[ExI] More evidence for incomplete human adaptation to grain-based diets

[lists1 at evil-genius.com]

More evidence:

"Simoons classic work on the incidence of celiac disease [Simoons 1981] 
shows that the distribution of the HLA B8 haplotype of the human major 
histocompatibility complex (MHC) nicely follows the spread of farming 
from the Mideast to northern Europe. Because there is strong linkage 
disequilibrium between HLA B8 and the HLA genotypes that are associated 
with celiac disease, it indicates that those populations who have had 
the least evolutionary exposure to cereal grains (wheat primarily) have 
the highest incidence of celiac disease. This genetic argument is 
perhaps the strongest evidence to support Yudkin's observation that 
humans are incompletely adapted to the consumption of cereal grains."
http://www.beyondveg.com/cordain-l/grains-leg/grains-legumes-1a.shtml

Citation: Simoons FJ (1981) "Celiac disease as a geographic problem." 
In: Walcher DN, Kretchmer N (eds.) Food, Nutrition and Evolution. New 
York: Masson Publishing. (pp. 179-199)


Diet, Gut, and Type 1 Diabetes: Role of Wheat-Derived Peptides?
http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/58/8/1723.full
"In this issue of Diabetes, Mojibian et al. (2) report that 
approximately half of the patients with type 1 diabetes, whom they 
studied, had a proliferative T-cell response to dietary wheat 
polypeptides and that the cytokine profile of the response was 
predominantly proinflammatory."
...
"The study by Mojibian et al. raises the possibility that wheat could be 
the driving dietary antigen in two autoimmune diseases, i.e., celiac 
disease and type 1 diabetes."

[Note: 'Wheat polypeptides' = collectively known as gluten/gliadin.  In 
other words, a significant number of humans suffer cross-reactions 
between gluten and their own beta cells.  This process is also thought 
to be behind celiac disease.]