy.

Steve Reichard has normalized his previously high blood pressure.

Ana Cheeseman says, “My health and energy levels have significantly improved with the PHD!!!! Thank you for sharing all this!!”

Justin: “I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2009, improved on Savella, then plateaued, and now on the PHD for a few months, am improving almost back to where I was in my early 20?s.”

[5] Elsewhere on the Web:

There’s been some fractiousness in the Paleosphere while we were away. Melissa McEwen started a blog to document it: PaleoDrama. Richard Nikoley then declared war, producing but one casualty: his own sleep. Perhaps the blog should have been titled “PaleoComedy.”

Paleo is mainstream. Other evidence: the Roadkill Café is going upscale: get ready for “New Gather Cuisine.”

It’s not just Paleo: carbohydrate restriction has triumphed.

Dan’s Plan has a great infographic: Optimize Your Health.

Chris Kresser sticks to his guns: It’s OK to eat high-on-the-food-chain ocean fish despite mercury risks. ProfDrAndro of Suppversity reports on a conflicting study; Chris’s earlier article.

Nutrisclerosis by Whitney Ross Gray gives the Paleo community another MS recovery story, similar to that of Terry Wahls.

Catch-22: If you make public your cure for cancer, it’s impossible for anyone to bring it to market.

Sometimes journals are reluctant to publish negative results, which is unfortunate, as it would have deprived us of this interesting case study. (Via Greg Mankiw.)

It’s not just black cats whose paths you shouldn’t cross.

Dr Davis says “we’re seeing hundreds of thousands of people losing 30, 80, 150 pounds” by giving up wheat. Great news if true! Oddly, he doesn’t seem aware that gliadins are a component of gluten. Perhaps the journalist garbled the quote.

A good question is: If avoiding grains is so good for health, why didn’t traditional peoples discover it? Maybe they did. Via Martin Inderhaug, the ancient Chinese practice of Bigu.

Pal Jabekk advises: Jump!

Easy as Pi likes our diet.

Against my claim that starch is better than sugar, the Ray Peat Forum is soliciting rebuttals.  Andrew Kim stepped forward with “Fructose is > Glucose” and “Fructose is > Glucose Part II.”

Questions I hope I don’t get asked: Why does this woman need to be upside down? Why is this girl blue?

Caroline Lunger is a prolific young blogger. She made a common mistake – going too low carb on GAPS.

Horses do better on high-fat than high-grain diets.

Emily Willingham replies to the New York Times autism and inflammation article.

Besse Cooper has turned 116. She still doesn’t eat junk food.

Russ Crandall, The Domestic Man, has tips for easing into a Paleo diet.

The Power of Poo” is a resource for those considering fecal transplants.

Great line from Dallas and Melissa:

A Paleo way of life is about choosing to partake in a “nutrient-dense life”, complete with deeply nourishing food, emotionally satisfying social relationships, and genuine interaction with the natural (i.e. outside) world.

In a major upset, a seven year-old won the national ram-groping tournament.

The responsibilities of an academic are teaching, research and service fundraising.” Much research cannot be trusted because many academics exchange scholarly integrity for career success.

“Putting a mango directly into my mouth was stupid. I admit that.”

[6] Cute animal: NO!!!! Don’t do it doggie! It’s not Paleo!

More cute animals here. Via Craig Newmark.

[7] Not the weekly video: Cuter animals:

[8] Photo art:

[9] Weekly video: How to get the Spirit Mars Exploration Rover to Mars. Having worked on projects like this, I can tell you that many of the people in that room will have worked on this project for 20 years. A lot of one’s life hinges on that few seconds when you find out if the landing was successful!

Around the Web; Controversies Over Rice, Meat, and Warmth Edition

[1] Success Stories: Thanks so much to everyone who reports their results on the blog. Here are a few recent reports:

Matt, an amateur bodybuilder, reports success on PHD: “I’m getting leaner and my muscles are developing better. What’s really surprising is that my calorie intake is higher and I’m losing fat mass!!”

Robin reports that rice cured her constipation.

Karin reports that the ketogenic variant of our diet has cured migraines and other problems:

I’ve been on the keto diet for nearly a month and it is the best thing that has happened to me. I’m migraine free and medication free. My mood is incredibly stable, I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night, I have lots of energy, I can concentrate for hours on end, etc. I’ve lost weight also, a much loved side effect. Thank you for writing this!

Brian reports rapid progress against his diabetes.

Jeanie Graham Campbell on Facebook: “My husband is doing fabulously on the PHD…. I felt great. Once I get down to where I want to be (another 7 or so pounds), I’ll be rockin’ the PHD!!!”

Meanwhile, it’s not exactly a testimonial, but I want it known that “Super Newell” Wright can run down young criminals and retrieve stolen computers while carrying a 50 pound suitcase.

