Can you prevent weight gain and 21st-century health problems by eating the way our ancestors did?
That’s the premise behind the paleo diet, which takes inspiration from the Paleolithic era that spanned between 2.6 million to 12,000 years ago — predating the advent of farming and animal domestication.
Some followers of the paleo diet believe that humans are genetically adapted to eat a certain way — one that’s closer to how early humans ate. This view is rooted in the evolutionary discordance hypothesis, which states that human evolution stopped around 50,000 years ago. In other words, our Stone Age bodies are not suited for our modern diets of convenience and carbs, and this mismatch is making us fat and sick.
While eating like a caveman or cavewoman isn’t easy, making the paleo leap is purported to result in a number of health benefits — from weight loss, to clearer skin, to improved mood, to better sleep. But like many health and wellness fads, researchers say paleo’s health benefits are likely too good to be true.
Unfortunately, scientists haven’t found much evidence that backs up the health benefits of the paleo diet beyond weight loss. Other claims haven’t been studied at all. But what research has uncovered is that it might be unhealthy for some people to follow a paleo diet, particularly among those concerned with heart and kidney health.
