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{{Short description|Fad diet based on the presumed diet of Paleolithic humans}} | ||
{{About|a modern-day diet|information on the dietary practices of Paleolithic humans|Paleolithic#Diet and nutrition}} | |||
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{{POV|date=June 2014|talk=Article Bias and Original Research}} | |||
{{Original research|date=June 2014}} | |||
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The '''Paleolithic diet''', '''Paleo diet''', '''caveman diet''', or '''Stone Age diet''' is a modern ] consisting of foods thought by its proponents to mirror those eaten by humans during the ] era.<ref>{{Harvnb|de Menezes|Sampaio|Carioca|Parente|2019}}: "The Paleolithic diet has been gaining ground in the field of fad diets. It is based on food patterns of human Paleolithic ancestors, about 2.6 million to 10,000 years ago, a period that precedes the advent of industrial agriculture and is different from today's modern society".</ref> | |||
The '''paleolithic diet''', also known as the '''paleo diet''' or '''caveman diet''', is a diet based on the food humans' ancient ancestors might likely have eaten, such as meat, nuts and berries. | |||
The diet avoids ] and typically includes ], ], ]s, ], and ] and excludes ], ], ], ], processed ]s, ], ], and ].<ref>{{Harvnb| British Dietetic Association|2014}} - "The Paleo diet (also known as the Paleolithic Diet, the Caveman diet and the Stone Age Diet) is a diet where only foods presumed to be available to Neanderthals in the prehistoric era are consumed and all other foods, such as dairy products, grains, sugar, legumes, 'processed' oils, salt, and others like alcohol or coffee are excluded."</ref> Historians can trace the ideas behind the diet to "primitive" diets advocated in the 19th century. In the 1970s, ] popularized a meat-centric "Stone Age" diet; in the 21st century, the best-selling books of ] popularized the Paleo diet.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ask EN|2010}}; {{Harvnb|Johnson|2015}}; {{Harvnb|Fitzgerald|2014}}.</ref> {{asof|2019}} the paleo-diet industry was worth approximately {{USD|500|link=yes}} million.<ref>{{Harvnb|Decker|2019}}.</ref> | |||
The diet is based on several premises. Proponents of the diet posit that during the ] — a period lasting around 2.5 million years that ended about 10,000 years ago with the ] — humans evolved nutritional needs specific to the foods available at that time, and that the ]al needs of ] remain best adapted to the diet of their Paleolithic ancestors. Proponents claim that human ] has been unable to adapt fast enough to handle many of the foods that have become available since the advent of agriculture. Thus, modern humans are said to be maladapted to eating foods such as ], ]s, and ], and in particular the high-calorie ] that are a staple of most modern diets. Proponents claim that modern humans' inability to properly metabolize these comparatively new types of food has led to modern-day problems such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. They claim that followers of the Paleolithic diet may enjoy a longer, healthier, more active life. | |||
In the 21st century, the sequencing of the ] and ] of the remains of early humans have found evidence that ] rapidly in response to changing diet. This evidence undermines a core premise of the paleolithic diet{{snd}}that human digestion has remained essentially unchanged over time.<ref>{{Harvnb|Whoriskey|2016}}; {{Harvnb|Zuk|2013|p=133}}: "No one can legitimately claim to have found the only 'natural' diet for humans. We simply ate too many different foods in the past, and have adapted to new ones".</ref> Palaeontological evidence has indicated that prehistoric humans ate plant-heavy diets that regularly included grains and other starchy vegetables, in contrast to the claims of the Paleo diet.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-20 |title=Science debunks a misleading myth about the paleo diet |url=https://www.inverse.com/culture/real-paleo-diet-had-carbs |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=Inverse |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wong |first=Kate |date=2024-07-01 |title=To Follow the Real Early Human Diet, Eat Everything |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-follow-the-real-early-human-diet-eat-everything/ |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=Scientific American |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Henry |first1=Amanda G. |last2=Brooks |first2=Alison S. |last3=Piperno |first3=Dolores R. |date=2011-01-11 |title=Microfossils in calculus demonstrate consumption of plants and cooked foods in Neanderthal diets (Shanidar III, Iraq; Spy I and II, Belgium) |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=108 |issue=2 |pages=486–491 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1016868108 |doi-access=free |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=3021051 |pmid=21187393}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dein |first=Simon |date=2022-10-07 |title=The myth of the golden past: Critical perspectives on the paleo diet |url=https://journals.openedition.org/aof/13805 |journal=Anthropology of Food |language=en |doi=10.4000/aof.13805 |issn=1609-9168|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last1=Challa |first1=Hima J. |title=Paleolithic Diet |date=2024 |work=StatPearls |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482457/ |access-date=2024-11-06 |place=Treasure Island (FL) |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |pmid=29494064 |last2=Bandlamudi |first2=Manav |last3=Uppaluri |first3=Kalyan R.}}</ref> | |||
Critics of the Paleolithic diet have pointed out a number of flaws with its underlying logic, including the fact that there is abundant evidence that paleolithic humans did in fact eat grains and legumes,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Henry|first1=Amanda|last2=Brooks|first2=Alison|last3=Piperno|first3=Dolores|title=Plant foods and the dietary ecology of Neanderthals and early modern humans|journal=Journal of Human Evolution|date=2014|volume=69|pages=44–54|doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.12.014|pmid=24612646|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047248414000189}}</ref> that humans are much more nutritionally flexible than previously thought, that the hypothesis that Paleolithic humans were genetically adapted to specific local diets remains to be proven, that the Paleolithic period was extremely long and saw a variety of forms of human settlement and subsistence in a wide variety of changing nutritional landscapes, and that currently very little is known for certain about what Paleolithic humans ate. | |||
Advocates promote the paleolithic diet as a way of improving ].<ref>{{Harvnb|NHS|2008}}.</ref> There is some evidence that following it may lead to improvements in body composition and metabolism compared with the typical ]<ref>{{Harvnb|Katz|Meller|2014}}.</ref> or compared with diets recommended by some European nutritional guidelines.<ref>{{Harvnb|Manheimer|van Zuuren|Fedorowicz|Pijl|2015}}.</ref> On the other hand, following the diet can lead to ], such as an inadequate ] intake, and side effects can include weakness, ], and ]s.<ref> | |||
==Terminology and etymology== | |||
''For calcium deficicency see'' {{Harvnb|Tarantino|Citro|Finelli|2015}}; ''for other risks see'' {{Harvnb|Obert|Pearlman|Obert|Chapin|2017}}. | |||
The term ''Paleolithic'' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|p|eɪ|l|i|ə|ˈ|l|ɪ|θ|ɪ|k}}) describes a cultural period circa 2 million BC and 10,000 BC 'characterized by the use of flint, stone, and bone tools, hunting, fishing, and the gathering of plant foods'.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Collins|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/american/paleolithic|title=Definition: Paleolithic|date=n.d.|accessdate=17 March 2015}}</ref> The term was coined by archaeologist ] in 1865.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lubbock|first=John|year=1872|title=Pre-Historic Times, as Illustrated by Ancient Remains, and the Manners and Customs of Modern Savages|publisher=Williams and Norgate|pages=75 |isbn=978-1421270395|location=London, UK}}</ref> It derives from Greek: ], ''palaios'', "old"; and ], ''lithos'', "stone", meaning "old age of the stone" or "Old ]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/american/lithic#lithic_2|title=Definition: Lithic|publisher=Collins Dictionary|date=n.d.|accessdate=17 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/american/paleo-#paleo-_1|title=Defintion: Paleo|date=n.d.|publisher=Collins|accessdate=17 March 2015}}</ref> | |||
</ref> | |||
==History and terminology== | |||
The terms ''caveman diet'' and ''stone-age diet'' are also used,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/22/what-language-tells-us-about-stone-age-diet-linguistics|publisher=Guardian|date=22 October 2014|accessdate=17 March 2015|last=Shariatmadari|first=David|title=What language tells us about the roots of the stone age diet}}</ref> with ''paleo diet'' by 2002.<ref name="fitz">{{cite book |author=Fitzgerald M |title=Diet Cults: The Surprising Fallacy at the Core of Nutrition Fads and a Guide to Healthy Eating for the Rest of US |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Bh1bBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT38 |year=2014 |publisher=Pegasus Books |isbn=978-1-60598-595-4 |page=38}}</ref><ref name="Journal1">{{cite journal |title=The modern take on the Paleo diet: is it grounded in science? |journal=Environmental Nutrition |year=2010 |issue=7}}</ref> ] ]ed the term "Paleo Diet".<ref name=tm> | |||
Adrienne Rose Johnson writes that the idea that the primitive diet was superior to current dietary habits dates back to the 1890s with such writers as ] and ]. Densmore proclaimed that "] is the staff of death", while Kellogg supported a diet of starchy and grain-based foods in accord with "the ways and likings of our primitive ancestors".<ref>{{Harvnb|Johnson|2015}}.</ref> ] advocated an early version of the Paleolithic diet in his 1952 book, ''Primitive Man and His Food''.<ref>{{Harvnb|Newton|2019|page=102}}.</ref> In 1958, ] authored ''Eat Fat and Grow Slim'', which proposed a low-carbohydrate "Stone Age" diet.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hill|1996}}; {{Harvnb|Smith|2015|p=117}}: "Mackarness, who founded the first British National Health Service clinical ecology clinic in Basingstoke, pioneered the so-called Stone Age Diet, in the belief that humans had not evolved to consume foods, including wheat and milk, developed since Paleolithic times (in fact, today's weight-reduction version of Mackarness's Stone Age diet is called the 'Paleo diet')."</ref> | |||
{{cite news |newspaper=The Seattle Times |date=20 July 2014 |title=A dissenting view on the Paleo Diet |author=Lowe K |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/health/2024082823_paleodietxml.html|accessdate=17 March 2015}}</ref> | |||