[2] Music to Read By: Levon Helm, drummer and singer for The Band, passed away last week. Here they were at Woodstock:

Here’s Levon singing “The Last Waltz”:

And one more for the road:

[3] Interesting posts since our last Around the Web:

Toxoplasma infection is a major cause of birth defects. Treatment of pregnant mothers improves the health of their babies.

Laura Schoenfeld reviews the people of PaleoFX – and the real stars.

Via Dr. Jay Wortman, two attempts to explain why Asian rice eaters are thin on 70% carb diets: Peter Attia and Andreas Eenfeldt offer three and six reasons respectively. I half-agree with half their reasons, but the comments on Dr. Eenfeldt’s post held the most interest. Is Robert Lustig the new Ancel Keys?

Paleo for Powerlifters discusses the benefits of rice consumption.

Paleo has become too limiting for Richard Nikoley. Jack Kruse is also progressing beyond Paleo: in his talk at TEDx Nashville (video not yet online) he reported self-injecting with MRSA. If you find Jack’s posts too long, you’re in luck: one of his fans is putting Jack’s best lines up on Twitter.

“Only Dave Asprey would come back from a Cloud Computing conference with frostbite.” A Paleo conference is the place for that … Keith Norris had a nice post on cold exposure, and Kamal Patel (in comments) reminds us, “What killed the dinosaurs?” Elsewhere, Kamal makes a case for Fire Perspirogenesis.

Melissa McEwen recorded a podcast, and it’s got “nude” in the title. It’s got “sauna” too, so maybe there’s something about Fire Perspirogenesis.

Pal Jabekk quotes Tristram Shandy.

Mark Sisson discusses 5 common nutrient deficiencies. Adam Bornstein of Livestrong.com references Mark, Martin Berkhan, and Brad Pilon in explaining why he has taken up intermittent fasting.

Red wine turns materials into superconductors. (Via Instapundit) Might be a good beverage to consume while earthing.

Dr Briffa thinks earthing may work. I actually bought an earthing mat and put it under my keyboard so that my hands rest on it as I work, but haven’t noticed any effect.

Jimmy Moore has started experimenting with carbohydrates. He tried half a sweet potato per day, mashed with 3 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp honey or stevia, and found that his blood sugar was under control, but he gained a bit of weight.

Scroll down to read how CarbSane imagines the safe starches panel at AHS 2012 will go.

Carl Zimmer in the New York Times discusses a growing sense among scientists that science itself is getting dysfunctional.

That paper on plant microRNAs affecting gene expression in the liver is being questioned. No surprise there.

Don’t tell Ray Peat: Women who drink two cups of sugary soda per day are 37% less likely to become pregnant than women who drink two cups of tea a day. And a New Zealand woman died of a Coca-Cola overdose.

Don Matesz poses the “panda paradox”: Pandas didn’t evolve to eat bamboo but can survive on it. The inference, I guess, is that humans didn’t evolve to eat vegan but we might survive on it.

Via J Stanton, green tea may inhibit hepatitis C virus infection.

Matt Metzgar: what does chocolate have to tell us about food reward theory?

Wired wonders: if there are probiotic viruses, maybe we don’t want antiviral drugs.

Cogito Ergo Edo discusses the Leptin Marketing Miracle.

In the comments, André Risnes offered a corollary to Ewald’s hypothesis.

New Zealand confronts Marmageddon.

Via Newmark’s Door, why do children wet their beds? Constipation! Try giving them magnesium.

Is bee colony collapse disorder due to a corn pesticide in the high-fructose corn syrup that bee farmers have been giving their bees?

Chris Kresser discuss how stress upsets your gut. Chris has a terrific series on salt: this post has the meat of the matter.

Walter Willett defends that red meat study. But Prof Dr Andro says red meat is good for rats. Michael Greger reports that muscle meat is only about 10% of fast food chain burgers; the rest is “waste and by-products including connective tissue, nerve tissue, cartilage, bone, and in a quarter of the samples, Sarcocystis parasites.”

In our book we emphasized that, after processing by the digestive tract, all mammals eat high fat diets. Miki Ben Dor follows this line of thought in his analysis of the diet of chimpanzees.

Dr BG is back! With a major demything.

Jim Stogdill of O’Reilly Radar has started the Perfect Health Diet. Fit Element has had good results:

From my personal experience over the last few weeks adding back more of the safe starches have given me better energy than just eating vegetables alone as the only carb intake in a day. I’m no longer suffering from tremendous DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and the recovery is quicker. I have lots of energy to do daily tasks and be quite active otherwise. And not to mention that I sleep so much better! Even more muscle definition is coming along in difficult areas such as thighs.

Yoni Freedhoff has the secrets to a happy marriage.

Via Tyler Cowen, the US government is stifling a breakthrough innovation: Tacocopters.

