On Sat, 11 Jul 1998, Mary wrote:

> But don't we all in effect have intolerance to wheat/corn? If you believe
> Ray's book, aren't all of us intolerant of grains? Only if we repeatedly eat
> them, our immune systems accommodate them, give up the struggle.

That's not what Ray's book says.  His argument is probabilistic,
not universal.  Large portions of the human race have not
adequately adapted to dietary grains, therefore there are health
risks correlated with eating them.  That is the thesis of the
book.  That certainly doesn't mean that *anybody* who eats *any*
grains in *any* amount will have health problems as a result.
The Okinawans, noted for their longevity, do eat rice and
noodles.  The Mediterranean diet, noted for its healthful
properties, does include bread and cheese.

The immune system of an individual does not work as you have
described it here.  If it recognizes a protein as foreign, it
will react to it as long as it is capable of doing so; i.e.,
until its complete failure.

The question is *which* proteins will be recognized as foreign.
This surely varies from person to person; it may also vary with
blood types and ethnic inheritance.  Some people will not
tolerate certain "paleo" foods, such as strawberries, even though
there is no evolutionary reason why they shouldn't.  Some people
*will* tolerate certain nonpaleo foods very well.  For reasons
not well understood their bodies have adapted to them.

Todd Moody
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