The Paleo diet (PD) involves a restriction of carbohydrates and increased fat content (35% energy from carbohydrates, 35% energy from fats and 30% energy from protein). The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the PD on body composition, concentration of carbohydrates and lipids, as well as insulin, irisin, adiponectin and leptin in the blood. A total of 25 handball players were assigned to two groups: 14 in the experimental group (PD) and 11 in the control group (CD), using a PD and a rational diet, respectively. Analysis of body mass and body composition (body mass index, fat mass, lean body mass, fat-free mass, muscle mass, bone mineral content and bone mineral density), as well as blood concentration of metabolism markers (glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids, β-hydroxybutyrate, irisin, adiponectin and leptin), were determined at the beginning and after 4 and 8 weeks of nutritional intervention. Body mass was lower (p < 0.01), and adiponectin blood concentration was higher (p = 0.03) in the PD group at the end of the intervention. There were no changes (p ≥ 0.05) in body composition and blood levels of other biochemical markers in either group.
Posted onJune 20, 2023|Comments Off on The Argument for Meat
A modern paleo meal
I found a review article at Animal Frontiers that makes the argument in favor of meat consumption. The authors admit little focus on the downsides of eating meat. I’ve been cutting back on my meat consumption out of sympathy for the animals. Here are some of the key points verbatim:
Aspects of human anatomy, digestion, and metabolism diverged from other primates, indicating evolutionary reliance on, and compatibility with, substantial meat intake. Implications of a disconnect from evolutionary dietary patterns may contribute to today’s burden of disease, increasing the risk for both nutrient deficiencies and chronic diseases.
Meat supplies high-quality protein and various nutrients, some of which are not always easily obtained with meat-free diets and are often already suboptimal or deficient in global populations. Removal of meat comes with implications for a broad spectrum of nutrients that need to be accounted for, whereas compensatory dietary strategies must factor in physiological and practical constraints.
Although meat makes up a small part (<10%) of global food mass and energy, it delivers most of the global vitamin B12 intake and plays a substantial role in the supply of other B vitamins, retinol, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, several minerals in bioavailable forms (e.g., iron and zinc), and a variety of bioactive compounds with health-improving potential (e.g., taurine, creatine, and carnosine).
As a food matrix, meat is more than the sum of its individual nutrients. Moreover, within the diet matrix, it can serve as a keystone food in food-based dietary interventions to improve nutritional status, especially in regions that rely heavily on cereal staples.
Efforts to lower global meat intake for environmental or other reasons beyond a critical threshold may hinder progress towards reducing undernutrition and the effects this has on both physical and cognitive outcomes, and thereby stifle economic development. This is particularly a concern for populations with increased needs and in regions where current meat intake levels are low, which is not only pertinent for the Global South but also of relevance in high-income countries.
Posted onJune 9, 2023|Comments Off on New Study Says Macronutrient Claims of Paleo Diet Are All Wrong
Lean meat
“Macronutrients” in diet refers to the percentage of calories derived from protein, carbohydrate, and fat. Some proponents of the paleo diet say that its health benefits stem from the macronutrient profile, such as lower carbs and higher protein than is recommended by most health authorities. Two archeologists at Canada’s Simon Fraser University say that the macronutrients aren’t substantially different from those recommended by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture and the World Health Organization.
This should be interesting! But I’m not paying the $31.50 USD for the full article until I pay off a substantial debt. I’m neither on Patreon nor Substack, and I’m not asking for donations.
One of the main recommendations of the Paleo Diet is that individuals replicate the whole-diet macronutrient ranges of hunter-gatherer diets. These are suggested to be 19%–35% protein, 22%–40% carbohydrate, and 28%–58% fat, by energy. However, the plant food contribution to these ranges was estimated exclusively from Australian data, which is a potential problem.
Objectives
We investigated whether estimates of the contribution of protein, carbohydrate, and fat to hunter-gatherer diets are impacted by using plant data from other regions of the world.
