On Tue, 30 Nov 1999, alexs wrote:

> >It's my guess that this increase in fat is due to the sugars in
> >the grain, which are considerable, rather than the protein.  This
> >is why grains work so well for making beer and whiskey.
>
> Not quite. The grains used in brewing and liquor distillation are
> first malted, i.e. sprouted to convert starch to sugars, then
> killed by heating, then incorporated into the brewing/mash
> processes. These days a synthetic enzymatic process may also
> be used but I am hazy on the details of modern techniques.

True, but aren't the grain starches themselves available to
fatten the cow, or is it your view that only the protein does
that?

> Needless to say all this processing makes beer & liquor
> non Paleo in he extreme. And no I don't care to chew on
> some hypothetical availability of fermentation alcohol
> to Cave Man. I will opine that just because genes exist
> for the liver enzyme system to detox ethanol does not
> justify habitual use thereof, nor the assumption that all
> genotypes are tolerant of the Western booze-soaked lifestyle.

As far as I can tell, no one has advanced any claim that all
genotypes are "tolerant of the Western booze-soaked lifestyle"
nor has anyone attempted to defend anything that might be called
a "booze-soaked lifestyle" at all.  Thus, your opinion above is
not a response to any argument actually advanced on this list,
but merely an opportunity for you to trumpet your puritanical
views.  I can well understand why you decline to comment on the
availability of fermented fruit and berries in the wild, and the
interesting fact that we (and may other animals) have a metabolic
pathway for using (not just disposing of or rendering harmless)
limited amounts of alcohol.

Fruits and berries ferment in the wild; grains do not.  As you
pointed out, they must be processed in ways that do not occur in
nature.  Humans and many other creatures *do* have the ability to
use ethanol as fuel.  These are facts.  My position is that
creatures who can burn ethanol as fuel have some advantage over
creatures who can't, creating some selection pressure in favor of
this ability.  It's not just a matter of detoxifying; it's actual
utilization of the calories.  I don't deny for a moment that it
is readily possible to overwhelm this pathway, causing
significant problems, just as it is possible to overwhelm the
body's pathway for burning carbohydrates.

Todd Moody
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