Re: Vegan Diet (was Re: Practical Extropianism)

Patrick Wilken (patrickw@cs.monash.edu.au)
Sat, 10 May 1997 02:24:51 +1000

>Rats fed high-fat but low calorie diets do about as well as rats fed low-fat
>low-calorie diets. So the conclusion is that the *primary* health
>disadvantage of fat is that it makes you eat more.

I don't see how you come to this conclusion based on facts you give. I used
to have a diet relatively high in fat and I found that fat satisfied my
hunger rather than stimulated it. Wouldn't it be simpler to say that these
studies show that there is a health advantage gained by having a low
*quantity* of fat in your diet: you can achieve this either by having a low
proportion of fat in a high calorie diet, or a large (or low) amount of fat
in a low-calorie diet.

I also thought that studies showed that the life-extension properties of a
low calorie diet went we beyond just having a low quantity of fat in your
diet; say the difference b/w living to 90 on a low-fat diet and 130 on a
low-calorie diet (i.e. low-fat helps you reach your max. life span,
low-calorie actually slows the aging process and thus extend your life span
significantly).

Can anyone clarify this?

best, patrick

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Patrick Wilken http://www.cs.monash.edu.au/~patrickw/
Editor: PSYCHE: An International Journal of Research on Consciousness
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