In his 1975 book ''The Stone Age Diet'', gastroenterologist ] advocated a meat-based diet, with low proportions of vegetables and starchy foods, based on his declaration that humans were "exclusively flesh-eaters" until 10,000 years ago.<ref>{{Harvnb|Zuk|2013|pp=111–112}}.</ref> | |||
==History== | |||
The roots of the idea of a paleolithic diet can be traced to the work in the 1970s by gastroenterologist Walter Voegtlin.<ref name=fitz/> The idea was later developed by ] and ], and popularized by ] in his best-selling 2002 book, ''The Paleo Diet''.<ref name="fitz"/><ref name="Journal1"/> | |||
In 1985 ] and ] published a controversial article in the '']'' proposing that modern humans were biologically very similar to their primitive ancestors and so "genetically programmed" to consume pre-agricultural foods. Eaton and Konner proposed a "discordance hypothesis" by which the mismatch between modern diet and human biology gave rise to lifestyle diseases, such as ] and ].<ref>{{Harvnb|Johnson|2015}}.</ref> | |||
In 2012 the paleolithic diet was described as being one of the "latest trends" in diets, based on the popularity of diet books about it;<ref name=cunningham>{{vcite2 journal |vauthors=Cunningham E |title=Are diets from paleolithic times relevant today? |journal=J Acad Nutr Diet |volume=112 |issue=8 |pages=1296 |year=2012 |pmid=22818735 |doi=10.1016/j.jand.2012.06.019 |url=}}</ref> in 2013 the diet was ]'s most searched-for weight-loss method.<ref name=nhs>{{cite web |title = Top diets review for 2014 |url = http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/top-10-most-popular-diets-review.aspx |publisher = NHS | accessdate = 2014-11-24 |quote = The paleo diet, also known as the caveman diet, was Google's most searched-for weight loss method in 2013.}}</ref> The diet is one of many fad diets that have been promoted in recent times, and draws on an ] and a narrative of ] about how nutritional research, which does not support the paleo diet, is controlled by a malign ].<ref name=hall>{{cite news |author=Hall H |journal=Skeptic |year=2014 |page=10 |volume=19 |issue=4 |quote=Fad diets and "miracle" diet supplements promise to help us lose weight effortlessly. Different diet gurus offer a bewildering array of diets that promise to keep us healthy and make us live longer: vegan, Paleo, Mediterranean, low fat, low carb, raw food, gluten-free ... the list goes on. |authorlink=Harriet A. Hall |title=Food myths: what science knows (and does not know) about diet and nutrition |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-394997140.html}} {{subscription required}}</ref> | |||
The diet started to become popular in the 21st century, where it attracted a largely internet-based following using web sites, forums and social media.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chang|Nowell|2016}}.</ref> | |||
==Foods== | |||
Cordain has said the diet requires:<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cordain|first1=Loren|title=The Paleo diet Revised|date=2010|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=978-0470913024|page=10}}</ref> | |||
This diet's ideas were further popularized by ], a health scientist with a Ph.D. in physical education, who trademarked the words "The Paleo Diet" and who wrote a 2002 book of that title.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ask EN|2010}}. For Cordain's qualifications see {{Harvnb|Chang|Nowell|2016}}. For trademarking see {{Harvnb|Lowe|2014}}.</ref> | |||
]s are rich sources of protein and micronutrients]] | |||
In 2012 the paleolithic diet was described as being one of the "latest trends" in diets, based on the popularity of diet books about it;<ref>{{Harvnb|Cunningham|2012}}.</ref> in 2013 and 2014 the Paleolithic diet was ]'s most searched weight-loss method.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chang|Nowell|2016}}.</ref> | |||
* More protein and meat: Meat, seafood, and other animal products represent the staple foods of modern-day Paleo diets, since advocates claim protein comprises 19-35% of the calories in hunter-gatherer diets.<ref name=premise>{{cite web|title=THE PALEO DIET PREMISE|url=http://thepaleodiet.com/the-paleo-diet-premise/|website=The Paleo Diet|accessdate=14 June 2014}}</ref> The ], the national public health institute of the United States, recommends that 10-35% of calories come from protein.<ref>{{cite web|title=Protein|url=http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/protein.html|website=CDC|publisher=US Government|accessdate=14 June 2014}}</ref> Advocates recommend, relative to modern diets, that the Paleolithic diet have moderate to higher fat intake dominated by ] and ] fats and ] fats, but avoiding trans fats, and ] fats.<ref name=premise/> | |||
* Fewer carbohydrates: Non-]y vegetables. The diet recommends the consumption of non-starchy fresh fruits and vegetables to provide 35-45 % daily calories and be the main source of ].<ref name=premise/> According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the ] for carbohydrates is 45 to 65 percent of total calories.<ref>{{cite web|title=Carbohydrates|url=http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter7.htm|publisher=USDA|accessdate=14 June 2014}}</ref> A typical modern diet gets a lot of carbohydrates from dairy products and grains, but these are excluded in the Paleolithic diet. | |||
* High fiber: High fiber intake not from grains, but from non-starchy vegetables and fruits.<ref name=premise/> | |||
The ''paleolithic'' or ''paleo'' diet is also sometimes referred to as the ''caveman'' or ''Stone Age'' diet.<ref>{{Harvnb|Shariatmadari|2014}}.</ref> | |||
===Exclusions=== | |||
Food groups that advocates claim were rarely or never consumed by humans before the ] are excluded from the diet.<ref>PaleoGrubs Blog. June 16, 2014 </ref> These include: | |||
* dairy products | |||
* grains, for example ], ], ], and ], which make it a ] | |||
* legumes, for example beans and peanuts | |||
* processed oils | |||
* ] | |||
* salt | |||
* Neither ]<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cordain|first1=Loren|title=ONE TEQUILA, TWO TEQUILA, THREE TEQUILA… PRIMAL!|url=http://thepaleodiet.com/one-tequila-two-tequila-three-tequila-primal/|accessdate=14 June 2014}}</ref> nor coffee is considered "paleo" as human ancestors could not produce these drinks. | |||
==Foodstuffs== | |||
==Rationale and counter-arguments== | |||
]. Some recent paleo diet variants emphasize the consumption of unprocessed animal products.]] | |||
]. Hunting by humans may have been a factor in its extinction, causing resource scarcity which may in turn have contributed to the development of agriculture.]] | |||
The basis of the diet is a re-imagining of what Paleolithic people ate, and different proponents recommend different diet compositions. Eaton and Konner, for example, wrote a 1988 book ''The Paleolithic Prescription'' with ], and it described a diet that is 65% plant-based. This is not typical of more recently devised paleo diets; Loren Cordain's – probably the most popular – instead emphasizes animal products and avoidance of ].<ref>{{Harvnb|Chang|Nowell|2016}}.</ref> Diet advocates concede the modern paleolithic diet cannot be a faithful recreation of what paleolithic people ate, and instead aim to "translate" that into a modern context, avoiding such likely historical practices as ].<ref>{{Harvnb|Kolbert|2014}}.</ref> | |||
The rationale for the Paleolithic diet derives from ],<ref>Konner M.; Eaton, S. Boyd (2010). "Paleolithic Nutrition: Twenty-Five Years Later". ''Nutrition in Clinical Practice'' '''25''' (6): 594–602. P. 594.</ref> specifically the evolutionary discordance hypothesis. which states that "many ]s and ]s evident in modern ] populations have arisen because of a mismatch between ] genes and recently adopted lifestyles."<ref>Elton, S (2008). "Environments, Adaptation, and Evolutionary Medicine: Should We be Eating a Stone Age Diet?". In S. Elton, P. O'Higgins (ed.), ''Medicine and Evolution: Current Applications, Future Prospects''. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. P. 9. ISBN 978-1-4200-5134-6.</ref> Advocates of the modern Paleolithic diet, including Loren Cordain, take the evolutionary discordance hypothesis for granted, and form their dietary recommendations on its basis. They argue that modern humans should follow a diet that is as nutritionally close to that of their Paleolithic ancestors as possible. | |||
Foodstuffs that have been described as permissible include: | |||
However, the validity of the evolutionary discordance hypothesis has been brought into doubt by recent research.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Turner|first1=Bethany L|last2=Thompson|first2=Amanda L|title=Beyond the Paleolithic prescription: incorporating diversity and flexibility in the study of human diet evolution|journal=Nutrition Reviews|date=August 2013|volume=71|issue=8|pages=501–510|doi=10.1111/nure.12039|pmid=23865796|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23865796?dopt=Abstract}}</ref> | |||
* "vegetables, fruits, nuts, ], meat, and organ meats";<ref>{{Harvnb|Tarantino|Citro|Finelli|2015}}.</ref> | |||
* "vegetables (including root vegetables), fruit (including fruit oils, e.g., olive oil, coconut oil, and ]), nuts, fish, meat, and eggs, and it excluded dairy, grain-based foods, legumes, extra sugar, and nutritional products of industry (including refined fats and refined carbohydrates)";<ref>{{Harvnb|Manheimer|van Zuuren|Fedorowicz|Pijl|2015}}.</ref> and | |||
* "avoids processed foods, and emphasizes eating vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, eggs, and lean meats".<ref>{{Harvnb|Katz|Meller|2014}}.</ref> | |||
The diet forbids the consumption of all ] products. This is because milking did not exist until animals were domesticated after the Paleolithic era.<ref>{{Harvnb|Longe|2008|p=180}}: "No dairy products are allowed while on this diet. This means no milk, cheese, butter, or anything else that comes from milking animals. This is because milking did not occur until animals were domesticated, sometime after the Paleolithic age. Eggs are allowed however, because Paleolithic man would probably have found eggs in bird's nests during foraging and hunting."</ref> | |||
===Adaptation=== | |||
The following are claims which advocates of the paleodiet make. Paleolithic humans were ] adapted to eating specifically those foods that were readily available to them in their local environments. These foods therefore shaped the nutritional needs of Paleolithic humans. The ] and ] of ] have changed little, if at all, since the time of their Paleolithic ancestors.<ref>Konner M.; Eaton, S. Boyd (2010). "Paleolithic Nutrition: Twenty-Five Years Later". ''Nutrition in Clinical Practice'' '''25''' (6): 594–602. Pp. 594–95.</ref> The extreme changes in human diets due to the agricultural and industrial revolutions occurred over less than 200 years ago, which is not enough time for genetic adaptation. | |||
===Ancestral diet=== | |||
