>Todd Moody <[log in to unmask]>
>
>We create alcohol even when we eat an apple.

Again, "We" who? The mouse in your pocket or
the yeast/bacteria in your gut? What about
those who claim that no fermentation occurs
in the gut?

>
>I said there is no evidence that it is toxic in small amounts.
>To be considered toxic, it would have to have demonstrable
>adverse effects at those levels.

Sidestream smoke had no demonstrable effects until somebody
looked for them.

>
>I'm afraid the misinterpretation of statistics here is yours.
>The protective effect of alcohol is *not* based simply on the
>French paradox.  The reasoning you have parodied above has
>nothing to do with the evidence for that protective effect.

Citations, please. Betcha not one says that alcohol is
anything other than correlated with good/bad health.
No causal relationship has been demonstrated or will be.

>> Air pollution, dioxins, tetanus and
>> birdshit are all part of one's environment, yet nobody advocates
>> greater, intentional exposure to those.
>
>Right.  No one does.  So why mention it?

Because alcohol is as much a pollutant (tho a willfully
consumed one) as the others. That you refuse to make the
connection makes clear willful avoidance of the issue.

>The case for *limited* consumption of alcohol on a paleo diet is
>based on the simple facts that our bodies can handle small
>(variable) amounts,

I'm sure that a bit of botulin or tetanus toxin can be handled too.

> since we produce it internally anyway,

Not by any inborn process.

>and
>limited consumption of naturally fermented fruit was an option
>for prehistoric people.

Option? There is only speculation for this since, as you
say, it was all prehistoric.

>> Drink all you want, but don't claim to be Paleo.
>
>It depends on how much you want.

Nope. Might as well claim that a bit of grain, dairy
or farty beans is just fine too -- since you want it,
that makes it alright. Squabbles over facts, factoids
and ad hominum darts pale against this mindset.

Presenting this I-want-to-so-it's-okay concept is a true
disservice to the Paleo community, who have a hard enough
time striving to maintain a primitive WOL and WOE.

Alcohol is the ultimate junk food: high in calories,
bereft of any nutrients (on the contrary, it demands
considerable resources to metabolize), and just plain toxic.
That it's been around for hundreds of generations
changes none of those facts.