From: gts (gts_2000@yahoo.com)
Date: Mon May 05 2003 - 21:03:50 MDT
Harvey Newstrom wrote:
> If legumes were proven to
> be unhealthy, and a genetic link to this unhealthiness were
> determined, then your hypothesis would make sense. But I see
> no evidence of these facts. Instead of explaining observed
> facts with a hypothesis, I see your hypothesis as predicting
> undiscovered facts. Until I see scientific evidence that
> humans can't eat beans and grains, I don't see why this
> hypothesis is necessary.
I offered some reason to be concerned about legumes like soy: they contain
phytates which bind to minerals and disturb digestion. You dismissed it out
of hand without asking for any details, stating that it didn't matter to you
because you take so many supplements. But that really was no answer to the
problem. Supplements are not meant to be antidotes to foods! :)
In addition to phytates, legumes also contain lectins. As I wrote to mez in
another thread, lectins are thought to cause or aggravate auto-immune
diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis. Lectins are
glycoproteins evolved by plants to ward off insect predators. It is known
that lectins attach themselves to the walls of the gut and increase
intestinal permeability, allowing partially digested food proteins and
remnants of resident gut bacteria access to the blood stream. In the words
of Loren Cordain Ph.D., lectins are "cellular Trojan horses." Some people
with intestinal disorders like Crohn's disease have experienced complete
relief of symptoms after eliminating non-paleolithic lectins from their
diet.
See http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/318/7190/1023. This is an article by an
allergist who, like Cordain, sees lectins as a possible cause of disease.
Lectins are present also in other non-paleolithic foods like dairy and
yeast, but not present in paleolithic foods.
Phytoestrogens are another potential problem with soy. These should be
considered, imo, as medicines. They seem to have some value for example in
female menopause but their use in men is highly dubious. As you know
estrogen is a female hormone. Phytoestrogens are mild agonists of the
estrogen receptor; they bind to estrogen receptors much like natural female
estrogen. Some researchers believe phytoestrogens contribute to male
impotence.
We know for certain that we did not consume phytates, lectins and
phytoestrogens in any significant quantity during our evolution as a
species. It follows that we are not genetically adapted to them. People who
accept the theory of evolution should consider them suspect.
-gts
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