By using applied Darwinian medicine, the use of modern evolutionary theory to understand health and disease, one can see that the human genome today was chosen by natural selection for the ancestral Paleolithic environment.{{citation needed|reason=NO citation given for statement of fact that looks a lot like synthesis/OR, and is not supported by citation further on in the parargaph|date=April 2015}} Natural selection took time and the cultural and lifestyle changes to westernized culture occurred too quickly for the gene pool to evolve with the environmental changes.<ref name="Carrera-Bastos, P. 2011">Carrera-Bastos, P., Fontes-Villalba, M., O’Keefe, J., Lindeberg, S., Cordain, L. 2011. The western diet and lifestyle and diseases of civilization. Research Reports in Clinical Cardiology. {{DOI|10.2147/RRCC.S16919}}</ref> Between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago the agricultural revolution brought about the replacement of certain uncultivated foods from the Paleolithic diet with grains and dairy.<ref name="Ramsden, C. 2009">{{cite journal | last1 = Ramsden | first1 = C. | last2 = Faurot | first2 = K. | last3 = Carrera-Bastos | first3 = P. | last4 = Cordain | first4 = L. | last5 = De Lorgeril | first5 = M. | last6 = Sperling | first6 = L. | year = 2009 | title = Dietary Fat Quality and Coronary Heart Disease Prevention: A Unified Theory Based on Evolutionary, Historical, Global, and Modern Perspectives | url = | journal = Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine | volume = 11 | issue = 4| pages = 289–301 | doi=10.1007/s11936-009-0030-8| pmid = 19627662 }}</ref> The industrial revolution, in combination with the development of agriculture, brought about significant changes to the diet less than 200 years ago as well.<ref name="Ramsden, C. 2009"/> This revolution brought about crop manipulation, animal-rearing practices, and food processing, thus further changing the Westernized diet.<ref name="Ramsden, C. 2009"/> Both of these major instances occurred recently enough that the human genome did not have time to adapt to the changed environment. ]s that were selected for or were neutral in the hunter-gatherer environment now promote diseases in modern environments and diets.<ref>Eaton, S. Boyd, Strassman, B., Nesse, R., Neel, J., Ewald, P., Williams, G., Weder, A., Lindeberg, S., Konner, M., Mysterud, I., Cordain, L. 2002. Evolutionary Health Promotion. Preventative Medicine. {{DOI|10.1006/pmed.2001.0876}} PMID 11817903</ref> Some of the alleles selected for in the past had positive effects for survival and reproduction, but may cause health problems in the post-reproductive years.<ref name="Carrera-Bastos, P. 2011"/> Selection processes that were made in post agricultural alleles were due to pathogens in the environment, not diet, lifestyle, or environmental changes.<ref name="Carrera-Bastos, P. 2011"/> | |||
{{further|Pleistocene human diet}} | |||
Adopting the Paleolithic diet assumes that modern humans can reproduce the hunter-gatherer diet. Molecular biologist ] argues that "knowledge of the relative proportions of animal and plant foods in the diets of early humans is circumstantial, incomplete, and debatable and that there are insufficient data to identify the composition of a genetically determined optimal diet. The evidence related to Paleolithic diets is best interpreted as supporting the idea that diets based largely on plant foods promote health and longevity, at least under conditions of food abundance and physical activity."<ref>{{Harvnb|Nestle|2000}}.</ref> Ideas about ] are at best hypothetical.<ref>{{Harvnb|Milton|2002}}.</ref> | |||
The data for Cordain's book came from six contemporary hunter-gatherer groups, mainly living in marginal habitats. One of the studies was on the ], whose diet was recorded for a single month, and one was on the ].<ref>{{Harvnb|Ungar|Teaford|2002}}; {{Harvnb|Lee|1969}}; {{Harvnb|Eaton|Shostak|Konner|1988}}.</ref> Due to these limitations, the book has been criticized as painting an incomplete picture of the diets of Paleolithic humans.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ungar|Teaford|2002}}.</ref> It has been noted that the rationale for the diet does not adequately account for the fact that, due to the pressures of ], most modern domesticated plants and animals differ drastically from their Paleolithic ancestors; likewise, their nutritional profiles are very different from their ancient counterparts. For example, wild ] produce potentially fatal levels of ], but this trait has been bred out of domesticated varieties using artificial selection. Many vegetables, such as ], did not exist in the Paleolithic period; broccoli, ], ], and ] are modern ]s of the ancient species '']''.<ref>{{Harvnb|Jabr|2013}}.</ref> | |||
====Counter-argument==== | |||
Studies of traditionally living populations show that humans can live healthily with a wide variety of diets. Humans have evolved to be flexible eaters.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Leonard|first1=William R.|title=Food for Thought: Dietary change was a driving force in human evolution|publisher=Scientific American}}</ref> Additionally, this flexibility in diet rather illustrates the resiliency with which humans have adapted to post-agricultural society. The assumption that humans have been entirely maladapted to these changes undermines this fact, as well as the fact that much more research needs to be done in regards to evolutionary changes in order to understand the actual harm or good done by the introduction of grains, processed foods, and dairy into the modern diet. Lactose intolerance serves as a perfect example of how humans have adapted to the introduction of dairy, demonstrating one of the ways that humans have actually adapted to their environment rather than deteriorated from it. It must also be kept in mind that while the idea behind the Paleo diet is that humans should eat like human ancestors, humans will never be able to do so in today's society, as every species of plant and animal that humans consumed has completely evolved to fit the dietary needs of a much larger population that must be sustained in modern society. While the introduction of grains, dairy, and legumes has not necessarily been easy for the modern human, especially the Westernized one, it is safe to say that if humans could only survive in environments similar to that of their ancestors, then the society that humans have would not be in existence today.<ref>http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-paleo-diet-half-baked-how-hunter-gatherer-really-eat/</ref> | |||
Trying to devise an ideal diet by studying contemporary hunter-gatherers is difficult because of the great disparities that exist; for example, the animal-derived calorie percentage ranges from 25% for the ] of southern Africa to 99% for the Alaskan ]. Descendants of populations with different diets have different genetic adaptations to those diets, such as the ability to digest sugars from starchy foods. Modern hunter-gatherers tend to exercise considerably more than modern office workers, protecting them from heart disease and diabetes, though highly processed modern foods also contribute to diabetes when those populations move into cities.<ref>{{Harvnb|Gibbons|2014}}.</ref> | |||
===Historical diet=== | |||
It is often argued that pre-agricultural foragers did not suffer from the diseases of affluence simply because they did not live long enough to develop them.<ref name="doi10.1146/annurev.anthro.35.081705.123153">{{cite journal | |||
| author = Ungar, Peter S.; Grine, Frederick E.; & Teaford, Mark F. | |||
| title = Diet in Early ''Homo'': A Review of the Evidence and a New Model of Adaptive Versatility | |||
| journal = ] | |||
| volume = 35 | issue = 1 | pages = 209–228 | date = October 2006 | |||
| doi = 10.1146/annurev.anthro.35.081705.123153 | |||
| url = http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/fae/PSUFEGMFT2006ARA.pdf }} | |||
</ref> Based on the data from recent hunter-gatherer populations, it is estimated that at age 15, life expectancy was an additional 39 years, for a total age of 54.<ref name="kaplanetal2000">{{Cite journal |year=2000 |author=Hillard Kaplan, Kim Hill, Jane Lancaster, and A. Magdalena Hurtado |title=A Theory of Human Life History Evolution: Diet, Intelligence and Longevity |journal=Evolutionary Anthropology |volume=9 |issue=4 |pages=156–185 |doi=10.1002/1520-6505(2000)9:4<156::AID-EVAN5>3.0.CO;2-7 |url=http://www.unm.edu/~hkaplan/KaplanHillLancasterHurtado_2000_LHEvolution.pdf |accessdate=September 12, 2010 |postscript=.}}</ref> At age 45, it is estimated that average life expectancy was an additional 19 years, for a total age of 64 years.<ref name="GurvenKaplan2007">{{cite journal|last1=Gurven|first1=Michael|last2=Kaplan|first2=Hillard|title=Longevity Among Hunter- Gatherers: A Cross-Cultural Examination|journal=Population and Development Review|volume=33|issue=2|year=2007|pages=321–365|issn=0098-7921|doi=10.1111/j.1728-4457.2007.00171.x|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2007.00171.x}}</ref><ref name="OsborneHames2014">{{cite journal|last1=Osborne|first1=Daniel L.|last2=Hames|first2=Raymond|title=A life history perspective on skin cancer and the evolution of skin pigmentation|journal=American Journal of Physical Anthropology|volume=153|issue=1|year=2014|pages=1–8|issn=00029483|doi=10.1002/ajpa.22408|pmid=24459698|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22408}}</ref> Food energy excess, relative to energy expended, rather than the consumption of specific foods may underlie the diseases of affluence. "The health concerns of the industrial world, where calorie-packed foods are readily available, stem not from deviations from a specific diet but from an imbalance between the energy humans consume and the energy humans spend."<ref name="pmid12469653">{{cite journal | |||
| author = Leonard, William R. | |||
| title = Food for thought: Dietary change was a driving force in human evolution | |||
| journal = ] | |||
| volume = 287 | issue = 6 | pages = 106–15 |date=December 2002 | |||
| pmid = 12469653 | |||
| url = http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/krigbaum/proseminar/leonard_2002_SA.pdf | format = PDF }} | |||
</ref> | |||
A 2018 review of the diet of hunter-gatherer populations found that the dietary provisions of the paleolithic diet had been based on questionable research, and were "difficult to reconcile with more detailed ethnographic and nutritional studies of hunter-gatherer diet".<ref>{{Harvnb|Pontzer|Wood|Raichlen|2018}}.</ref> | |||
====Counter-argument==== | |||
Researchers have proposed that cooked starches met the energy demands of an increasing brain size, based on variations in the copy number of genes encoding ].<ref>{{Harvnb|Zimmer|2015}}; {{Harvnb|Hardy|Brand-Miller|Brown|Thomas|Copeland|2015}}.</ref> | |||
