> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paleolithic Eating Support List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ashley Moran
> ... It made me think though - if so
> many plants contain potentially dangerous toxins, which we've
> presumably lived with for millions of years, we must be doing
> something SERIOUSLY wrong to get the level of disease we've got
> today. I doubt supermarket tomatoes explain everything.
>
>
> Ashley
Yes, every plant contains toxins. The animals that eat certain plants have
generally adapted to be able to digest the plant without being harmed by the
toxin, usually by developing sufficient levels of an enzyme(s) to neutralize
the plant toxins. Presumably, humans have developed sufficient enzymes to
digest and neutralize the plants that we've eaten for hundreds of thousands
to millions of years and the human system has presumably not had time to
adapt to the plant types that are more recent additions to our diet.