Nancy, I totally agree with what you have said about the harmful effects of anyone (human, animal, etc.) eating a diet they are not adapted to. I guess I was coming at this from a different angle where, if someone tried to use the Cats-and-Humans-and-Food argument, they'd go "down" in a discussion pretty fast. And the average person out there (who is less informed than people on this board) will not be impressed about studies regarding cats and other animals. They just don't seem to see the connection.

That's fascinating about the fatty liver disease, since I knew nothing about it. When my kitty went through this years ago, I didn't yet use the internet for info the way I do now, so I only knew what my vet told me.

I think the "establishment" is going to approach this acceptance of low carb slowly. I see the crack in the low-fat armour. If change comes slowly, the supply of food from processed grains, etc. to whole foods, meat, etc. will have a smoother transition. Farmers will see opportunities to make money by changing crops, meats, etc. for meeting consumer demands. Overall, from a purely historical point of view, I think this is a wise way to go....avoid a mass panic and "famine."

However, on a personal level, when I see what is happening to individual people, it makes me very, very sad, as well as angry. I don't want a nation-wide panic about eating the wrong kinds of food....(look at what happened recently when they announced the results of bisphenol-A...which were not even dramatic or conclusive, but more just a straw in the wind...people went nuts, threw out their older baby bottles, etc....none could be bought in the stores because consumer demand suddenly greatly outstripped the supply...) So no, I don't want widespread panic and people collapsing of hunger because they can't get the correct food....after all, it would be better to stay alive on grain temporarily than to die of starvation in the short term. So I think any large-scale change will have to come gradually.

To me, this idea of eat-the-foods-our-body-is-adapted-to is so simple, so black-and-white. But what frustrates me is that individual people (including my own parents!) still have the mind-set that scientifically-made food (aka processed food) is better for you than whole foods. "Why, caveman lived a horrible life, and he died at 30. But now science has processed these wonderful foods for us, so we don't have to eat cholesterol-laden eggs and other caveman-type foods. Just look at the rates of longevity...people are living much longer now since Wonder Bread and Low-Fat foods have been introduced. Why eat like a caveman and live to 30, when you can eat foods that are processed specifically for the human body, and live to 80?" AAARRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!

Anyway, I have hopes that the study discussed here in this thread, about the paleo-diet vs. the mediterranean diet, will help people. I think more people will listen to a study regarding people than one about animals. I cautiously do my part spreading the low carb word when I can (usually only when asked)...but it is slow going, and even when I am asked and tell someone, they don't always listen. Perhaps it would help if I were actually at my goal weight...still have a bit of a pooch on my tummy...