[4] In honor of our friends at Psychology Today:

[5] A culinary color wheel: From Nicole Kosek Caulfield, via Shari Bambino:

[6] Not the weekly video: Rocky’s speech to his son in kinetic typography:

Via Tony Federico. Original speech here.

[7] Shou-Ching’s Photo Art:

[8] Weekly video: The Great Bell Chant:

The Great Bell Chant (The End of Suffering) from R Smittenaar on Vimeo.

Around the Web; PaleoFX Edition

I’ll be speaking and sitting on two panels at the Paleo(fx) conference this week, Wednesday-Friday in Austin, Texas. The meeting has a great lineup of speakers and I’m looking forward to meeting a lot of interesting people there. If you’re there, be sure to introduce yourself!

[1] Music to Read By: Glen Campbell has Alzheimer’s, and is doing a farewell tour. His final concert will be June 30 in Bayfield, Wisconsin. Here is “Wichita Lineman”:

And “Rhinestone Cowboy”:

[2] Interesting posts this week:

My favorite post of the week: Emily Deans reports on the Pathogen Host Defense theory of depression. Depression is part of the immune response to infection: it is how the immune system gets us to rest and avoid other people so as to keep the infection from spreading. The supporting evidence: every genetic allele known to increase the incidence of depression, also increases immunity to infectious disease. Moral of the story: if you’re depressed, find and treat your infections.

Bix discusses the role of histamine in depression. Antihistamines relieve depression. Of course, they may also inhibit the immune system from fighting an infection.

Kamal Patel has a new website on pain management, paindatabase.com; he opens with an excellent discussion of nightshades. Peter Frost notes that redheads are more sensitive to pain.

Dr. Steve Parker reviews the classic study in which diabetic Australian aborigines were returned to their ancestral lifestyle.

Angelique Corthals presents an offbeat theory of multiple sclerosis. Another offbeat theory: Via Melissa McEwen, a paper argues that Crohn’s may result from bacteria which survive in refrigerators.

Chris Kresser discusses folic acid dangers, a topic I’ve recently done some thinking about.

Allan Balliet has a podcast interview with Dr Thomas Cowan, author of The Fourfold Path to Healing: Working with the Laws of Nutrition, Therapeutics, Movement and Meditation in the Art of Medicine.

Tony Federico was able to fix his cholesterol by adding carbs. CarbSane finds she sleeps better on 100g per day starches (PHD proportions) than she did on VLC. Cameron also had trouble on VLC.

Serum IL-6 levels predict mortality and disability. IL-6 is part of the immune response to many infections.

An 87-year-old billionaire aims to live to 125. He eats a lot of fruit and vegetable smoothies.

Parvovirus B19 is present in the thyroid glands of 90% of Hashimoto’s patients.

Stephan Guyenet got some nice exposure at Boing Boing, talking about how the cafeteria diet seduces rats. Matt Metzgar’s personal experiments are supportive of Stephan’s view.

Sean at PragueStepChild has a terrific post pointing out the flawed logic underlying a new “food reward in a pill” drug.

Seth Roberts warns that supplement quality can vary widely.

Apparently Dr Steve Phinney thinks the best fat is a mix of butter, olive oil, and canola oil. I think it’s possible to do better.

The Daily Mail reports that passing weak electric currents through the brain can lift patients out of depression for up to six weeks.

Via Dave Asprey, an “M2A” (mouth to anus) capsule enables photography of the intestine. He’s got video. Dave also has a rapid fat loss protocol: a diet of coffee, butter, and supplements. I prefer our Food for a Fast.

Warning: Dr Clark says that coffee is bad for people with gluten sensitivity, due to cross-reactive antibodies.

Dr Mercola defends free speech, and objects to an FDA assertion that walnuts are drugs. Yahoo reports that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is buying 7 million pounds of “pink slime” beef for the school lunch program.

I didn’t know this: “In healthy individuals, blood sugar rises to ~135 mg/dL after 15 minutes of vigorous exercise…. In Type 1 diabetics, the same intensity and duration of exercise produced blood sugars that exceeded 150 mg/dL in spite of continuous insulin infusion.” (from Sam Knox)

Via PaleoHacks, how a pig gets divided up into meats.

Matthew Green satirizes Paleo.

Finally, Apple came out with a new product last week, and Yoni Freedhoff has the marketing video:

[3] Cute animal:

Via Yves Smith.

[4] Meet Ray Audette: The author of NeanderThin: Eat Like a Caveman to Achieve a Lean, Strong, Healthy Body and one of the pioneers of Paleo:

[5] Not the weekly video: Dr. Mark Cucuzzella offers “The Principles of Natural Running”:

[6] Shou-Ching’s Photo Art:

[7] Weekly Video: Ever wondered what auroras look like from space?