Mystery of the meat-eaters' molecule [inability to produce a chemical linked to chronic disease]

The Telegraph (London, UK) ^ | 8-7-08 | Roger Highfield

[GraniteStateConservative]

Our inability to produce a chemical present in every other primate may be linked to a series of chronic diseases. Roger Highfield explains more

What does it mean to be human? For most people, it all comes down to that extraordinary object between our ears, and how it blesses us with language, laughter and logic. But not for Ajit Varki, a doctor-cum-scientist who works in California.

Not so rare: a molecule absorbed by eating red meat has been linked to inflammation and auto-immune illnesses Not so rare: a molecule absorbed by eating red meat has been linked to inflammation and auto-immune illnesses

For him, being human is also about a single chemical that separates us from our closest relatives, and which could be linked to many of our most debilitating illnesses.

...

By studying the mutations in the enzyme that makes this molecular difference between apes and humans, Prof Varki, along with Prof Naoyuki Takahata of the Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Kanagawa, Japan, estimates that the genetic change first appeared up to three million years ago, which coincides with the emergence of Homo erectus, the first of our ancestors to venture out of Africa.

At the time, life was nasty, brutish and short: any subtle but chronic effects of this foreign sugar would not be felt until old age, and Homo erectus did not survive that long.

If the mutation that kept us producing Neu5Ac rather than Neu5Gc helped shrug off a particular disease, it would have spread rapidly through the population. It is ironic that what may have protected our ancestors then could be responsible for much of the pain of their long-lived descendants.

[sinanju]

So the vegans were right?

We all gotta do tofu and bean sprouts after all?

[GraniteStateConservative]

fyi...

might be of interest ping.

[savedbygrace]

I call BS.

[GraniteStateConservative]

So the vegans were right?

We all gotta do tofu and bean sprouts after all?

I won't be forwarding this to my wacky sister-in-law. That's for sure.

[Cicero]

Oh, well. If I die a bit earlier, it was worth it.

[JRandomFreeper]

We all gotta do tofu and bean sprouts after all?

You might have to. I live with catz and am single. I'll eat meat, beefsteak is high on the list. Followed by 'taters and cabbage. (cabbage is just for the ambiance it produces)

Catz will eat meat after I'm gone.

/johnny

[calex59]

I knew that some whacked out liberal vegan would come up with something to prove eating red meat did us great harm. Just as they found a “gene” for being a queer now we have a molecule that gives us aids because we eat red meat. It’s seems strange to me that mostly gays and drug users get aids, does that meant the rest of us don’t eat meat?

[MHGinTN]

Aw man, I wish you hadn’t brought that up! I’m 62 and live alone with two old cats. I was pondering the other day what would happen to my guys if I died at home suddenly with them inside ... they would figure out how to get to the bag of chow, but when that ran out and water all gone ... it was depressing considering it. I can’t have a critter door because of the critters hangin’ out around these country parts. ... Aw man ...

[brytlea]

You know, I have what is probably an autoimmune disease (not sure which one—still testing). One of the things it causes is severe pain in some of my joints. I have discovered that it is much better if I stay on a very low carb diet. How can that jive with what this article states? I’m just not a vegetarian.
susie

[Coyoteman]

I knew that some whacked out liberal vegan would come up with something to prove eating red meat did us great harm. Just as they found a “gene” for being a queer now we have a molecule that gives us aids because we eat red meat. It’s seems strange to me that mostly gays and drug users get aids, does that meant the rest of us don’t eat meat?

I think you may have misread, or failed to understand, the article.

It seems there was a price to pay for some of the beneficial mutations that led to genus Homo some three million years ago.

[kitkat]

Put a step stool next to the toilet.

[LibFreeOrDie]

Tofu “may raise risk of dementia”:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040978/posts

[JRandomFreeper]

Bucket of water. Don't worry about food. The kids call every couple of weeks anyway, SOMEONE is likely to notice.

That's my plan.

/johnny

[MHGinTN]

Naw, my cats already know how to get up on the seat and put their head down in the bowl and get a drink with a paw or two down to support them. Now if I could teach them to flush the toilet ... hey, that would give them a little more survival time, until maybe a relative (one of mine of course; both my boys were strays, so their relatives don’t know where they live) called several times and couldn’t get in touch.

[djf]

I do quite a bit of technical reading - Pubmed Journals and abstracts, computer technical doc, arXiv stuff...

Roger Highfield explains more...

He didn’t explain squat to me! Anybody have the version that was written for non-stoners?

[dalereed]

More mush oozing out from between the ears of a professor

[GraniteStateConservative]

try this: http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080702/full/454021a.html

[stlnative]

More here...

http://www.vegsandiego.com/veg/101/Non-human_Molecule_Absorbed_by_Eating_Red

and...

* Sialic Acid and Neu5Gc content of common food items

Food Neu5Gc intake if eaten at daily recommended servings Total micrograms
Cod 27
Salmon 810
Tuna 27
Chicken 27
Turkey 27
Duck 27
Milk (cow, 2%) 711
Milk (cow, raw) 711
Butter 45
Cheese (cow) 600
Lamb 4,860
Pork 5,130
Cheese (goat) 5,544
Beef 11,610
Beef, lean portion 9,720
Beef fat 10,260

[stlnative]

just Google

Neu5Gc

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-33,GGLG:en&q=Neu5Gc+