On Tue, 5 May 1998, Susan Carmack wrote:

> >Today the question was raised about whether or not the grain fed to
> >cattle can cause reactions in us neophyte hunter-gatherers.
> >i've been wondering about this too. does anyone know the answer?
> >winnie
>
> Hi Paleopals and winnie,
> Today it was announced on Canadian radio (cfun1410-Vancouver) that
> Alberta cows will be 'fed' 60 bottles of Molson Canadian (beer) each
> daily to 'improve' the beef.
> I, too, would like to know if this meat is safe. They say the beer
> doesn't enter the cow's bloodstream!? If not, where does the beer go?

First, the question about gluten and grain-fed beef.  Grains are
the natural foods for cows and other ruminants, along with the
rest of the grasses that produce those grains.  This is what they
are supposed to eat.  The "grain" that is most commonly
introduced into their diet by humans, to fatten them, is corn.
Corn does not contain gluten.  So, while corn-fattened cattle
have a different fat composition from that of wild ruminants,
gluten is not an issue.

As for the beer, I imagine that the purpose of this is for the
alcohol to do just what it does in humans: elevate insulin
levels, thus facilitating the storage of fat.  The minute
fractions of barley starch and protein left in the Molson should
pose no difficulty to a cow's digestive system.  I therefore
doubt very much that the beer causes the beef to become
impregnated with foreign proteins, but I'm sure it contributes to
the formation of additional fat.

Todd Moody
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