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