The data for Cordain's book only came from six groups, mainly living in marginal habitats.<ref name="UngarTeaford2002">{{cite book|author1=Peter S. Ungar|author2=Mark Franklyn Teaford|title=Human Diet: Its Origin and Evolution|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=6GDELypdTUcC&pg=PA67|date=1 January 2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-89789-736-5|pages=67–}}</ref> One of the studies was on the ], whose diet was recorded for a single month,<ref name="Lee1969">{{cite journal |title=Kung Bushmen Subsistence: An Input-Output Analysis |journal=Contributions to Anthropology: Ecological Essays. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada |year=1969 |last=Lee |first=Richard |issue=230 |pages=73–94 }}</ref> and one was on the ].<ref name="Eaton1988b">{{cite book |last=Eaton, M.D. |first1=S. Boyd |last2=Shostak |first2=Marjorie |last3=Konner, M.D., Ph.D. |first3=Melvin |title=The Paleolithic Prescription: A Program of Diet and Exercise and a Design for Living |publisher=Harper and Row |year=1988 |page=79 |isbn=978-0060916350 }}</ref><!--<ref name="UngarTeaford2002" />--> Due to these limitations, the book has been criticized as painting an incomplete picture of what the diets of Paleolithic ancestors may have looked like.<ref name="UngarTeaford2002" /> It has been noted that the rationale for the diet does not take adequate account of the fact that, due to the pressures of ], most modern domesticated plants and animals differ drastically from their Paeleolithic ancestors, whose nutritional profiles often differed drastically from their modern counterparts. For example, wild ] produce potentially fatal levels of ], but this harmful poison has been bred out of domesticated varieties by artificial selection. Moreover, many vegetables like ] "did not ... exist in the Paleolithic period".<ref>C. Warinner (2013), "Debunking the Paleo Diet", ''TEDxOU'', 25 January 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMOjVYgYaG8, accessed 21 August 2014.</ref> Broccoli and many other genetically similar vegetables (like ], ], ], etc.) are in fact modern ]s of the ancient species '']'', a wild plant also known as wild mustard. | |||
==Health effects== | |||
With regard to attempts to emulate the "ideal" diet, molecular biologist ] argues that "knowledge of the relative proportions of animal and plant foods in the diets of early humans is circumstantial, incomplete, and debatable and there are insufficient data to identify the composition of a genetically determined optimal diet. The evidence related to Paleolithic diets is best interpreted as supporting the idea that diets based largely on plant foods promote health and longevity, at least under conditions of food abundance and physical activity".<ref name="doi10.1046/j.1467-3010.2000.00019.x">{{cite journal | |||
The methodological quality of research into the paleolithic diet has been described as "poor to moderate".<ref>{{Harvnb|Pitt|2016}}; {{Harvnb|Obert|Pearlman|Obert|Chapin|2017}}.</ref> Some of the health claims made for it by its proponents, such as its ability to reverse ] and cure ] are exaggerated,<ref>{{Harvnb|Pitt|2016}}; {{Harvnb|Kolbert|2014}} : " proponents of the paleo diet make all sorts of claims for its efficacy. Some contend that it cures autoimmune diseases, others that it reverses diabetes."</ref> causing the diet to be controversial. | |||
| last1 = Nestle |first1 = Marion | authorlink1 = Marion Nestle | |||
| title = Paleolithic diets: a sceptical view | |||
| journal = Nutrition Bulletin | |||
| volume = 25 | issue = 1 | pages = 43–7 |date=March 2000 | |||
| doi = 10.1046/j.1467-3010.2000.00019.x }} | |||
</ref> Ideas about ] are at best hypothetical.<ref name="isbn0-89789-736-6">{{cite book | |||
| last = Milton, Katharine | |||
| editor = Ungar, Peter S. & Teaford, Mark F. | |||
| title = Human Diet: Its Origins and Evolution | |||
| year = 2002 | publisher = Bergin and Garvey | location = ] | |||
| isbn = 0-89789-736-6 | pages = 111–22 | |||
| chapter = Hunter-gatherer diets: wild foods signal relief from diseases of affluence (PDF) | |||
| chapterurl = http://nature.berkeley.edu/miltonlab/pdfs/humandiet.pdf}} | |||
</ref><!--<ref name="pmid12494313">{{cite journal | |||
| last1 = Richards | first1 = Michael P. | |||
| title = A brief review of the archaeological evidence for Palaeolithic and Neolithic subsistence | |||
| journal = European Journal of Clinical Nutrition | |||
| volume = 56 | issue = 12 | pages = 1270–78 |date=December 2002 | |||
| pmid = 12494313 | doi = 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601646}} | |||
</ref>--> | |||
Following the paleolithic diet results in the consumption of fewer processed foods, less sugar, and less salt. Reduced consumption of these elements is consistent with mainstream advice about diet.<ref>{{Harvnb|British Dietetic Association|2014}}.</ref> Diets with a paleolithic nutrition pattern also share some similarities with traditional ethnic diets, such as the ], which have been found to result in greater health benefits than the ].<ref>{{Harvnb|Tarantino|Citro|Finelli|2015}}; {{Harvnb|Katz|Meller|2014}}.</ref> Following the paleolithic diet can lead to ], such as those of vitamin{{nbsp}}D and calcium, which can in turn lead to compromised bone health.<ref>{{Harvnb|British Dietetic Association|2014}}; {{Harvnb|Pitt|2016}}.</ref> The increased fish consumption suggested by the diet can also lead to an elevated risk of exposure to toxins.<ref>{{Harvnb|Tarantino|Citro|Finelli|2015}}.</ref> | |||
Trying to devise an ideal diet by studying contemporary hunter-gatherers is difficult because of the great disparities that exist, for example with the animal-derived calorie percentage ranging from 25% in the ] of southern Africa to 99% in Alaskan ].<ref>Kolbert, Elizabeth. , '']'', November 9, 2009, accessed January 27, 2011.</ref> Recommendations to restrict starchy vegetables may not be an accurate representation of the diet of relevant Paleolithic ancestors.<ref name="NatGeo092014">{{cite journal |title=The Evolution of Diet |journal=National Geographic |date=September 2014 |last=Gibbons |first=Ann |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/evolution-of-diet/ |accessdate=2014-09-04 }}</ref> | |||
There is some evidence that the diet can help in achieving ], due to the increased ] from the foods typically eaten.<ref>{{Harvnb|de Menezes|Sampaio|Carioca|Parente|2019}}.</ref> One trial of ] postmenopausal women found improvements in weight and fat loss after six months, but the benefits had ceased by 24 months. Side effects among these participants included "weakness, diarrhea, and headaches". As with any other diet regime, the paleolithic diet leads to weight loss because of overall decreased ], rather than any specific feature of the diet itself.<ref>{{Harvnb|Obert|Pearlman|Obert|Chapin|2017}}.</ref> | |||
==Reception== | |||
There is no good evidence that following a paleolithic diet reduces the risk of ] or ],<ref>{{Harvnb|Ghaedi|Mohammadi|Mohammadi|Ramezani-Jolfaie|2019}}; {{Harvnb|Manheimer|van Zuuren|Fedorowicz|Pijl|2015}}.</ref> nor is there any evidence that the paleolithic diet is effective in treating ].<ref>{{Harvnb|Hou|Lee|Lewis|2014}}: "Even less evidence exists for the efficacy of the SCD, FODMAP, or Paleo diets. Furthermore, the practicality of maintaining these interventions over long periods of time is doubtful."</ref> | |||
The ] named the paleo diet as among the five worst celebrity-endorsed diets of 2015, saying it risks being "unbalanced, time consuming, socially isolating" and so "a sure-fire way to develop nutrient deficiencies".<ref name=bda>{{cite web |publisher=] |title=Top 5 Worst Celebrity Diets to Avoid in 2015 |date=8 December 2014 |accessdate=February 2015 |url=https://www.bda.uk.com/news/view?id=39 |quote=An unbalanced, time consuming, socially isolating diet, which this could easily be, is a sure-fire way to develop nutrient deficiencies, which can compromise health and your relationship with food.}}</ref> | |||
The paleolithic diet similar to the ], in that it encourages the consumption of large amounts of ], especially meats high in ]. Increased consumption of red meat can lead to a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease.<ref>{{Harvnb|Longe|2008|p=182}}.</ref> | |||
] and Stephanie Meller have written that the paleolithic diet presents a "scientific case" in part because of its anthropological basis, but that there is comparatively limited evidence supporting its health benefit over other popular contemporary diets.<ref name=katz>{{vcite2 journal |vauthors=Katz DL, Meller S |title=Can we say what diet is best for health? |journal=Annu Rev Public Health |volume=35 |issue= |pages=83–103 |year=2014 |pmid=24641555 |doi=10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182351 |url=}}</ref> According to ] and Bruce Carnes, "there is neither convincing evidence nor scientific logic to support the claim that adherence to a Paleolithic diet provides a longevity benefit."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Olshansky|first1=S. Jay|last2=Carnes|first2=Bruce A.|title=The quest for immortality : science at the frontiers of aging|date=2001|publisher=Norton|location=New York|isbn=978-0393323276|page=191}}</ref> | |||
==Proposed rationale and reception== | |||
A ranking by ], involving a panel of experts, evaluated the diet based on factors including health, weight loss, and ease of following. In 2014, it tied for last place out of 32 with the ].<ref name=usn2012bdo>{{cite web |url=http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-overall-diets |title=Best Diets Overall |publisher=U.S.News & World Report |year=2012}}</ref> | |||
], co-author of a 1985 paper setting out a hypothetical basis for the paleolithic diet]] | |||
The stated rationale for the paleolithic diet is that human genes of modern times are unchanged from those of 10,000 years ago, and that the diet of that time is therefore the best fit with humans today.<ref>{{Harvnb|Obert|Pearlman|Obert|Chapin|2017}}.</ref> Loren Cordain has described the paleo diet as "the one and only diet that ideally fits our genetic makeup".<ref>{{Harvnb|Gibbons|2014}}.</ref> | |||
There is no good evidence the paleo diet is effective in treating ].<ref name=hou>{{cite journal |author=Hou JK, Lee D, Lewis J |title=Diet and inflammatory bowel disease: review of patient-targeted recommendations |journal=Clin. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. |volume=12 |issue=10 |pages=1592–600 | date=October 2014 |pmid=24107394 |pmc=4021001 |doi=10.1016/j.cgh.2013.09.063 |type=Review |quote=Even less evidence exists for the efficacy of the SCD, FODMAP, or Paleo diets. Furthermore, the practicality of maintaining these interventions over long periods of time is doubtful.|last2=Lee |last3=Lewis }}</ref> | |||
The argument is that modern humans have not been able to adapt to the new circumstances.<ref>{{Harvnb|Carrera-Bastos|Fontes-Villalba|O'Keefe|Lindeberg|Cordain|2011}}.</ref> According to Cordain, before the agricultural revolution, hunter-gatherer diets rarely included grains, and obtaining milk from wild animals would have been "nearly impossible".<ref>{{Harvnb|Cordain|Eaton|Sebastian|Mann|2005}}</ref> Advocates of the diet argue that the increase in ] after the dawn of agriculture was caused by these changes in diet, but others have countered that it may be that pre-agricultural hunter-gatherers did not suffer from the diseases of affluence because they did not live long enough to develop them.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ungar|Grine|Teaford|2006}}.</ref> | |||
