On 25 Apr 00, at 7:43, Hans Kylberg wrote:

> At 15:54 2000-04-24 -0500, Ray wrote:
> >Lupus is an auto-immune disorder.  That is, your body is responding to a
> >protein that it perceives as not belonging within the body and that response
> >is causing you harm.
> ...
> >Grains, beans, potatoes, animal milk and refined
> >sugars have all been shown to produce immune system responses in Primates.
>
> What protein is there in refined sugar that causes the autoimmune reaction?
> I thought that refined sugar was just sugar!

In the new Protein Power Lifeplan book (pub. Jan 2000), they
devote a whole section to what they call "Leaky Gut".  I'll try to
paraphrase it:

"We depend on the lining of the gut [I think they mean small
intestines] to defend us from ... contamination....the 'skin' of the
gut lining has modified itself ...by the creation of specially
constructed junctions--called tight junctions--between each cell,
which serve to prevent the contents of the intestines from ...gaining
access to the bloodstream.  Normally, nothing except water, small
ions, and cleanly reduced simple nutrients should pass through or
between the cells.
   "The tight-junction system should effectively screen out large
molescules--such as incompletely digested starches or proteins or
fiber..."
   "...When loads of incompletely digested starch and sugar come
in [ to the colon ], it's a veritable picnic; [the friendly bacteria] set to
work fermenting the incoming bounty..."
   "Sometimes, the products of this overactive fermentation process
flush backward, reentering the small intestine.  The unaccustomed
exposure to what ought to be in the colon inflames the lining of the
small intestine, blunts its bristly microvilli.... But, even more
important, the inflammation weakens the tight junctions, which
open wider, permitting larger molecules--such as incompletely
digested plant proteins--to slip between the cells.
   "These plant proteins--called lectins--can cause serious trouble
once they breach the protective barrier of the gut wall... If [the]
immune patrol detects such a substance..it attacks... These
immune defense cells... never forget a face."
    "...the lectin in wheat..contains chains of amino acids in a
nearly identical arrangement to those found in joint cartilage or joint-
lining tissues of some people and identical, as well, to segments of
the myelin proteins in the nerve covering layers in others... Some
lectins have a similarity to the insulin-producing cells of the
pancreas..."

I've pared this down to the absolute bare bones.  Hope it still
makes sense.  Good chapter.