Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
valued. On the whole, San Bushmen are very healthy except of respiratory disease and TB.
High blood pressure does not occur and blood pressure does not increase with age as it does
in most other people, partly because of their low salt diet. Also their carbohydrate and sugar
intake is very low and the tuber diet they gather is very rich in fiber. Indeed, they consume
more than 100g per day of fiber, whereas most Americans consume only about 5g to 10g, but
females should be consuming at least 25g per day and males 30g per day. The downside -
bushmen have large bellies to accommodate their high fiber diets. High fiber diets have many
benefits including as far as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and colon cancer. Anemia is also
rare because of iron from meat and there is a low risk of water born disease that cause anemia
like malaria and bilharzias.
It is clear that the ability to eat wild red meat in itself does not carry the scourge of coronary
artery disease and thus it is safe, from the point of view of heart attacks, to eat wild red meat.
This has led to the increasing emphasis on farming bison, elk, deer, and other wildlife in the
USA, and antelope and buffalo in South African countries for food. The meat is supplied to
local butcheries, supermarkets, or exported to overseas markets. Indeed, in South Africa now
over half of the wildlife meat is sold to markets, apart from that given or kept by local
communities for their own consumption. This can also be done in marginal rainfall areas
where cattle struggle to survive and cause extensive habitat destruction, and appear to be a
good trend in the imperative to obtain rich protein for our survival. Why is the safety of eating
wildlife red meat important? Because it supplies a source of protein just as safe and good for
one as chicken meat and, of particular importance to African Wildlife, it adds to the
sustainability of restorancy in Africa where meat harvested from the reserves, whether
primarily for export, local restaurants or by recreational tourist hunters, can be utilized to
financially ensure the viability of wildlife. The USA example is the use of wildlife meat such
as bison, elk, deer, and wild boar in restaurants like Ted Turner's Grills. [Much research has
been done in New Zealand and South Africa on the health benefits of venison (deer) and
African game meat (see paper by Purchas, et.al. Radder, et. al, Wiklund et al.). As a broad
generalization, saturated fats in beef meats and dairy products are associated with increased
blood levels of cholesterol, low density lipoproteins, and triglycerides and by implication
with risk of coronary artery disease, cancers of various types, inflammation, and other
conditions, although more recently this association has been somewhat questioned, as has the
belief that raising the levels of good fat in the blood (HDL) protects against disease. On the
contrary, polyunsaturated fats are often, but not always protective. Fish and krill oil in the form
of Omega 3 fats are associated with a lower risk of disease, particularly coronary artery
disease and strokes but may increase the risk of bleeding and cancers spreading. Wild raised
(“organic free range”) deer and African game meat is lean with less than 1% (Nyala 0.8%,
impala 1.4%, kudu 1.8% springbok 2%, black wildebeest 2.3%, eland 2.4%) to at most 3%
fat, but beef is 14% to 22% fat. Deer values are 4.2% to 4.5%. Furthermore, in the lean wild
meats, the fat is structural in the form of cell walls (phospholipids, cholesterol) and not from
intramuscular and intermuscular stores. Furthermore, in wild meats, the ratio of
polyunsaturated to saturate (P:S) is also better for wild meats, there are more beneficial fats
like omega- 3 (but much less than fish) and potential antioxidants like Coenzyme Q 10,
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