According to the model from the evolutionary discordance hypothesis, "many ]s and ] evident in modern ] populations have arisen because of a mismatch between ] genes and modern lifestyles."<ref>{{Harvnb|Elton|2008|p=9}}.</ref> Advocates of the modern paleo diet have formed their dietary recommendations based on this hypothesis. They argue that modern humans should follow a diet that is nutritionally closer to that of their Paleolithic ancestors. | |||
The evolutionary discordance is incomplete, since it is based mainly on the genetic understanding of the human diet and a unique model of human ancestral diets, without taking into account the flexibility and variability of the human dietary behaviors over time.<ref>{{Harvnb|Turner|Thompson|2013}}.</ref> Studies of a variety of populations around the world show that humans can live healthily with a wide variety of diets and that humans have evolved to be flexible eaters.<ref>{{Harvnb|Leonard|2002}}.</ref> Lactase persistence, which confers ] into adulthood, is an example of how some humans have adapted to the introduction of dairy into their diet. While the introduction of grains, dairy, and legumes during the ] may have had some adverse effects on modern humans, if humans had not been nutritionally adaptable, these technological developments would have been dropped.<ref>{{Harvnb|Jabr|2013}}.</ref> | |||
Since the publication of Eaton and Konner's paper in 1985, analysis of the ] of primitive human remains has provided evidence that evolving humans were continually adapting to new diets, thus challenging the hypothesis underlying the paleothic diet.<ref>{{Harvnb|Whoriskey|2016}}.</ref> Evolutionary biologist ] writes that the idea that our genetic makeup today matches that of our ancestors is misconceived, and that in debate Cordain was "taken aback" when told that 10,000 years was "plenty of time" for an evolutionary change in human digestive abilities to have taken place. On this basis Zuk dismisses Cordain's claim that the paleo diet is "the one and only diet that fits our genetic makeup".<ref>{{Harvnb|Zuk|2013|p=114}}.</ref> | |||
Paleoanthropologist ] has written that the paleo diet is a "myth", on account both of its invocation of a single suitable diet when in reality humans have always been a "work in progress", and because diet has always been varied because humans were spread widely over the planet.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ungar|2017}}.</ref> | |||
Anthropological geneticist ] has said that humans have adapted in the last 10,000 years in response to radical changes in diet. In 2016, she was quoted as saying "It drives me crazy when Paleo-diet people say that we've stopped evolving—we haven't".<ref>{{Harvnb|Whoriskey|2016}}.</ref> | |||
Melvin Konner has said the challenge to the hypothesis is not greatly significant since the real challenges to human non-adaptation have occurred with the rise of ever-more refined foodstuffs in the last 300 years.<ref>{{Harvnb|Whoriskey|2016}}.</ref> | |||
==Environmental impact== | |||
A 2019 analysis of diets in the United States ranked consumption of a paleolithic diet as more environmentally harmful than consumption of an omnivorous diet, though not so harmful as a ].<ref>{{Harvnb|O'Malley|Willits-Smith|Aranda|Heller|2019}}.</ref> | |||
] has written the paleolithic diet's emphasis on meat consumption is a "disaster" on account of meat's comparatively high energy production costs.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kolbert|2014}}.</ref> | |||
==Popularity== | |||
A lifestyle and ideology have developed around the diet.<ref>{{Harvnb|Goldstein|2010}}; {{Harvnb|Wilson|2015}}.</ref> "Paleolithic" products include clothing, ], and cookware. Many paleolithic cookery books have been bestsellers.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chang|Nowell|2016}}.</ref> | |||
{{asof|2019}} the market for products with the word "Paleo" in their name was worth approximately $US500 million, with strong growth prospects despite pushback from the scientific community. Some products were taking advantage of the trend by touting themselves as "paleo-approved" despite having no apparent link to the movement's tenets.<ref>{{Harvnb|Decker|2019}}.</ref> | |||
Like many ], the paleolithic diet is promoted by some by an ] and a narrative of ] about how nutritional research, which does not support the supposed benefits of the paleolithic diet, is controlled by a malign ].<ref>{{Harvnb|NHS|2008}}; {{Harvnb|Kolbert|2014}}; {{Harvnb|Hall|2014}}: "Fad diets and 'miracle' diet supplements promise to help us lose weight effortlessly. Different diet gurus offer a bewildering array of diets that promise to keep us healthy and make us live longer: vegan, Paleo, Mediterranean, low fat, low carb, raw food, gluten-free the list goes on."</ref> Paleolithic diet advocate John Durant has blamed suppression of the truth about diet in the United States on "the vegetarian lobby".<ref>{{Harvnb|Kolbert|2014}}.</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
{{Columns-list |colwidth=20em | | |||
{{portal|food|health}} | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
{{portal inline|Evolutionary biology}}<br> | |||
{{portal inline|Food}} | |||
}} | |||
==Citations== | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{refbegin}} | |||
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} | |||
*{{Cite journal |department=Ask EN |date=January 2010 |title=The modern take on the Paleo diet: is it grounded in science? |journal=Environmental Nutrition |issue=7 |url=https://universityhealthnews.com/topics/nutrition-topics/the-modern-take-on-the-paleo-diet-is-it-grounded-in-science/ |url-access=subscription |ref={{harvid|Ask EN|2010}}}} | |||
*{{Cite web |url=https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/top-5-worst-celebrity-diets-to-avoid-in-2015.html |title=Top 5 Worst Celebrity Diets to Avoid in 2015 |date=8 December 2014 |publisher=]|ref={{harvid|British Dietetic Association|2014}} |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025032114/https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/top-5-worst-celebrity-diets-to-avoid-in-2015.html |archive-date=2020-10-25 |url-status=dead}} | |||
*{{Cite journal |vauthors=Carrera-Bastos P, Fontes-Villalba M, O'Keefe J, Lindeberg S, Cordain L |year=2011 |title=The western diet and lifestyle and diseases of civilization |url=https://www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=9163 |journal=Research Reports in Clinical Cardiology |pages=15 |doi=10.2147/RRCC.S16919 |doi-access=free}} | |||
*{{cite journal |vauthors=Chang ML, Nowell A |title=How to make stone soup: Is the "Paleo diet" a missed opportunity for anthropologists? |journal=Evol. Anthropol. |volume=25 |issue=5 |pages=228–31 |date=September 2016 |pmid=27753214 |doi=10.1002/evan.21504 |s2cid=12918685 }} | |||
*{{Cite journal|last1=Cordain|first1=Loren|last2=Eaton|first2=S. Boyd|last3=Sebastian|first3=Anthony|last4=Mann|first4=Neil|last5=Lindeberg|first5=Staffan|last6=Watkins|first6=Bruce A.|last7=O’Keefe|first7=James H.|last8=Brand-Miller|first8=Janette|year=2005|title=Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century|url=https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/81/2/341/4607411|journal=The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition|language=en|volume=81|issue=2|pages=341–54|doi=10.1093/ajcn.81.2.341|pmid=15699220|issn=0002-9165|doi-access=free}} | |||
*{{Cite journal |vauthors=Cunningham E |year=2012 |title=Are diets from paleolithic times relevant today? |journal=] |volume=112 |issue=8 |page=1296 |doi=10.1016/j.jand.2012.06.019 |pmid=22818735}} | |||
*{{cite journal |journal=Nutritional Outlook |title=Paleo Diet: Is the paleo diet here to stay, or a short-lived trend? |year=2019 |vauthors=Decker KJ |issue=4 |volume=22 |url=https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/paleo-diet-paleo-diet-here-stay-or-short-lived-trend}} | |||
*{{cite journal |vauthors=de Menezes EV, Sampaio HA, Carioca AA, Parente NA, Brito FO, Moreira TM, de Souza AC, Arruda SP |title=Influence of Paleolithic diet on anthropometric markers in chronic diseases: systematic review and meta-analysis |journal=Nutr J |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=41 |date=July 2019 |pmid=31337389 |pmc=6647066 |doi=10.1186/s12937-019-0457-z |type=Systematic review |doi-access=free }} | |||
*{{cite book |vauthors=Eaton SB, Shostak M, Konner M |title=The Paleolithic Prescription: A Program of Diet and Exercise and a Design for Living |publisher=] |year=1988 |page= |isbn=978-0060916350 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/paleolithicpresc00eato/page/79 }} | |||
*{{Cite book |vauthors=Elton S |year=2008 |chapter=Environments, Adaptation, and Evolutionary Medicine: Should We be Eating a Stone Age Diet? |veditors=Elton S, O'Higgins P |title=Medicine and Evolution: Current Applications, Future Prospects |place=Boca Raton, FL |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-4200-5134-6}} | |||
*{{Cite book |vauthors=Fitzgerald M |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bh1bBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT38 |title=Diet Cults: The Surprising Fallacy at the Core of Nutrition Fads and a Guide to Healthy Eating for the Rest of Us |publisher=Pegasus Books |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-60598-595-4}} | |||
*{{cite journal |vauthors=Ghaedi E, Mohammadi M, Mohammadi H, Ramezani-Jolfaie N, Malekzadeh J, Hosseinzadeh M, Salehi-Abargouei A |title=Effects of a Paleolithic Diet on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials |journal=Adv Nutr |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=634–46 |date=July 2019 |pmid=31041449 |pmc=6628854 |doi=10.1093/advances/nmz007 }} | |||
*{{cite journal |journal=National Geographic Magazine |vauthors=Gibbons A |title=The Evolution of Diet |date=September 2014 |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/evolution-of-diet/}} | |||
*{{Cite news |vauthors=Goldstein J |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/fashion/10caveman.html?_r=0 |title=The New Age Cavemen and the City |date=January 8, 2010 |work=]}} | |||
*{{Cite news |vauthors=Hall H |url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-394997140 |title=Food myths: what science knows (and does not know) about diet and nutrition |work=] |year=2014 |issue=4 |volume=19 |page=10 |author-link=Harriet A. Hall}} | |||
*{{cite journal |vauthors=Hardy K, Brand-Miller J, Brown KD, Thomas MG, Copeland L |title=The Importance of Dietary Carbohydrate in Human Evolution |journal=Q Rev Biol |volume=90 |issue=3 |pages=251–68 |date=September 2015 |pmid=26591850 |doi=10.1086/682587 |s2cid=28309169 |url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1470393/}} | |||
*{{cite news |vauthors=Hill R |year=1996 |title=Obituary: Dr Richard Mackarness |newspaper=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-dr-richard-mackarness-1303347.html}} | |||
