PaleoJay's Smoothie Cafe #94 So alcohol is Paleo after all!

So alcohol is Paleo after all!

http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/articles/2015/01/pros-and-cons-alcohol-consumption-10m-years

This above is a link to a fascinating article on this idea that alcohol, first probably found by our early ancestors in the form of fermented fruit hanging on or under trees or bushes, was part of our diet at least 10 MILLION years ago!  The common thought has been that alcohol was developed along with civilization roughly 10,000 years ago- not 10,000,000... but a scientist named Carrigan decided to settle the question by examining genetic evolution of the enzyme alcohol-ADH4 it’s called.  He then implanted this alcohol degrader into E.coli, and tested changes in the gene’s sequence going back 70 million years.

The enzyme mimicking the enzyme as it was more long ago failed to metabolize alcohol- but at the 10 million year mark it worked fine! It worked just like the RDH4 lining our own guts- it’s there to metabolize alcohol- just as it has been for 10 million years!

Now I’m not saying drinking alcohol is great- but I AM saying that it is a long standing real food choice of humans, and to eliminate it entirely is like eliminating something that is essentially part of the human condition.  Always has been, always will be- one of the joys of being a man or woman, and a food source to boot...

Alcohol does NOT raise your insulin levels, although almost no governmental agency will admit it- just as they won’t admit that eating 8-10 servings of grains per day WILL DRAMATICALLY raise your blood sugar, and hence insulin levels!  In fact, alcohol can actually increase your insulin sensitivity.

I’ll leave you with this link, and brief summation:
Alcohol, insulin sensitivity and health:
http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

Moderate alcohol consumption improves insulin sensitivity, lowers triglyceride concentrations and improves glycemic control. Not only in healthy folks, but also in type 2 diabetes. There is no clear consensus on the insulin sensitizing mechanism of alcohol, but one viable explanation may be that alcohol promotes leanness by stimulating AMPK in skeletal muscle. It's not a stretch to assume that this might have favorable effects on nutrient partitioning in the longer term.

If the effect of alcohol consumption on insulin sensitivity doesn't impress you, then consider the fact that studies have consistently shown that moderate drinkers live longer than non-drinkers. This can be mainly attributed to a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease. However, alcohol also contributes to a healthier and disease-free life by protecting against Alzheimer's disease, metabolic syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, the common cold, different types of cancers, depression and many other Western diseases. The list goes on and on.

It can almost be said beyond doubt that moderate alcohol consumption is healthier than complete abstinence. With this in mind, it's strange that the fitness and health community shun alcohol. This irrational attitude seems to be grounded in the beliefs that alcohol is fattening and will hamper muscle gains.

And to really muddy the waters: even beer seems to be OK for non-celiacs!  At least in my case, (I am not celiac), although I avoid gluten at every juncture in the eating of food, in beer it really does not seem to matter- especially if you confine yourself to blonde, Pilsner types of beers- and especially if you drink the low end, cheap commercial beers made of corn and rice!!

And not just Budweiser, but all of those really low end, American beers, like Hamm’s, and Blatz, and Coors and Corona (not really low end there, but you get the idea!).

And here is a quote from the Heinekin’s website:

"Beer contains gluten, which comes from the grain from which it is brewed. Only a fraction of the gluten that the grain contains gets into the beer. The proportion depends on the kind of grain that is used. The use of barley results only in traces of gluten in the beer whilst wheat contributes considerably more. It also depends on the brewing process. Generally speaking: the clearer and blonder the beer is, the less gluten it may contain. Some people are allergic to gluten and have to follow a diet that minimises or excludes their gluten intake. Whether beer can be part of such a diet or not, is dependent on the extent of the allergy and the beer type consumed. In many cases lager beers pose no problem for people who have a gluten allergy. However, it is up to the individual to assess his or her sensitivity."

Bottom line?

If you want to be really healthy, a Paleo superhuman for a long and healthy life, I would eliminate gluten as early as possible from my diet. The less gluten the better, and this increases the older you get- the insult to the gut lining just multiplies, and you set yourself up for autoimmunity, obesity, and diabesity more and more and more- so just stop! PLEASE!!

 And so far as the indulgence of alcoholic libations, they are OK within reason, and nothing when compared to the unfiltered, huge amounts of horrid gluten held in the many fast and processed foods most folks deem to hold so harmless.  They are in actuality far worse than cigarette smoking, and will give you a slow, lingering death worse than lung cancer or heart disease in all likelihood...

So drink up instead!  If you eliminate food sources of gluten, and severely limit carbs as well- you will get slim and healthy, and feel great!  AND, you will most likely NOT become celiac, and so can continue to feel great, stay slim and healthy, and not have to worry about having to eliminate the “small” sources of gluten, like beer, that contains about 20 parts per million in light, or blonde lager beers.

There is something about the fermentation process itself that is self protective to us, since the yeast consumes all the sugars, whatever the source, and alters the grain sources so much that they become much less harmful.

This is one of those facts that seem to be hard to find, since they are so politically incorrect.

PROSIT!

PS- If you read or listen to this, and decide to do lots of research, I know you’ll run across the “Food Babe”.  She deals in hyperbole, and marketing- not fact!

Here is her antidote, neatly wrapped up in this link:


http://www.maureenogle.com/maureen-ogle/2013/08/18/whats-in-your-beer-or-the-dangers-of-dumbassery