Hi all,

Ward:
>cells of the digestive system, defenses against free-radical damage,
>and DNA excision repair. (I am frankly not sure exactly what the
>qualifying word "excision" means in that last mechanism.)

If my memory serves me right, that means, that parts of the DNA are
repaired in the following manner: Cutting enzymes are cutting the helix
at two points (this is the excision). Transporters are moving away the
defective part and other molecules cut it into amino acids which then
can be reused by the cell. In parallel the good molecule is built (or
has been built previously - don't know) and transported to the DNA.
Certain enzymes fit it into the DNA and close the bindings.
That's it.


Ward:
>(I've always been a little incredulous, as a result, as to how so much is
>made over the taste-change. I always thought it was pretty much a universal
>experience so common that nobody ever thought to really talk about it much.
>You know, like the feeling you get when you have to go to the bathroom! Why
>make a big deal about it? :-)

Okay, probably everyone knows what a taste change is and of course everybody
stops eating at some point. The difference between an instinctive eater and
a "normal" eater is just, that the instinctive eater will listen to the sig-
nals of his/her body and stop eating if there's a stop signal while the nor-
mal eater most probably will continue until the taste change is so crass,
that it can't be overlooked. Also normal eaters have a strong tendency to
"eat what is on the plate" even when it is not attractive any longer. They
force themselves do eat it all - something an instincto (hopefully ;-)) will
never do.

Best cut and repaired greetings,

Stefan

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