Role of Food in Human Evolution

Food obviously was the key factor in human evolution where ‘Homo sapiens’ (modern human) evolved from hominin (modern humans, extinct human species and all our immediate ancestors including members of the genera Homo, Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Ardipithecus) ancestors over millions of years.

Our bipedal ancestors relied mainly on plant-based diets as well as insects, eggs, etc. A close look at the human evolutionary tree suggests that because of the quality of the diet, our bipedal ancestors had a smaller brain, large sagittal crest, and grinding teeth adapted for the consumption of low-quality foods such as grasses, leaves, roots, etc. that were available in abundance during that era.

In time with changes in environmental conditions and the development of tools and technology, the domestication of animals for food and dairy, and the emergence of agriproducts there was a shift in diet patterns where their diet predominantly included appreciable amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (from plants and animals) and appreciable consumption of fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and very low intake of salt. These conditions supported the evolution of the modern human.

Further, in recent years we have seen an enormous change in diet patterns because of the industrial revolution and the development of food processing technologies. We have seen the emergence of high-energy, highly processed foods laden with many natural and synthetic food additives such as taste and flavour enhancers, thickeners, emulsifiers, pH regulators, antioxidants, sweeteners, glazing agents, etc.  These foods are rich in sugar, salt, and partially and/or fully saturated fats. During this period, we have also seen the emergence of diseases of modern civilisation namely obesity, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and related metabolic disorders.

Scientists believe that the drastic changes to our diet pattern occurred in a very short period on an evolutionary scale for the human genome to adapt. Hence the consequences.

It is important to understand the links of foods to evolution and our genetic makeup. The human body is extremely adaptive but higher and continuous loadings of salt and sugars, and other additives may cause a metabolic imbalance leading to health disorders expressed as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, oxidative stress, cognitive impairment, inflammation, among others.

If we fully understand the relationship between foods and the human evolutionary cycle, as well as food genome interactions, it will provide us the basis for developing an eating pattern and a lifestyle that supports health and well-being and help us control the proliferation of non-communicable diseases.

I will be back again next week and until then ‘Happy reading and Healthy living’.

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