Episode Details

New findings show Neanderthals ate abundant starch and grains. Are ancestor diets useful for our food decisions? Should we eat like our ancestors?

New fossil findings on ancestor diets. We have this visual of cavemen hunting wooly mammoth and eating large chunks of meat around a fire. But new Neanderthal fossils and
“analysis of their dental tartar (hardened plaque) reveal a varied diet, rich in cereals, which may have contributed to brain growth”

new study of Neanderthal fossils also examined their teeth, “hominid oral microbiome by analyzing dental biofilms”. so dead oral bacteria stuck to their teeth. plaque hardens and preserves leaving “Archaeological dental calculus". bacteria in their mouths suggest what neanderthals ate

bacteria that consume sugar on the teeth of Neanderthals show they were eating starchy foods. Neanderthals ate grasses and tubers

modern hunter-gatherers: often the gathering that ends up providing a substantial portion of the calories”
Maybe call them gatherer-hunters?

our ancestors adapted to starch around the time they needed sugars to fuel expansion of their brains
hominids ate cereals and starch. but Neanderthals went extinct! but same oral bacteria in homo sapiens “supports importance of starch-rich foods in Homo evolution.”

Ancestor diets dont tell us which foods are healthiest. cavemen diets may be best for us. or not.

ancestor diets should shape our evolution and we should be ‘adapted’ to it, right? saying otherwise is neglecting evolution?

evolution doesn’t care what happens in our 50s. little evolutionary pressure

food pushing us through childhood yet increasing disease risk in older age would be great evolutionarily but bad for modern goals

possible based on what cavemen ate. we cant assume health effect of foods from ancestor diets. more informative than ancestor diets.

can a food be bad if our ancestors ate it? it may not be subject to evolutionary pressure

making it to adulthood has stronger evolutionary weight

we shouldn't try to justify our dietary preference with cavemen. Their diet wasnt vegan, low carb or paleo

“The Paleo diet' is really unrelated to the Paleolithic”

cavemen are more exciting but not informative. that cavemen ate starch and grains doesn’t tell us if those foods are healthy. decisions shouldn't hinge on what cavemen ate ages ago

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References:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/08/remains-of-nine-neanderthals-found-in-cave-south-of-rome
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/20/e2021655118
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/05/neanderthals-carb-loaded-helping-grow-their-big-brains
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/humans-feasting-on-grains-for-at-least-100000-years/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/ancient-oat-discovery-may-poke-more-holes-in-paleo-diet
https://www.cancer.org/healthy/eat-healthy-get-active/acs-guidelines-nutrition-physical-activity-cancer-prevention/gu