There is growing awareness that the profound changes in the environment (e.g. in diet and other lifestyle conditions) that began with the advent of the agricultural revolution approximately 10,000 years ago occurred too recently on an evolutionary time scale for the humane genome to adjust. The human genome has remained relatively unchanged, but the standard American diet (SAD) and lifestyle have become progressively more divergent from those of our Ancestors. In conjunction with this discordance of our ancient, genetically determined biology with the nutritional, cultural, and activity patterns of contemporary Western populations, many of the so-called diseases of civilization have emerged. In particular, food staples and food-processing procedures introduced during the Neolithic and Industrial periods have fundamentally altered 7 critical nutritional characteristics of ancestral human diets: 1) glycemic load 2) fatty acid consumption (omega 6, omega 3 ratio) 3) macronutrient composition 4) micronutrient density 5) acid-base balance 6) sodium-potassium ratio and 7) fiber content. The evolutionary collision of our ancient genome with the nutritional qualities – or lack thereof – of recently introduced processed and synthetic foods may underlie virtually all chronic diseases of Western civilization.
Many Americans dwell in mechanized urban settings, leading largely sedentary lives and maintaining highly stressful careers while consuming a diet of highly processed, synthetic foods. The demands of the American fast-paced lifestyle places priority on success and income, not on nutrition and health. There is no more of that old familiar picture of grandma spending all day in the kitchen cooking foods from scratch. The art of savoring the food we put into our mouth is lost because Americans have lost the art of preparing, cooking and appreciating their own food. Staples of the westernized SAD – grains, dairy, refined sugars and vegetable oils – account for 70% of total daily energy intake and were never intended to be consumed by the human genome. We are the only mammals who continue to feed our offspring milk after being weaned from the breast. Furthermore, thanks to the inventions of science – from high fructose corn syrup to artificial sweeteners (Splenda) to sugar alcohols (maltitol) to better producing crops (genetically-modified foods, pesticides, herbicides) to faster maturing animals (antibiotics and synthetic hormones) to “white” whole grain bread (chemicals) foods with months of shelf life (transfat) – foods are the farthest they’ve ever been to matching our genetic blueprint and disease is increasing exponentially. Many Americans fall for the fallacies these foods advertise and as a result, we no longer know what to eat or how to exercise. Instead, we succumb to each new “super” food, diet pill or medication as a cure-all. In the United States, chronic illnesses and health problems either wholly or partially attributable to diet represent by far the most serious threat to the public health.
Sixty five percent of adults are either overweight or obese
More than 64 million Americans are victim of one or more types of cardiovascular disease representing the leading cause of death
50 million are hypertensive
11 million have type II diabetes
37 million maintain high risk cholesterol levels
In post-menopausal women, 39.6% have osteopenia
Cancer is the second leading cause of death
Before the development of agriculture and animal husbandry, all of the food consumed daily by our ancient ancestors had to be foraged or hunted from wild plants and animals in their natural world. Historical and archaeological evidence shows hunter-gatherers generally to have been lean, fit and largely free from signs and symptoms of chronic diseases, but as they transitioned to an agricultural grain-based diet, their general health deteriorated. Furthermore, studies of bones and teeth reveal those on a grain-based diet had shorter life spans, higher childhood mortality and a higher incidence of osteoporosis, rickets and various other vitamin and mineral deficiency symptoms. In many respects, that Paleolithic world is gone forever, but insights gained from a wide array of disciplines are providing a clear picture of the ideal diet and lifestyle for humans for optimal health.
Living organisms thrive best in the milieu and on the diet to which they’re evolutionarily adapted: this is a fundamental axiom of biology. Thus, the most practical solution for reducing the incidence of chronic degenerative diseases is to realign our current maladaptive diet and lifestyle to simulate the milieu for which we are genetically programmed in an effort to improve cardiovascular health, vigor and longevity.
Isn’t it time you Fast Forward to the Past to achieve optimal health and performance? Learn how you can at The Metabolic Institute and preserve your health now!
Excerpts taken from “Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century” Am J Clin Nutr 2005; 81:341-54 And, “Realigning Our 21st Century Diet and Lifestyle with Our Hunter-gatherer Genetic Identity” Directions in Psychiatry
