Anyone familiar with my health philosophy will know that I am a big believer in using our ancient past to guide our modern-day dietary and lifestyle habits. Logic dictates that the foods we’ve eaten for the longest in our time on this planet are the foods that we’re the best adapted to and are the best foods for us.
Abundant scientific evidence demonstrates that primal foods—such as meat, fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and seeds—are genuinely the healthiest foods. Relative nutritional newcomers—such as refined sugar, vegetable oils, grain, and milk—are not.
One question that often comes up from this concept concerns longevity. If our ancient ancestors ate so well back then, how come the average life expectancy was a fraction of what it is now?
The explanation probably relates to the fact that life was a precarious business for our early ancestors, with weather conditions, predatory animals, accidents, and infectious diseases being much more likely causes of death then than they tend to be now.
One could argue that a better judge of the health effects of our early diet is its apparent impact on health. We know, for example, that dental disease was rare until we morphed from hunter-gatherers to growers of crops and herders of animals about 10,000 years ago. It was at that time that our ancestors also experienced a sudden drop in height of about 4 to 6 inches.
What other clues do we have regarding the health of primitive hunter-gatherers?
Recently, I came across a newspaper article in The Daily Mail about a book written by Australian anthropologist Peter McAllister. [1] This book, titled “Manthropology,” makes the claim that our ancient ancestors were stronger, faster, and altogether healthier than we are now. For example, Cro-Magnon man from 30,000–40,000 years ago was bigger physically and bigger-brained compared to modern-day man.
Peter McAllister also draws our attention to the presence of 20,000 year-old footprints in the Australian outback, analysis of which reveals that ancient Aboriginals were capable of running at 23 miles an hour—a speed close to the World’s most accomplished sprinters. This feat was achieved in bare feet (not spikes), on soft ground (not a running track), and with (we assume) no formal sprint training.
The suggestion is that our ancient ancestors were blessed with physical attributes that meant they would not only give Usain Bolt (Olympic champion and World record holder for 100- and 200-meter races) a run for his money, but might even beat him at a canter.
It seems that McAllister attributes the relative frailty of modern-day man, at least in part, to the industrial revolution, and the fact that this led to a general reduction in the need for strenuous physical work and activity.
More interesting is McAllister’s assertion that a more ancient turning point in the physical fortunes of our species came when we invented farming, an event he describes as “the worst mistake in the history of the human race.”
I’m inclined to agree with McAllister: What may appear at first sight to have been a leap forward in terms of the development of human civilization, may well have been a huge retrograde step in terms of our health and well-being.
References:
1. Dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1221603/Are-man-If-Commiserations-You-sorriest-weakest-specimen-history-human-species.html
Dr. John Briffa is a London-based physician and health writer with an interest in nutrition and natural medicine. His Web site is Drbriffa.com
