Authors
Eaton SB.
Title
Paleolithic vs. modern diets - selected pathophysiological implications
Source
European Journal of Nutrition. 39(2):67-70, 2000 Apr.
Author Keywords
Paleolithic diet. Insulin resistance. Skeletal health. Phytochemicals.
Type 2 diabetes.
Abstract
The nutritional patterns of Paleolithic humans influenced genetic
evolution during the time segment within which defining characteristics of
contemporary humans were selected. Our genome can have changed little
since the beginnings of agriculture, so, genetically, humans remain Stone
Agers - adapted for a Paleolithic dietary regimen.
Such diets were based chiefly on wild game, fish and uncultivated plant
foods. They provided abundant protein; a fat profile much different from
that of affluent Western nations; high fibre; carbohydrate from fruits and
vegetables (and some honey) but not from cereals, refined sugars and
dairy products; high levels of micro-nutrients and probably of
phytochemicals as well.
Differences between contemporary and ancestral diets have many
pathophysiological implications. This review addresses phytochemicals and
cancer; calcium, physical exertion, bone mineral density and bone
structural geometry; dietary protein, potassium, renal acid secretion and
urinary calcium loss; and finally sarcopenia, adiposity, insulin receptors
and insulin resistance.
While not, yet, a basis for formal recommendations, awareness of
Paleolithic nutritional patterns should generate novel, testable
hypotheses grounded in evolutionary theory and it should dispel
complacency regarding currently accepted nutritional tenets.
[References: 11]
Reprint available from:
Eaton SB
Emory Univ, Dept Anthropol
2887 Howell Mill Rd
Atlanta, GA 30327
USA
Authors
Mann N.
Title
Dietary lean red meat and human evolution
Source
European Journal of Nutrition. 39(2):71-79, 2000 Apr.
Author Keywords
Encephalisation. Dietary fat. Hunter-gatherer. Meat. Protein.
KeyWords Plus
Calcium ratios sr/ca. Low-fat diet. Australopithecus-robustus. Early
hominid. Paleolithic nutrition. Australian aborigines.
Arachidonic-acid. Plasma-lipids. Energy-source. Risk-factors.
Abstract
Scientific evidence is accumulating that meat itself is not a risk factor
for Western lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disease, but rather
the risk stems from the excessive fat and particularly saturated fat
associated with the meat of modern domesticated animals. In our own
studies, we have shown evidence that diets high in lean red meat can
actually lower plasma cholesterol, contribute significantly to tissue
omega-3 fatty acid and provide a good source of iron, zinc and vitamin
B-12. A study of human and pre-human diet history shows that for a period
of at least 2 million years the human ancestral line had been consuming
increasing quantities of meat. During that time, evolutionary selection
was in action, adapting our genetic make up and hence our physiological
features to a diet high in lean meat. This meat was wild game meat, low in
total and saturated fat and relatively rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFA). The evidence presented in this review looks at various lines of
study which indicate the reliance on meat intake as a major energy source
by pre-agricultural humans. The distinct fields briefly reviewed include:
fossil isotope studies, human gut morphology, human encephalisation and
energy requirements, optimal foraging theory, insulin resistance and
studies on hunter-gatherer societies. In conclusion, lean meat is a
healthy and beneficial component of any well-balanced diet as long as it
is fat trimmed and consumed as part of a varied diet. [References: 78]
Reprint available from:
Mann N
RMIT Univ, Dept Food Sci
GPO Box 2476V
Melbourne
Vic 3001
Australia
|