On Tue, 27 Oct 1998 11:49:34 -0600, Geoff Stanford <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Wade:
>thank you so much for your swift comments.  They have me worried.
>
>Are you saying that man does not have cellulolytic micro-organisms in hirs
>gut?  If so, then I've got a lot of re-reading and re-thinking to do.
>
Hello Geoff,

what makes you worry if man had *not* the ability to digest cellolose
(though microorganisms)?

How ever the usage of cellusole by humans may be
-eather using it energetic
or as a means of enhancing transport in the gut
or as a substrate to promote the rhight type of microorganisms-
one thing is shure:

Cellulose has been around in man's digestion tract for mo
st of the
evolutionary times by the large amount of plant matters consumed.
(excludeing some k-years ice age trundra hunting winters with low plants).

So there's a big probability for an adaption to a cellulose part in
the food, and and advantage we'll get from it.

Neolithic times btw. might be considered here too.
I know - these are only a few generations.  280 generations for most of
us, descending from europeean roots. But they are the more recent ones.

In this times the fiber part in food changed to a *very* big part
of insoluble fiber in the food.
Who ever has tried a nutrition of 80% whole grain once,
(normal for megalith to celtic to roman to year 1800 nutrition)
will have noted the effect such very big fiber parts
have on the digestive system (a pleasant one).

regards

Amadeus