Re: Diets of modern hunter-gatherers vary substantially in their carbohydrate conten

[Guest guest]

Thank you for the post. I am intrigued by research that analyzes the evolution

of the human diet.

As more and more data is collected and analyzed, it is clear there was/is no

perfect healthy diet.

Having said that, I do believe that current dietary advice (40-60+%+ Carb - push

whole grain, but no push for natural unprocessed ww | =/<30% fat - low in trans,

low in sat | 10-20% lean pro)

is based on research done within the last 100 years, and unfortunately, doesn't

take into account a lot of the evolutionary nutrition research findings.

A fresh perspective I have been reading by several nutrition researchers focuses

on what macro nutrients are in a human body, and what macro nutrients we use for

fuel. Obviously there is variation from human to human, and there are metabolic

pathways that allow us to turn macro nutrients into other macro nutrients, but

this perspective leads one to " eat what you are made of/ what you use " vs " you

are what you eat " .

We are made up of mostly water, protein, fats, and minerals, other micro

nutrients. The average human stored about 500 gm of glycogen and uses 400-600

kcals of carbohydrate a day. Many studies have shown that when humans

chronically eat > 600 kcals of carbs/d, the carbs that cant move into glycogen

storage (becasue glycogen storage is at capacity) and are not burned (because

they are not active enough) are turned into saturated fat. Many folks eat a 600

kcal bagel every day before lunch.

I am finding the concept of determining one's individual carb tolerance for

blood sugar control and for weight control is critical for helping folks

optimize their diets.

Fascinating nutrition subject.

Makes me wonder if down the road we will see insurance companies using elevated

A1C and BMIs as criteria such as smoking to justify increased health insurance

premiums. I am not in the know, perhaps they already do this?

Osowski MS, RD, LD

Registered Dietitian

Diets of modern hunter-gatherers vary substantially in their

carbohydrate conten

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0271531711000911

Diets of modern hunter-gatherers vary substantially in their carbohydrate

content depending on ecoenvironments: results from an ethnographic analysis

Ströhlelow asterisk, a, E-mail The Corresponding Author and s

Hahna

a Nutrition Physiology and Human Nutrition Unit, Institute of Food Science and

Human Nutrition, Leibniz University of Hannover, Hannover D-30167, Germany

Received 18 March 2011;

revised 30 April 2011;

accepted 2 May 2011.

Available online 12 June 2011.

Abstract

In the past, attempts have been made to estimate the carbohydrate contents of

preagricultural human diets. Those estimations have primarily been based on

interpretations of ethnographic data of modern hunter-gatherers. In this study,

it was hypothesized that diets of modern hunter-gatherers vary in their

carbohydrate content depending on ecoenvironments. Thus, using data of

plant-to-animal subsistence ratios, we calculated the carbohydrate intake

(percentage of the total energy) in 229 hunter-gatherer diets throughout the

world and determined how differences in ecological environments altered

carbohydrate intake. We found a wide range of carbohydrate intake ( & #8776;3%-50%

of the total energy intake; median and mode, 16%-22% of the total energy).

Hunter-gatherer diets were characterized by an identical carbohydrate intake

(30%-35% of the total energy) over a wide range of latitude intervals (11°-40°

north or south of the equator). However, with increasing latitude intervals from

41° to greater than 60°, carbohydrate intake decreased markedly from

approximately equal to 20% to 9% or less of the total energy. Hunter-gatherers

living in desert and tropical grasslands consumed the most carbohydrates

( & #8776;29%-34% of the total energy). Diets of hunter-gatherers living in

northern areas (tundra and northern coniferous forest) contained a very low

carbohydrate content ( & #8804;15% of the total energy). In conclusion, diets of

hunter-gatherers showed substantial variation in their carbohydrate content.

Independent of the local environment, however, the range of energy intake from

carbohydrates in the diets of most hunter-gatherer societies was markedly

different (lower) from the amounts currently recommended for healthy humans.

[Guest guest]

I have been reading about evolutionary nutrition and I find it a very

interesting subject, this article says that humans can probably adapt to a wide

variation of the ratio, protein, carbs, fats, and that what matters the most is

the quality of the nutrients. I think the current guidelines hitting always in

the same ratio for years are completely outdated. From what I know in USA

refined carbs are the major part of the diet and there is too much processed

food this pattern is spreading world wide.

Catia

>

>

> Thank you for the post. I am intrigued by research that analyzes the evolution

of the human diet.

> As more and more data is collected and analyzed, it is clear there was/is no

perfect healthy diet.

> Having said that, I do believe that current dietary advice (40-60+%+ Carb -

push whole grain, but no push for natural unprocessed ww | =/<30% fat - low in

trans, low in sat | 10-20% lean pro)

> is based on research done within the last 100 years, and unfortunately,

doesn't take into account a lot of the evolutionary nutrition research findings.

>

> A fresh perspective I have been reading by several nutrition researchers

focuses on what macro nutrients are in a human body, and what macro nutrients we

use for fuel. Obviously there is variation from human to human, and there are

metabolic pathways that allow us to turn macro nutrients into other macro

nutrients, but this perspective leads one to " eat what you are made of/ what you

use " vs " you are what you eat " .

>

> We are made up of mostly water, protein, fats, and minerals, other micro

nutrients. The average human stored about 500 gm of glycogen and uses 400-600

kcals of carbohydrate a day. Many studies have shown that when humans

chronically eat > 600 kcals of carbs/d, the carbs that cant move into glycogen

storage (becasue glycogen storage is at capacity) and are not burned (because

they are not active enough) are turned into saturated fat. Many folks eat a 600

kcal bagel every day before lunch.

>

> I am finding the concept of determining one's individual carb tolerance for

blood sugar control and for weight control is critical for helping folks

optimize their diets.

> Fascinating nutrition subject.

>

> Makes me wonder if down the road we will see insurance companies using

elevated A1C and BMIs as criteria such as smoking to justify increased health

insurance premiums. I am not in the know, perhaps they already do this?

>

> Osowski MS, RD, LD

> Registered Dietitian