Methods
The values that form the basis of the Paleo Diet’ s recommended macronutrient ranges were generated with a set of equations. We combined these equations with published plant macronutrient data from a multi-region sample of 5 hunter-gatherer groups to generate new estimated macronutrient percentages and then statistically compared the old and new estimates. Subsequently, we collated plant macronutrient data for a sample of 10 hunter-gatherer groups from several regions and repeated the exercise.
Results
The whole-diet macronutrient percentages we calculated are significantly different from those that underpin the Paleo Diet’s recommendations. Additionally, the ranges derived from our whole-diet macronutrient percentages (14%–35% protein, 21%–55% carbohydrate, 12%–58% fat) are markedly wider than those recommended by the Paleo Diet.
Conclusions
The estimated whole-diet macronutrient percentages that form the basis of the Paleo Diet’s macronutrient recommendations are not robust. Using plant data from multiple regions leads to significantly different estimates. Additionally, the macronutrient ranges derived from our whole-diet macronutrient percentages overlap with those recommended by the US Department of Agriculture and the WHO. This undercuts one of the main justifications for adopting the Paleo Diet—namely that because it is vastly different from Western diets, it can reduce the probability of experiencing noncommunicable diseases. There may still be reasons for adopting the Paleo Diet rather than a conventional diet, but healthier macronutrient percentages is not one of them.
Posted onJune 7, 2023|Comments Off on New (?) Scientific Review of the Paleolithic Diet
Sedentary lifestyle NOT an option
A couple of Dr Singhs in Kansas authored a review article on the paleo diet in January 2023. You can read it for free in the journal Cureus (cute name, huh). I didn’t learn anything new since the most recent references were from 2012. But you may find interesting. The abstract:
“The promotion of healthy diets is likely one of the most cost-effective strategies for preventing a wide range of disorders, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. The majority of present non-communicable chronic diseases are attributed to civilization, an abundance of food, and a lack of physical activity. According to the purported lifestyles of early humans, the paleolithic diet (PD) encourages the intake of wild animal and plant foods. In recent decades, the paleolithic diet has grown in popularity, particularly among younger populations and those with cardiometabolic syndrome and other chronic diseases. Due to the nutrition profile of the paleolithic diet, historical studies have postulated that hunter-gatherers (HGs) have slender physiques and were physically fit and devoid of chronic ailments such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This review highlights the composition/constituent of the paleolithic diet along with an emphasis on current studies and evidence on the effectiveness of the paleolithic diet in mitigating chronic diseases.”
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the present concerns the relationship between nutrition and health. Increasingly, more and more people around the world are suffering from various diseases of civilization, from diet-related intolerances, and are suffering from malnutrition despite the wide range of food available. At least in Western countries, there are fewer and fewer people in recent decades who must perform strenuous physical labor, but they still eat as if they worked in heavy industry. In addition, the calories supplied from processed foods have a high energy density but provide hardly any fiber and micronutrients. The failure to adapt diet and caloric intake to predominantly sedentary lifestyles and lack of exercise has consequences, the roots of which today often lie in childhood. Nutrition today is about its quality. Food should predictively promote health and help avoid diseases. This is why countless food trends and concepts are promoted, such as the veggie boom, the paleo diet, volumetrics, the Mediterranean diet and superfoods. Healthy living means consistently decimating or eliminating risk factors. But far too often we end up eating highly processed fast-food dishes and are addicted to sugar. However, the medical effects of our current diet in the form of CNCDs [chronic non-communicable diseases, aka diseases of civilization] are much more extensive than the most common diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke, as well as caries, periodontal disease, and others. For example, the consumption of predominantly soft, highly processed food has made the teeth’s job of grinding food almost obsolete, with fatal consequences that have not really been recognized. Since we no longer abrade our teeth, like we do all other body tissues, they may be causing diseases whose causes remain unrecognized because we lack a view into the past.
Posted onSeptember 3, 2022|Comments Off on Does Diet Have ANY Effect on Health?
