Making a transition from Vegan to Paleo

Are we reading the same study? The low carb group had a 42% higher urinary cortisol reading than the low fat group.

Looking at the study outcomes, I'm seeing inviduals with a comfortable pre-weight loss baseline cortisol reading upwards of 73, and a low glycemic diet also producing those same cortisol readings up to 73. There were individuals on a low-fat diet with a reading of 60, while there were individuals on a very low carbohydrate diet at 58. The average was higher for calorie-restricted VLC dieters, but it wasn't a significant increase.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19083495

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12077732

Why do you think a low carb diet is optimal for thyroid function when a low carb diet reliably produces hypothyroidism? Do you think hypothyroidism is optimal?

Well, I certainly don't feel like a diet based on eating "a ton" of processed fruit juices, refined white flour, white rice, and sugary fruits / syrups with supplemental calcium carbonate is as optimal of a strategy as focusing more on real food and staples like meat + veg. If thyroid hormone sub-clinically down-regulates without elevating TSH, I don't really see that as an issue, but rather view that as the system running more efficiently.

The animal studies you are referring to fed the animals a diet high in inflammatory amino acids(methionine, tryptophan, cystine). The animals that received less of these amino acids did not age is rapidly, but that effect is the result of the amino acid composition of the diet, not a result of hypothyroidism or caloric restriction extending lifespan.

Methionine and tryptophan are essential amino acids required for survival. Looking into the hormonal regulation of longevity in animals, there is some correlation there beyond how much jello they were eating.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1978093

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_repair#Longevity_and_caloric_restriction

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree, as this isn't going anywhere.

/r/Paleo Thread