Jim Swayze wrote:

> And why I view so much of Dr. Cordain's work with a sceptical eye.

It was, however, you who just a day or two ago wrote to Dr. Cordain to ask
him to help us settle the alcohol question. 

Regardless of anyone's opinion, the bottom line is that our genes expect at
least a small amount of alcohol in the diet. If this were not so then we
would not be carrying genetic instructions specific to its metabolism.
Moreover these genes have been with us for millions of years, and are
present in all mammals. These are not matters of opinion. 

It is a fundamental principle of paleodiet theory that we can achieve
optimal health by feeding ourselves according to what our genes expect. From
this perspective paleodiet theory actually predicts the outcomes of the many
studies that show health benefits from moderate alcohol consumption. The
theory also predicts negative health effects from excessive alcohol
consumption. The theory is very robust with respect to alcohol.

As for milk protein (casein), I think it is somewhat incorrect to compare
its consumption to alcohol consumption as in your original message in this
thread. We have concrete genetic evidence that humans have always been
adapted to small amounts of alcohol. I'm not aware of any similar evidence
for casein. 

-gts