eat meat!

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RNY April 1998

Cave Men Diets Offer Insights To Today's Health Problems, Study Shows

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Eat meat. That's the dietary advice given by a team

of scientists who examined the dietary role of fat in a study that combined

nutritional analysis with anthropologic research about the diets of ancient

hunter-gatherer societies.

But there's a catch: To be as healthy as a cave man you have to eat certain

kinds of fish, wild game such as venison, or grass-fed meat such as beef.

The research was conducted by Bruce Watkins, professor and university

faculty scholar at Purdue University and director of the Center for

Enhancing Foods to Protect Health, and anthropologist Loren Cordain,

professor of health and exercise science at Colorado State University and

author of " The Paleo Diet " ( Wiley & Sons, 2002). Watkins and Cordain

conducted detailed chemical analysis of the meats people ate 10,000 years

ago and compared those results to the most common meat people eat today.

They found that wild game, such as venison or elk meat, as well as grass-fed

beef, contain a mixture of fats that are actually healthy for you, and, the

researchers say, lower cholesterol and reduce other chronic disease risk.

Recent studies have indicated that a healthy diet should contain a balance

of essential fats. The two types of most concern are omega-6 and omega-3,

and both are essential for proper nutrition. Omega-3 fat, which is often

found in high levels in certain fish, has been shown to reduce the risk of

cardiovascular disease, but too much omega-3 can increase the risk of

stroke. Omega-6 fat also is an essential fat, but too much omega-6 in the

diet can contribute to inflammatory responses associated with of chronic

disease.

According to Watkins, the analysis done at Purdue found that wild elk, deer

and antelope from the Rocky Mountains region have greater amounts of omega-3

fatty acids and a lower - and therefore healthier - ratio of omega-6 to

omega-3 fatty acids in muscle meats, compared to grain-fed beef.

" Both grass-fed steers and the wild ruminants have a ratio of omega-6 to

omega-3 fatty acids slightly above two in meat. In other words, two parts

omega-6 to one part omega-3, " Watkins says. " That ratio is much lower than

the ratios of 5-to-1 to 13-to-1 reported in previous studies for grain-fed

steers. "

Watkins says the low fat ratio of wild ruminants and grass-fed beef is good

news for people who need to reduce their cholesterol.

" The fatty acid ratio in wild ruminants is consistent with the recent

American Heart Association recommendation to increase the consumption of

omega-3 fatty acids found in certain fish in order to reduce the risk of

cardiovascular disease, " he says.

The results of the study were published in the January issue of European

Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The research was funded by the National

Science Foundation, the Purdue University Office of Research Programs and

the Pope & Young Club, a national conservation organization.

Analyzing the foods that people ate 10,000 years ago is not a flight of

scientific esoterica. The researchers say this finding has important

implications for what we eat today.

Although 10,000 years ago predates all modern civilizations, it is a small

blip in the evolutionary timeline of humans. Some nutritionists believe that

by studying what people ate in the Paleolithic Era, also known as the Old

Stone Age, they can determine the proper mix of foods for modern man.

Cordain says anthropological nutritionists such as himself have studied the

few isolated hunter-gatherer societies - such as the Nanamiut of Alaska, the

Aborigines of Australia and the !Kung of Africa - that remained into the

20th century and found that modern maladies, such as heart disease, high

cholesterol, obesity and diabetes, are rare in these populations.

" Over the past several decades, numerous studies have found that indigenous

populations have low serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels, " Cordain

says.

This is despite the fact that their diets aren't going to reap praise from

many modern nutritionists.

" Previous studies by myself and colleagues had found that nearly all - 97

percent - of the world's hunter-gatherer societies would have exceeded

recommended guidelines for fat, " Cordain says.

Watkins says although this may be surprising to many people, it fits exactly

with what research is showing about the importance of specific types of fat

in the diet.

" Current research is showing that, with the decline of fat in the diet, the

amount of fat isn't as important as the relative amounts, or ratio, of

specific fats in your diet. It's a qualitative issue, not a quantitative

issue, " he says. " By eating more of the good fat you can lower your

cholesterol and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. "

This balance of fats has changed dramatically in the past century, he adds.

" Generally, our modern diets, especially in the past 100 years, have changed

to where we're consuming excess amounts of omega-6 fat. Omega-6 is found in

high levels in many of the oil seed crops that we consume, " Watkins says.

" It's also found in the meat of the livestock that eat these grains, as this

study shows. "

Watkins adds that this research suggests new ways for potential

diversification in agricultural production.

" Our study points out that there are opportunities for ranchers and

producers to develop niche markets for grass-fed beef that fit consumer

interest in beef products that deliver special nutrients, " Watkins says.

" There may also be branding opportunities for products like the 's Lean

Beef Products. "

Editor's Note: The original news release can be found here.

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This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Purdue University.