*{{Cite journal |vauthors=Hou JK, Lee D, Lewis J |date=October 2014 |title=Diet and inflammatory bowel disease: review of patient-targeted recommendations |journal=] |type=Review |volume=12 |issue=10 |pages=1592–600 |doi=10.1016/j.cgh.2013.09.063 |pmc=4021001 |pmid=24107394 |quote=Even less evidence exists for the efficacy of the SCD, FODMAP, or Paleo diets. Furthermore, the practicality of maintaining these interventions over long periods of time is doubtful.}} | |||
*{{Cite web |vauthors=Jabr F |date=3 June 2013 |url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-paleo-diet-half-baked-how-hunter-gatherer-really-eat/ |title=How to Really Eat Like a Hunter-Gatherer: Why the Paleo Diet Is Half-Baked |website=]}} | |||
*{{Cite journal |vauthors=Johnson AR |date=2015 |title=The Paleo Diet and the American Weight Loss Utopia, 1975–2014 |journal=Utopian Studies|volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=101–124 |doi=10.5325/utopianstudies.26.1.0101 |publisher=Penn State University Press |s2cid=144735157 }} | |||
*{{Cite journal |vauthors=Katz DL, Meller S |year=2014 |title=Can we say what diet is best for health? |journal=] |volume=35 |pages=83–103 |doi=10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182351 |pmid=24641555 |doi-access=free}} | |||
*{{cite magazine |vauthors=Kolbert E |magazine=The New Yorker |title=Stone Soup{{snd}}How the Paleolithic life style got trendy |date=20 July 2014 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/07/28/stone-soup}} | |||
*{{cite journal |title=Kung Bushmen Subsistence: An Input-Output Analysis |journal=Contributions to Anthropology: Ecological Essays. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada |year=1969 |vauthors=Lee R |issue=230 |pages=73–94 }} | |||
*{{Cite journal |vauthors=Leonard WR |date=1 December 2002 |title=Food for Thought: Dietary change was a driving force in human evolution |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican1202-106 |url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/food-for-thought/ |access-date=20 January 2016 |url-access=subscription |journal=] |volume=287 |issue=6 |pages=106–15 |pmid=12469653}} | |||
*{{Cite book |vauthors=Longe JL |year=2008 |title=The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets: A Guide to Health and Nutrition |publisher=The Gale Group |isbn=978-1-4144-2991-5}} | |||
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*{{cite journal |vauthors=Manheimer EW, van Zuuren EJ, Fedorowicz Z, Pijl H |title=Paleolithic nutrition for metabolic syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis |journal=Am. J. Clin. Nutr. |volume=102 |issue=4 |pages=922–32 |date=October 2015 |pmid=26269362 |pmc=4588744 |doi=10.3945/ajcn.115.113613 }} | |||
*{{Cite book |vauthors=Milton K |year=2002 |editor=Ungar, Peter S. |editor2=Teaford, Mark F. |title=Human Diet: Its Origins and Evolution |publisher=Bergin and Garvey |isbn=978-0-89789-736-5 |pages=111–122 |chapter=Hunter-gatherer diets: wild foods signal relief from diseases of affluence |chapter-url=http://nature.berkeley.edu/miltonlab/pdfs/humandiet.pdf |location=]}} | |||
*{{Cite journal |vauthors=Nestle M |date=March 2000 |title=Paleolithic diets: a sceptical view |journal=] |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=43–47 |doi=10.1046/j.1467-3010.2000.00019.x |author-link1=Marion Nestle}} | |||
*{{cite book |vauthors=Newton DE |year=2019|title=Vegetarianism and Veganism: A Reference Handbook|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-4408-6763-7}} | |||
*{{Cite web |ref={{harvid|NHS|2008}} |url=http://www.nhs.uk/news/2008/05May/Pages/Cavemanfaddiet.aspx |title=Caveman fad diet |date=9 May 2008 |website=Choices |publisher=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170725212012/http://www.nhs.uk:80/news/2008/05May/Pages/Cavemanfaddiet.aspx |archive-date=25 July 2017}} | |||
*{{Cite journal |vauthors=Obert J, Pearlman M, Obert L, Chapin S |year=2017 |title=Popular Weight Loss Strategies: a Review of Four Weight Loss Techniques |journal=Current Gastroenterology Reports |type=Review |volume=19 |issue=12 |pages=61 |doi=10.1007/s11894-017-0603-8 |pmid=29124370|s2cid=45802390 }} | |||
*{{cite journal |vauthors=O'Malley K, Willits-Smith A, Aranda R, Heller M, Rose D |title=Vegan vs Paleo: Carbon Footprints and Diet Quality of 5 Popular Eating Patterns as Reported by US Consumers |journal= Current Developments in Nutrition |volume=1 |issue=Supplement 1 |year=2019 |pages=nzz047.P03–007–19 |doi=10.1093/cdn/nzz047.P03-007-19|doi-access=free |pmc=6574879 }} | |||
*{{cite journal |vauthors=Pitt CE |title=Cutting through the Paleo hype: The evidence for the Palaeolithic diet |journal=Aust Fam Physician |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=35–38 |date=2016 |pmid=27051985 }} | |||
*{{Cite journal|vauthors=Pontzer H, Wood BM, Raichlen DA |date=2018-12-01|title=Hunter-gatherers as models in public health |journal=]|volume=19|issue=Suppl 1 |pages=24–35 |issn=1467-789X |pmid=30511505 |s2cid=54489120 |url=https://escholarship.org/content/qt1m87g85c/qt1m87g85c.pdf?t=plqcrq |doi=10.1111/obr.12785 |doi-access=free}} | |||
*{{Cite web |vauthors=Shariatmadari D |date=22 October 2014 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/22/what-language-tells-us-about-stone-age-diet-linguistics |title=What language tells us about the roots of the stone age diet |website=] |access-date=17 March 2015}} | |||
*{{cite book |vauthors=Smith M |year=2015 |title=Another Person's Poison: A History of Food Allergy |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-16484-9}} | |||
*{{cite journal |vauthors=Tarantino G, Citro V, Finelli C |title=Hype or Reality: Should Patients with Metabolic Syndrome-related NAFLD be on the Hunter-Gatherer (Paleo) Diet to Decrease Morbidity? |journal=J Gastrointestin Liver Dis |volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=359–68 |date=September 2015 |pmid=26405708 |doi=10.15403/jgld.2014.1121.243.gta |type=Review}} | |||
*{{Cite journal |last1=Turner |first1=BL |last2=Thompson |first2=AL |year=2013 |title=Beyond the Paleolithic prescription: incorporating diversity and flexibility in the study of human diet evolution |journal=] |type=Review |volume=71 |issue=8 |pages=501–10 |doi=10.1111/nure.12039 |pmc=4091895 |pmid=23865796}} | |||
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*{{cite book|vauthors=Ungar PS, Teaford MF |title=Human Diet: Its Origin and Evolution|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6GDELypdTUcC&pg=PA67|date=1 January 2002|publisher=]|isbn=978-0-89789-736-5|pages=67–}} | |||
*{{cite journal |vauthors=Ungar PS |journal=] |title=The 'True' Human Diet |date=17 April 2017 |url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-true-human-diet/}} | |||
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*{{Cite news |vauthors=Wilson J |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/16/paleo-isnt-a-fad-diet-its-an-ideology |title=Paleo isn't a fad diet, it's an ideology that selectively denies the modern world |date=March 16, 2015 |work=] |access-date=February 5, 2016}} | |||
*{{cite news|vauthors=Zimmer C|date=13 August 2015 |title=For Evolving Brains, a 'Paleo' Diet Full of Carbs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/13/science/for-evolving-brains-a-paleo-diet-full-of-carbs.html|access-date=14 August 2015 |work=]}} | |||
*{{Cite book |vauthors=Zuk M |year=2013 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7iKwAgAAQBAJ |title=Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live |publisher=W.W. Norton & Co |isbn=978-0-393-08137-4 |author-link=Marlene Zuk}} | |||
{{refend}} | |||
==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
{{refbegin}} | |||
* {{cite book |work=Encyclopedia of Diet Fads: Understanding Science and Society |edition=2nd |title=Paleo Diet |year=2014 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |author=Bijlefeld M, Zoumbaris SK |pages=164–166 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=4jq2BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA164 |isbn=978-1-61069-760-6}} | |||
* {{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Diet Fads: Understanding Science and Society |edition=2nd |title=Paleo Diet |year=2014 |publisher=] |vauthors=Bijlefeld M, Zoumbaris SK |pages=164–166 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4jq2BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA164 |isbn=978-1-61069-760-6}} | |||
* {{cite web |author=Gorski D |authorlink=David Gorski |publisher=Science-Based Medicine |date=18 March 2013 |accessdate=February 2015 |title=It's a part of my paleo fantasy, it's a part of my paleo dream |url=http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/its-a-part-of-my-paleo-fantasy-its-a-part-of-my-paleo-dream/}} | |||
* {{cite web |vauthors=Gorski D |author-link=David Gorski |publisher=] |date=18 March 2013 |access-date=1 February 2015 |title=It's a part of my paleo fantasy, it's a part of my paleo dream |url=http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/its-a-part-of-my-paleo-fantasy-its-a-part-of-my-paleo-dream/}} | |||
* {{cite book |author=Zuk M |authorlink=Marlene Zuk |title=Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live |year=2013 |publisher=W.W. Norton & Co |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7iKwAgAAQBAJ |isbn=978-0-393-08137-4}} | |||
*{{cite journal |vauthors=Henry AG, Brooks AS, Piperno DR |title=Plant foods and the dietary ecology of Neanderthals and early modern humans |journal=J. Hum. Evol. |volume=69 |pages=44–54 |date=April 2014 |pmid=24612646 |doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.12.014 }} | |||
* {{cite book |author=George Bryant |title=The Paleo Kitchen: Finding Primal Joy in Modern Cooking |year=2014 |publisher=Victory Belt |url=http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Paleo_Kitchen.html?id=i9fxngEACAAJ |isbn=978-1-628-60010-0}} | |||
*{{Cite journal |vauthors=Konner M, Eaton S |year=2010 |title=Paleolithic Nutrition: Twenty-Five Years Later |journal=] |volume=25 |issue=6 |pages=594–602 |doi=10.1177/0884533610385702 |pmid=21139123}} | |||
*{{Cite journal |vauthors=Osborne DL, Hames R |year=2014 |title=A life history perspective on skin cancer and the evolution of skin pigmentation |journal=] |volume=153 |issue=1 |pages=1–8 |url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1056&context=anthropologyfacpub |issn=0002-9483 |doi=10.1002/ajpa.22408 |pmid=24459698 |s2cid=13175245}} | |||
*{{Cite journal |vauthors=Ramsden C, Faurot K, Carrera-Bastos P, Cordain L, De Lorgeril M, Sperling L |year=2009 |title=Dietary Fat Quality and Coronary Heart Disease Prevention: A Unified Theory Based on Evolutionary, Historical, Global, and Modern Perspectives |journal=Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=289–301 |pmid=19627662 |pmc=10150942 |s2cid=1058038 |doi=10.1007/s11936-009-0030-8}} | |||
{{refend}} | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* – ], ] (August 2016). | |||
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{{Diets}} | {{Diets}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 03:04, 11 November 2024
Fad diet based on the presumed diet of Paleolithic humans This article is about a modern-day diet. For information on the dietary practices of Paleolithic humans, see Paleolithic § Diet and nutrition.
