Homo sapiens
Homo sapiens originated in Africa about 200,000 years ago. From then on we have grown to cover the entire globe, at a population of about 6.5 billion (as of 2007).
Diet
The following information has been derived from lecture notes from my Anthropology of Food and Nutrition class, a Level II course run by Dr. Marjorie Cummings in McMaster University18.
For about 190,000 years, Homo sapiens followed a hunter-gatherer lifestyle similar to that of Homo neanderthalensis. Their diet consisted of the same wild game, fruits, vegetables and nuts.
Studies of indigenous populations who generally did not make the move to organised agriculture indicate that based on location, populations are mainly fruitarian, omnivorous, or carnivorous, although they still consume other foods.
For example the bushmen of the Kalahari consumed a diet that was omnivorous, and consisted of vegetables and nuts with 20% of the protein intake coming from wild game. General macronutrient ratios of protein, lipid and carbohydrate were almost equal (33% all round). Others, such as tropical islanders, consumed mostly a fruitarian diet. Eskimos and old Native Indians once consumed a diet that was almost 40-50% animal based fat, with 40% of the fat being saturated, and generally subsisted on a high-protein, high fat diet19.
The Agricultural Revolution 10,000 years ago marked a significant change in primate nutrition as the climate changed to allow the domestication and flourishing of wild grains. Cultivation of these grain crops allowed cities and culture to develop, yet increased the dependency on single crops and increased the spread of infectious disease.
Current nutritional trends have standardised macronutrient ratios and food choices for the entire global population, resulting in startling changes and new anomalies in human health and biological response.
Feeding Behaviour
Before agriculture, feeding behaviour was similar to the foraging and hunting of wild game conducted by Homo neanderthalensis.
As agriculture developed, cities and culture started to develop too. This resulted in greater class stratification and specialisation of duties, and the delegation of farming and food-harvesting duties to the lower and lower-middle class of farmers. This is the first instance in primate evolutionary history where food is actively grown and commodified, instead of being consumed as subsistence for survival.
Analysis
The alteration of feeding patterns, type of food consumed, and increased dependency on single crops has led mostly to social, cultural and political changes in Homo sapiens, especially until the 1900s. Health issues were mostly associated with malnutrition and increased rates of infectious disease, as well as periodic starvation when food was unavailable.
Homo sapiens in the 1900s
The food consumed by Homo sapiens in the past 100 years has changed much more rapidly than the food they consumed after the Agricultural Revolution. It can be seen, just by observing how nutrition has changed from the Orangutan to Homo sapiens, what exactly should form the background of a modern human's nutritionary profile. However, many things have changed, resulting in some deleterious effects on human health.
From the perspective of nutrition and evolutionary biology, things that have changed and resulting affected the health of the general human population include:
Increased consumption of grain-based carbohydrates, especially of the variety that are highly processed and refined, causing an increase of type II diabetes20.
Increased consumption of refined sugar (sucrose), previously unheard of in primate evolutionary history and general mammalian history, resulting in an increase of type II diabetes20.
A possible link between increased usage of pesticides and fertilizers, and decreasing soil quality, resulting in reduced nutritional capacity of foods21.
Increased possibility of organ damage and stunted growth as a result of ingesting genetically modified foods. The study with genetically modified potatoes and mice was conducted by Dr Árpád Pusztai in August 1998, whose studies were shut down by external political forces.
Decreased intake of saturated and other necessary fats19.
Heating and Irradiation of certain foods like milk, resulting in problems like increased lactose intolerance22.
Increased use of hormones in foods, and increasing estrogenation of foods as a result of plastic usage23.
Overall reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables, excess consumption of artificially processed foods.
Lack of vegetable nutrition in consumed meats due to commercial farming of animals, fed corn and offal instead of nutritious and diverse vegetable diets.
Chemicals like fluoride and arsenic in the water supply.
Other factors that could contribute to the increasing changes in human nutrition and health include:
Increased levels of pollutants in the atmosphere.
Increased total population and density.
Unequal distribution of food due to class stratification and other political reasons.
Changing water levels due to excess irrigation and global warming.
Standardised nutrition systems for the global population without adjustments made for specific population. A good example of this are the titanic chronic disease and obesity rates in Eskimo and Native Indian population. Both consume refined wheat products and sugar in their diets, whereas before colonials arrived their diet was almost completely protein and lipid19.
Conclusion
Nutrition of the genus Homo has changed gradually over the course of a million years, up until recently when changes started occuring faster than evolutionary possible. This has resulted in some major problems, especially in the case of chronic disease. It would be wise to learn from our evolutionary past and implement a system of nutrition and healthcare based on that.
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