On Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:07:47 +0100, Geoffrey Purcell 
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Re hunter-gatherers:- One problem with that theory is that hunter-gatherers 
>ate a diet rather low in AGEs. For example, advanced glycation end 
>products/AGEs and other heat-created toxins are found in even higher 
>amounts in well-cooked foods such as grilled meats/fried foods etc, whereas 
>hunter-gatherers mostly just boiled their foods in water, doing much less 
>damage to their foods, and thus reducing AGE-content. 

Many HGs also roasted food directly over flame or slow-cooked in hot coals 
and rocks.

. Plus, due to frequent 
>famine, hunter-gatherers were subject, by implication, to a lifelong caloric 
>restriction diet which would also help to reduce average daily  intake of 
AGEs, 
>thus lowering susceptibility to arthritis etc.

You have made this statement before, which is false.  Generally HGs lived in 
an environment with a surplus of food.  Sure, at times food was scarce, but 
that was the exception to the rule.  Being nomadic and eating literally 
hundreds of different types of foods helped mitigate the risk of starvation 
compared to their agricultural counterparts.  Anecdotally HGs such as the 
Inuit would eat huge amounts of food, so no caloric restriction there.