A couple of dietitians did an massive literature review looking for evidence that diet has an effect on major health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Sounds interesting, and similar to my own obsessive review done between 1995 and 2005. Unknown if they examined the paleo diet. It bothers me that “hypertension” is misspelled in the abstract. For the researchers’ conclusions, you have to pay $27.95 USD.
Appropriate diet can prevent, manage, or reverse noncommunicable health conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Consequently, the public’s interest in diet and nutrition has fueled the multi-billion-dollar weight loss industry and elevated its standing on social media and the internet. Although many dietary approaches are popular, their universal effectiveness and risks across overall populations are not clear. The objective of this scoping review was to identify and characterize systematic reviews (SRs) examining diet or fasting (intermittent energy restriction [IER]) interventions among adults who are healthy or may have chronic disease. An in-depth literature search of six databases was conducted for SRs published between January 2010 and February 2020. A total of 22,385 SRs were retrieved, and 1,017 full-text articles were screened for eligibility. Of these, 92 SRs met inclusion criteria. Covered diets were organized into 12 categories: high/restricted carbohydrate (n = 30), Mediterranean, Nordic, and Tibetan (n = 19), restricted or modified fat (n = 17), various vegetarian diets (n = 16), glycemic index (n = 13), high protein (n = 12), IER (n = 11), meal replacements (n = 11), paleolithic (n = 8), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypretension (DASH; n = 6), Atkins, South Beach, and Zone (n = 5), and eight other brand diets (n = 4). Intermediate outcomes, such as body weight or composition and cardiometabolic, were commonly reported. Abundant evidence was found exploring dietary approaches in the general population. However, heterogeneity of diet definitions, focus on single macronutrients, and infrequent macronutrient subanalyses were observed. Based on this scoping review, the Evidence Analysis Center prioritized the need to collate evidence related to macronutrient modification, specifically restricted carbohydrate diets.
On a clear day, the view from the ruins of Göbekli Tepe stretches across southern Turkey all the way to the Syrian border some 50 kilometres away. At 11,600 years old, this mountaintop archaeological site has been described as the world’s oldest temple — so ancient, in fact, that its T-shaped pillars and circular enclosures pre-date pottery in the Middle East.
The people who built these monumental structures were living just before a major transition in human history: the Neolithic revolution, when humans began farming and domesticating crops and animals. But there are no signs of domesticated grain at Göbekli Tepe, suggesting that its residents hadn’t yet made the leap to farming. The ample animal bones found in the ruins prove that the people living there were accomplished hunters, and there are signs of massive feasts. Archaeologists have suggested that mobile bands of hunter-gatherers from all across the region came together at times for huge barbecues, and that these meaty feasts led them to build the impressive stone structures.
Now that view is changing, thanks to researchers such as Laura Dietrich at the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin. Over the past four years, Dietrich has discovered that the people who built these ancient structures were fuelled by vat-fulls of porridge and stew, made from grain that the ancient residents had ground and processed on an almost industrial scale1. The clues from Göbekli Tepe reveal that ancient humans relied on grains much earlier than was previously thought — even before there is evidence that these plants were domesticated. And Dietrich’s work is part of a growing movement to take a closer look at the role that grains and other starches had in the diet of people in the past.
The researchers are using a wide range of techniques — from examining microscopic marks on ancient tools to analysing DNA residues inside pots. Some investigators are even experimentally recreating 12,000-year-old meals using methods from that time. Looking even further back, evidence suggests that some people ate starchy plants more than 100,000 years ago. Taken together, these discoveries shred the long-standing idea that early people subsisted mainly on meat — a view that has fuelled support for the palaeo [sic] diet, popular in the United States and elsewhere, which recommends avoiding grains and other starches.
