brendon comments on Thou Art Godshatter - Less Wrong

68 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 13 November 2007 07:38PM

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Comment author: brendon 14 November 2007 06:27:37PM 3 points [-]

[anecdote] Is this surprising? I've always been able to tell whether or not I need proteins/carbohydrates/fat (usually acting accordingly)....

sorry, guys, this wisdom-of-the-body stuff hasn't held up that well. i've given the link below for a lengthy but thorough account of studies that were done on rats, for the two or fewer people here who might be interested. while there is some evidence for behavioral changes based on mineral deficiency, it's extremely complicated and the changes in the animal's behavior are not that "accurate" (in the sense that the animal truly seeks out the depleted nutrient). bottom line, "In many experimental situations, animals do not choose an optimal diet. This is especially the case for omnivores." i hope this wasn't entirely off-topic; just wanted to clean out this little rafter....

http://ajpregu.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/279/2/R357