The Paleolithic diet, Paleo diet, caveman diet, or Stone Age diet is a modern fad diet consisting of foods thought by its proponents to mirror those eaten by humans during the Paleolithic era.
The diet avoids food processing and typically includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, roots, and meat and excludes dairy products, grains, sugar, legumes, processed oils, salt, alcohol, and coffee. Historians can trace the ideas behind the diet to "primitive" diets advocated in the 19th century. In the 1970s, Walter L. Voegtlin popularized a meat-centric "Stone Age" diet; in the 21st century, the best-selling books of Loren Cordain popularized the Paleo diet. As of 2019 the paleo-diet industry was worth approximately US$500 million.
In the 21st century, the sequencing of the human genome and DNA analysis of the remains of early humans have found evidence that humans evolved rapidly in response to changing diet. This evidence undermines a core premise of the paleolithic diet – that human digestion has remained essentially unchanged over time. Palaeontological evidence has indicated that prehistoric humans ate plant-heavy diets that regularly included grains and other starchy vegetables, in contrast to the claims of the Paleo diet.
Advocates promote the paleolithic diet as a way of improving health. There is some evidence that following it may lead to improvements in body composition and metabolism compared with the typical Western diet or compared with diets recommended by some European nutritional guidelines. On the other hand, following the diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies, such as an inadequate calcium intake, and side effects can include weakness, diarrhea, and headaches.
History and terminology
Adrienne Rose Johnson writes that the idea that the primitive diet was superior to current dietary habits dates back to the 1890s with such writers as Emmet Densmore and John Harvey Kellogg. Densmore proclaimed that "bread is the staff of death", while Kellogg supported a diet of starchy and grain-based foods in accord with "the ways and likings of our primitive ancestors". Arnold DeVries advocated an early version of the Paleolithic diet in his 1952 book, Primitive Man and His Food. In 1958, Richard Mackarness authored Eat Fat and Grow Slim, which proposed a low-carbohydrate "Stone Age" diet.
In his 1975 book The Stone Age Diet, gastroenterologist Walter L. Voegtlin advocated a meat-based diet, with low proportions of vegetables and starchy foods, based on his declaration that humans were "exclusively flesh-eaters" until 10,000 years ago.
In 1985 Stanley Boyd Eaton and Melvin Konner published a controversial article in the New England Journal of Medicine proposing that modern humans were biologically very similar to their primitive ancestors and so "genetically programmed" to consume pre-agricultural foods. Eaton and Konner proposed a "discordance hypothesis" by which the mismatch between modern diet and human biology gave rise to lifestyle diseases, such as obesity and diabetes.
The diet started to become popular in the 21st century, where it attracted a largely internet-based following using web sites, forums and social media.
This diet's ideas were further popularized by Loren Cordain, a health scientist with a Ph.D. in physical education, who trademarked the words "The Paleo Diet" and who wrote a 2002 book of that title.
In 2012 the paleolithic diet was described as being one of the "latest trends" in diets, based on the popularity of diet books about it; in 2013 and 2014 the Paleolithic diet was Google's most searched weight-loss method.
The paleolithic or paleo diet is also sometimes referred to as the caveman or Stone Age diet.
Foodstuffs
The basis of the diet is a re-imagining of what Paleolithic people ate, and different proponents recommend different diet compositions. Eaton and Konner, for example, wrote a 1988 book The Paleolithic Prescription with Marjorie Shostak, and it described a diet that is 65% plant-based. This is not typical of more recently devised paleo diets; Loren Cordain's – probably the most popular – instead emphasizes animal products and avoidance of processed food. Diet advocates concede the modern paleolithic diet cannot be a faithful recreation of what paleolithic people ate, and instead aim to "translate" that into a modern context, avoiding such likely historical practices as cannibalism.
Foodstuffs that have been described as permissible include:
- "vegetables, fruits, nuts, roots, meat, and organ meats";
- "vegetables (including root vegetables), fruit (including fruit oils, e.g., olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil), nuts, fish, meat, and eggs, and it excluded dairy, grain-based foods, legumes, extra sugar, and nutritional products of industry (including refined fats and refined carbohydrates)"; and
- "avoids processed foods, and emphasizes eating vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, eggs, and lean meats".
The diet forbids the consumption of all dairy products. This is because milking did not exist until animals were domesticated after the Paleolithic era.
Ancestral diet
Further information: Pleistocene human dietAdopting the Paleolithic diet assumes that modern humans can reproduce the hunter-gatherer diet. Molecular biologist Marion Nestle argues that "knowledge of the relative proportions of animal and plant foods in the diets of early humans is circumstantial, incomplete, and debatable and that there are insufficient data to identify the composition of a genetically determined optimal diet. The evidence related to Paleolithic diets is best interpreted as supporting the idea that diets based largely on plant foods promote health and longevity, at least under conditions of food abundance and physical activity." Ideas about Paleolithic diet and nutrition are at best hypothetical.
The data for Cordain's book came from six contemporary hunter-gatherer groups, mainly living in marginal habitats. One of the studies was on the !Kung, whose diet was recorded for a single month, and one was on the diet of the Inuit. Due to these limitations, the book has been criticized as painting an incomplete picture of the diets of Paleolithic humans. It has been noted that the rationale for the diet does not adequately account for the fact that, due to the pressures of artificial selection, most modern domesticated plants and animals differ drastically from their Paleolithic ancestors; likewise, their nutritional profiles are very different from their ancient counterparts. For example, wild almonds produce potentially fatal levels of cyanide, but this trait has been bred out of domesticated varieties using artificial selection. Many vegetables, such as broccoli, did not exist in the Paleolithic period; broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale are modern cultivars of the ancient species Brassica oleracea.
Trying to devise an ideal diet by studying contemporary hunter-gatherers is difficult because of the great disparities that exist; for example, the animal-derived calorie percentage ranges from 25% for the Gwi people of southern Africa to 99% for the Alaskan Nunamiut. Descendants of populations with different diets have different genetic adaptations to those diets, such as the ability to digest sugars from starchy foods. Modern hunter-gatherers tend to exercise considerably more than modern office workers, protecting them from heart disease and diabetes, though highly processed modern foods also contribute to diabetes when those populations move into cities.
A 2018 review of the diet of hunter-gatherer populations found that the dietary provisions of the paleolithic diet had been based on questionable research, and were "difficult to reconcile with more detailed ethnographic and nutritional studies of hunter-gatherer diet".
Researchers have proposed that cooked starches met the energy demands of an increasing brain size, based on variations in the copy number of genes encoding amylase.
Health effects
The methodological quality of research into the paleolithic diet has been described as "poor to moderate". Some of the health claims made for it by its proponents, such as its ability to reverse diabetes and cure autoimmune diseases are exaggerated, causing the diet to be controversial.
Following the paleolithic diet results in the consumption of fewer processed foods, less sugar, and less salt. Reduced consumption of these elements is consistent with mainstream advice about diet. Diets with a paleolithic nutrition pattern also share some similarities with traditional ethnic diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, which have been found to result in greater health benefits than the Western diet. Following the paleolithic diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies, such as those of vitamin D and calcium, which can in turn lead to compromised bone health. The increased fish consumption suggested by the diet can also lead to an elevated risk of exposure to toxins.
There is some evidence that the diet can help in achieving weight loss, due to the increased satiety from the foods typically eaten. One trial of obese postmenopausal women found improvements in weight and fat loss after six months, but the benefits had ceased by 24 months. Side effects among these participants included "weakness, diarrhea, and headaches". As with any other diet regime, the paleolithic diet leads to weight loss because of overall decreased caloric intake, rather than any specific feature of the diet itself.
There is no good evidence that following a paleolithic diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease or metabolic syndrome, nor is there any evidence that the paleolithic diet is effective in treating inflammatory bowel disease.
The paleolithic diet similar to the Atkins diet, in that it encourages the consumption of large amounts of red meat, especially meats high in saturated fat. Increased consumption of red meat can lead to a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease.
Proposed rationale and reception
The stated rationale for the paleolithic diet is that human genes of modern times are unchanged from those of 10,000 years ago, and that the diet of that time is therefore the best fit with humans today. Loren Cordain has described the paleo diet as "the one and only diet that ideally fits our genetic makeup".
The argument is that modern humans have not been able to adapt to the new circumstances. According to Cordain, before the agricultural revolution, hunter-gatherer diets rarely included grains, and obtaining milk from wild animals would have been "nearly impossible". Advocates of the diet argue that the increase in diseases of affluence after the dawn of agriculture was caused by these changes in diet, but others have countered that it may be that pre-agricultural hunter-gatherers did not suffer from the diseases of affluence because they did not live long enough to develop them.