I haven’t read the full article in Journal of Human Evolution because I don’t want to part with $20 it costs. Here’s the abstract:
Evidence for plants rarely survives on Paleolithic sites, while animal bones and biomolecular analyses suggest animal produce was important to hominin populations, leading to the perspective that Neanderthals had a very-high-protein diet. But although individual and short-term survival is possible on a relatively low-carbohydrate diet, populations are unlikely to have thrived and reproduced without plants and the carbohydrates they provide. Today, nutritional guidelines recommend that around half the diet should be carbohydrate, while low intake is considered to compromise physical performance and successful reproduction. This is likely to have been the same for Paleolithic populations, highlighting an anomaly in that the basic physiological recommendations do not match the extensive archaeological evidence. Neanderthals had large, energy-expensive brains and led physically active lifestyles, suggesting that for optimal health they would have required high amounts of carbohydrates. To address this anomaly, we begin by outlining the essential role of carbohydrates in the human reproduction cycle and the brain and the effects on physical performance. We then evaluate the evidence for resource availability and the archaeological evidence for Neanderthal diet and investigate three ways that the anomaly between the archaeological evidence and the hypothetical dietary requirements might be explained. First, Neanderthals may have had an as yet unidentified genetic adaptation to an alternative physiological method to spare blood glucose and glycogen reserves for essential purposes. Second, they may have existed on a less-than-optimum diet and survived rather than thrived. Third, the methods used in dietary reconstruction could mask a complex combination of dietary plant and animal proportions. We end by proposing that analyses of Paleolithic diet and subsistence strategies need to be grounded in the minimum recommendations throughout the life course and that this provides a context for interpretation of the archaeological evidence from the behavioral and environmental perspectives.
Posted onFebruary 17, 2021|Comments Off on Meta-Analysis: Paleolithic diet effects on glucose metabolism and lipid profile among patients with metabolic disorders
See modern man walking off that cliff?
From mostly Iran-based researchers, published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition:
Abstract
Objective:
Several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have investigated the effects of the Paleolithic diet (PD) in adult patients suffering from metabolic disorders. However, the results of these RCTs are conflicting. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of the PD in patients with metabolic disorders.
Methods:
We searched the PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Cochrane Databases, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Embase databases up to June, 2020. The data were pooled using a random-effects model. From the eligible publications, 10 articles were selected for inclusion in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. The heterogeneity was determined using the I2 statistics and the Cochrane Q test.
Results:
The pooled results from the random-effects model showed a significant reduction of the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (weighted mean difference, WMD: -0.39, 95% CI: -0.70, -0.08), fasting insulin (WMD: -12.17 μU/mL, 95% CI: -24.26, -0.08), total cholesterol (WMD: -0.32 mmol/l, 95% CI: -0.49, -0.15), triglycerides (WMD: -0.29 mmol/L, 95% CI: -0.42, -0.16), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD: -0.35 mmol/L, 95% CI: -0.67, -0.03), blood pressure (BP)(WMD – 5.89 mmHg; 95% CI – 9.973 to – 1.86 for the systolic BP and WMD – 4.01 mmHg; 95% CI – 6.21 to – 1.80 for the diastolic BP values) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (WMD: -0.84, mg/L, 95% CI: -1.62, -0.06) in the PD group versus control group.
Conclusions:
Our findings provide better insights into the effect of the PD on the modulation of the glucose and lipid metabolism factors in patients with metabolic disorders, providing comprehensive information for the development of future RCTs with a high quality design.
Posted onNovember 15, 2020|Comments Off on Some Prehistoric Women Were Big-Game Hunters
OK, but does she also cook and clean?
From Science Advances:
Sexual division of labor with females as gatherers and males as hunters is a major empirical regularity of hunter-gatherer ethnography, suggesting an ancestral behavioral pattern. We present an archeological discovery and meta-analysis that challenge the man-the-hunter hypothesis. Excavations at the Andean highland site of Wilamaya Patjxa reveal a 9000-year-old human burial (WMP6) associated with a hunting toolkit of stone projectile points and animal processing tools. Osteological, proteomic, and isotopic analyses indicate that this early hunter was a young adult female who subsisted on terrestrial plants and animals. Analysis of Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene burial practices throughout the Americas situate WMP6 as the earliest and most secure hunter burial in a sample that includes 10 other females in statistical parity with early male hunter burials. The findings are consistent with nongendered labor practices in which early hunter-gatherer females were big-game hunters.
Paleo Diabetic 