Paleolithic Diet: Were Our Ancestors Healthier?

A series of evolutionary events that took place since the dawn of Homo sapiens are responsible for our present genomic composition. The genetic modifications that led us to the human form presently inhabiting the planet have evolved in a specific evolutionary environment of adaptedness (EEA). So-called discordance hypothesis states that environmental change has been rapid and there is a disjunction between the past environment and the present one. This rapid change resulted in our inadequate genetic adaptation and consequently "diseases of civilization", that is chronic diseases which did not appear in our ancestors but are very common now.

The Paleolithic era is the time when humans began to domesticate animals and started to grow plants for consumption. It began two million years ago and continued till 10,000 years ago, after which the Mesolithic period started. Our ancestors have lived their lives as hunter-gatherers and their diet was based on wild animal sources and uncultivated plants. Many studies have examined a diet imitating the diet of our evolutionary ancestors (popularly known as Paleo diets) and examining if any health benefits can be gained through their use.

Health concerns In The Modern Era

Industrialization and a food revolution have significantly impacted the diet of the modern era. Today, our diet primarily consists of refined and processed food: cereals, grains and hydrogenated vegetable oil, food which provides instant and heavy energy but is often poor in nutrients and suffers from a lack of variety.

As mentioned earlier, the changes in our dietary patterns were more rapid and drastic than the genetic adaptation of our physiology and metabolism. This mismatch has impacted health to an extent that maladies like: heart diseases (ischemia, and coronary artery disease), glucose metabolic diseases (diabetes mellitus (type2)), intestinal diseases like diverticulosis and colon cancers, lung diseases such as obstructive pulmonary disease, dental problems, obesity and hypertension are common in humans at present but were rarely seen in our ancestors.

Paleolithic Diet

The real diet of the Paleolithic period lacked refined and processed foods. It was primarily based on plant sources (nuts and fruits), some insects and meat of land and sea animals. Total fat intake was around 20 percent out of which six percent were saturated fats. The hunter-gatherer diet contained around 480 g/day intake of cholesterol, carbohydrate comprised 35 percent to 65 percent of the diet (nearly 70 g/day) but almost all carbs come from fruits and vegetables, and the total fiber was 150 g/day. The ratio of sodium to potassium was found to be very low, and sodium intake was around 770 mg/day.

See Also: Understanding Paleo: The Good, The Bad And The Ill-Founded

If a food pyramid is created to describe the diet of our ancestors, it would look rather different from the present day situation. A Paleolithic food pyramid would have fruits and vegetables on the bottom, followed by lean meat, fish, dairy (low fat), whole grains and fats, and refined carbs would be placed at the top.

A Comparison: The Modern Diet Versus The Paleolithic Diet

Modern diets contain synthetic and hydrogenated fats, which were totally absent in prehistoric diets. The amounts of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids are also important: earlier game animals contained higher levels of these fatty acids than present domesticated animals. Moreover, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is 10:1 in the modern diet but it was only 2:1 in the diet of our ancestors.

Quantities of fish, seafood and lean meat were quite high compared to modern recommendations as well. Sources of carbs are very important: the hunter-gatherers consumed adequate levels of carbohydrates but they came mostly from fruits, vegetables and nuts. The major source of carbohydrates at present is grains.

Though this comparison of two diets is not very stringent, it might help to identify the differences and point to the causes of disorders that result from the changes in diet patterns. Overall, Paleolithic diet was richer in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and cholesterol as opposed to carbs, energy density, glycemic load and saturated fatty acids.

Were Our Ancestors Healthier?

Research shows that hunter-gatherers had lower blood pressure, less than 120/80 mmHg (the norm of modern days). Blood pressure did not increase with age as is common in the modern population. Their bodies were more sensitive to insulin, with lower levels of fasting insulin levels. They had a lower BMI and waist-to-height ratio. TCT values (tricipital skinfold thickness which indicates body fat content) were also lower. Our ancestors had stronger bones and hence, low fracture cases were observed as indicated by studies evaluating bone health markers of ancient humans.

Effects Of Adopting A Paleolithic Diet

Multiple studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of adopting a Paleolithic diet and to understand if the Paleolithic diet could really help in improving the health status. When a typical diabetes diet was compared to the Paleolithic diet for diabetes type 2 patients, the latter provided better satiety, weight loss and improved blood sugar levels. Levels of HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) went higher while waist and BMI values were found to decrease.

Another study conducted in 2009 on healthy individuals demonstrated that consuming Paleolithic diet even for few days improved the metabolism and physiology of the body. Improvements in glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, blood pressure levels and lipid concentration in plasma were observed. It was also found that coronary heart disease symptoms were improved and the risk factors decreased when cholesterol and total fat in diet was adjusted as per Paleolithic diet instead of modern diet recommendations.

See Also: Surprising Problem Foods For The Paleo Diet

Experimental results clearly indicate that Paleolithic diet does have positive effects on the metabolism and physiology of the body in healthy individuals as well as in patients of specific diseases. This diet has found to improve health quality as compared to other diets like Mediterranean diet, healthy western diet and diabetes diet.