According to the model from the evolutionary discordance hypothesis, "many chronic diseases and degenerative conditions evident in modern Western populations have arisen because of a mismatch between Stone Age genes and modern lifestyles." Advocates of the modern paleo diet have formed their dietary recommendations based on this hypothesis. They argue that modern humans should follow a diet that is nutritionally closer to that of their Paleolithic ancestors.
The evolutionary discordance is incomplete, since it is based mainly on the genetic understanding of the human diet and a unique model of human ancestral diets, without taking into account the flexibility and variability of the human dietary behaviors over time. Studies of a variety of populations around the world show that humans can live healthily with a wide variety of diets and that humans have evolved to be flexible eaters. Lactase persistence, which confers lactose tolerance into adulthood, is an example of how some humans have adapted to the introduction of dairy into their diet. While the introduction of grains, dairy, and legumes during the Neolithic Revolution may have had some adverse effects on modern humans, if humans had not been nutritionally adaptable, these technological developments would have been dropped.
Since the publication of Eaton and Konner's paper in 1985, analysis of the DNA of primitive human remains has provided evidence that evolving humans were continually adapting to new diets, thus challenging the hypothesis underlying the paleothic diet. Evolutionary biologist Marlene Zuk writes that the idea that our genetic makeup today matches that of our ancestors is misconceived, and that in debate Cordain was "taken aback" when told that 10,000 years was "plenty of time" for an evolutionary change in human digestive abilities to have taken place. On this basis Zuk dismisses Cordain's claim that the paleo diet is "the one and only diet that fits our genetic makeup".
Paleoanthropologist Peter Ungar has written that the paleo diet is a "myth", on account both of its invocation of a single suitable diet when in reality humans have always been a "work in progress", and because diet has always been varied because humans were spread widely over the planet.
Anthropological geneticist Anne C. Stone has said that humans have adapted in the last 10,000 years in response to radical changes in diet. In 2016, she was quoted as saying "It drives me crazy when Paleo-diet people say that we've stopped evolving—we haven't".
Melvin Konner has said the challenge to the hypothesis is not greatly significant since the real challenges to human non-adaptation have occurred with the rise of ever-more refined foodstuffs in the last 300 years.
Environmental impact
A 2019 analysis of diets in the United States ranked consumption of a paleolithic diet as more environmentally harmful than consumption of an omnivorous diet, though not so harmful as a ketogenic diet.
Elizabeth Kolbert has written the paleolithic diet's emphasis on meat consumption is a "disaster" on account of meat's comparatively high energy production costs.
Popularity
A lifestyle and ideology have developed around the diet. "Paleolithic" products include clothing, smartphone apps, and cookware. Many paleolithic cookery books have been bestsellers.
As of 2019 the market for products with the word "Paleo" in their name was worth approximately $US500 million, with strong growth prospects despite pushback from the scientific community. Some products were taking advantage of the trend by touting themselves as "paleo-approved" despite having no apparent link to the movement's tenets.
Like many other diets, the paleolithic diet is promoted by some by an appeal to nature and a narrative of conspiracy theories about how nutritional research, which does not support the supposed benefits of the paleolithic diet, is controlled by a malign food industry. Paleolithic diet advocate John Durant has blamed suppression of the truth about diet in the United States on "the vegetarian lobby".
See also
- List of historical cuisines
- List of diets
- Low-carbohydrate diet
- Modern primitive
- Nutritional genomics
- Paleoconservatism
- Paleo Foundation
- Peganism
- Pleistocene human diet
- Raw foodism
Citations
- de Menezes et al. 2019: "The Paleolithic diet has been gaining ground in the field of fad diets. It is based on food patterns of human Paleolithic ancestors, about 2.6 million to 10,000 years ago, a period that precedes the advent of industrial agriculture and is different from today's modern society".
- British Dietetic Association 2014 - "The Paleo diet (also known as the Paleolithic Diet, the Caveman diet and the Stone Age Diet) is a diet where only foods presumed to be available to Neanderthals in the prehistoric era are consumed and all other foods, such as dairy products, grains, sugar, legumes, 'processed' oils, salt, and others like alcohol or coffee are excluded."
- Ask EN 2010; Johnson 2015; Fitzgerald 2014.
- Decker 2019.
- Whoriskey 2016; Zuk 2013, p. 133: "No one can legitimately claim to have found the only 'natural' diet for humans. We simply ate too many different foods in the past, and have adapted to new ones".
- "Science debunks a misleading myth about the paleo diet". Inverse. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- Wong, Kate (1 July 2024). "To Follow the Real Early Human Diet, Eat Everything". Scientific American. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- Henry, Amanda G.; Brooks, Alison S.; Piperno, Dolores R. (11 January 2011). "Microfossils in calculus demonstrate consumption of plants and cooked foods in Neanderthal diets (Shanidar III, Iraq; Spy I and II, Belgium)". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 108 (2): 486–491. doi:10.1073/pnas.1016868108. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 3021051. PMID 21187393.
- Dein, Simon (7 October 2022). "The myth of the golden past: Critical perspectives on the paleo diet". Anthropology of Food. doi:10.4000/aof.13805. ISSN 1609-9168.
- Challa, Hima J.; Bandlamudi, Manav; Uppaluri, Kalyan R. (2024), "Paleolithic Diet", StatPearls, Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, PMID 29494064, retrieved 6 November 2024
- NHS 2008.
- Katz & Meller 2014.
- Manheimer et al. 2015.
- For calcium deficicency see Tarantino, Citro & Finelli 2015; for other risks see Obert et al. 2017.
- Johnson 2015.
- Newton 2019, p. 102.
- Hill 1996; Smith 2015, p. 117: "Mackarness, who founded the first British National Health Service clinical ecology clinic in Basingstoke, pioneered the so-called Stone Age Diet, in the belief that humans had not evolved to consume foods, including wheat and milk, developed since Paleolithic times (in fact, today's weight-reduction version of Mackarness's Stone Age diet is called the 'Paleo diet')."
- Zuk 2013, pp. 111–112.
- Johnson 2015.
- Chang & Nowell 2016.
- Ask EN 2010. For Cordain's qualifications see Chang & Nowell 2016. For trademarking see Lowe 2014.
- Cunningham 2012.
- Chang & Nowell 2016.
- Shariatmadari 2014.
- Chang & Nowell 2016.
- Kolbert 2014.
- Tarantino, Citro & Finelli 2015.
- Manheimer et al. 2015.
- Katz & Meller 2014.
- Longe 2008, p. 180: "No dairy products are allowed while on this diet. This means no milk, cheese, butter, or anything else that comes from milking animals. This is because milking did not occur until animals were domesticated, sometime after the Paleolithic age. Eggs are allowed however, because Paleolithic man would probably have found eggs in bird's nests during foraging and hunting."
- Nestle 2000.
- Milton 2002.
- Ungar & Teaford 2002; Lee 1969; Eaton, Shostak & Konner 1988.
- Ungar & Teaford 2002.
- Jabr 2013.
- Gibbons 2014.
- Pontzer, Wood & Raichlen 2018.
- Zimmer 2015; Hardy et al. 2015.
- Pitt 2016; Obert et al. 2017.
- Pitt 2016; Kolbert 2014 : " proponents of the paleo diet make all sorts of claims for its efficacy. Some contend that it cures autoimmune diseases, others that it reverses diabetes."
- British Dietetic Association 2014.
- Tarantino, Citro & Finelli 2015; Katz & Meller 2014.
- British Dietetic Association 2014; Pitt 2016.
- Tarantino, Citro & Finelli 2015.
- de Menezes et al. 2019.
- Obert et al. 2017.
- Ghaedi et al. 2019; Manheimer et al. 2015.
- Hou, Lee & Lewis 2014: "Even less evidence exists for the efficacy of the SCD, FODMAP, or Paleo diets. Furthermore, the practicality of maintaining these interventions over long periods of time is doubtful."
- Longe 2008, p. 182.
- Obert et al. 2017.
- Gibbons 2014.
- Carrera-Bastos et al. 2011.
- Cordain et al. 2005
- Ungar, Grine & Teaford 2006.
- Elton 2008, p. 9.
- Turner & Thompson 2013.
- Leonard 2002.
- Jabr 2013.
- Whoriskey 2016.
- Zuk 2013, p. 114.
- Ungar 2017.
- Whoriskey 2016.
- Whoriskey 2016.
- O'Malley et al. 2019.
- Kolbert 2014.
- Goldstein 2010; Wilson 2015.
- Chang & Nowell 2016.
- Decker 2019.
- NHS 2008; Kolbert 2014; Hall 2014: "Fad diets and 'miracle' diet supplements promise to help us lose weight effortlessly. Different diet gurus offer a bewildering array of diets that promise to keep us healthy and make us live longer: vegan, Paleo, Mediterranean, low fat, low carb, raw food, gluten-free the list goes on."
- Kolbert 2014.
References
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Further reading
- Bijlefeld M, Zoumbaris SK (2014). "Paleo Diet". Encyclopedia of Diet Fads: Understanding Science and Society (2nd ed.). ABC-CLIO. pp. 164–166. ISBN 978-1-61069-760-6.
- Gorski D (18 March 2013). "It's a part of my paleo fantasy, it's a part of my paleo dream". Science-Based Medicine. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- Henry AG, Brooks AS, Piperno DR (April 2014). "Plant foods and the dietary ecology of Neanderthals and early modern humans". J. Hum. Evol. 69: 44–54. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.12.014. PMID 24612646.
- Konner M, Eaton S (2010). "Paleolithic Nutrition: Twenty-Five Years Later". Nutrition in Clinical Practice. 25 (6): 594–602. doi:10.1177/0884533610385702. PMID 21139123.
- Osborne DL, Hames R (2014). "A life history perspective on skin cancer and the evolution of skin pigmentation". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 153 (1): 1–8. doi:10.1002/ajpa.22408. ISSN 0002-9483. PMID 24459698. S2CID 13175245.
- Ramsden C, Faurot K, Carrera-Bastos P, Cordain L, De Lorgeril M, Sperling L (2009). "Dietary Fat Quality and Coronary Heart Disease Prevention: A Unified Theory Based on Evolutionary, Historical, Global, and Modern Perspectives". Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine. 11 (4): 289–301. doi:10.1007/s11936-009-0030-8. PMC 10150942. PMID 19627662. S2CID 1058038.
External links
- Human Timeline (Interactive) – Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History (August 2016).
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