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There are several risks associated with a high-salt diet, including high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke but a new study reveals that a compromised immune system should be added to that list.

To mitigate the well-documented health risks associated with a high-salt diet, the World Health Organization recommends adults cap their salt intake to about one teaspoon, or 5 grams, per day an amount equivalent to about two Big Macs.

Unfortunately, as the Food and Drug Administration points out, Americans consume on average some 8.5g of salt each day almost double the WHOs recommendation which partially explains why the US suffers such high rates of hypertension, a major contributing factor to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

Now, German researchers at the University of Bonn believe that too much salt could also weaken our immune system particularly our defenses against bacterial infections.

We examined volunteers who consumed 6 grams of salt in addition to their daily intake, says Prof. Dr. Christian Kurts, whose study was published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine. This is roughly the amount contained in two fast food meals, i.e. two burgers and two portions of french fries.

Kurts says their research prove[s] for the first time that excessive salt intake also significantly weakens an important arm of the immune system. Yet, these findings contradict prior studies which have shown that a high-salt diet was effective in healing infections caused by certain skin parasites in laboratory animals. Thus, many scientists had previously concluded that sodium chloride could have immune-boosting qualities.

Our results show that this generalization is not accurate, says Dr. Katarzyna Jobin, lead author of the current study. They explain that the skin functions as a salt reservoir for the body, which lends a hand in the elimination of certain skin diseases. But inside the body, salt concentration is meant to remain constant save the kidneys, which bear the brunt of high salt intake. This latest study discovered that, as the kidneys filter blood, the presence of salt prompts glucocorticoids, a type of hormone, to build up in the body, which impairs a common type of bacteria-busting immune cell called granulocytes.

We were able to show this in mice with a listeria infection, explains Dr. Jobin. We had previously put some of them on a high-salt diet. In the spleen and liver of these animals we counted 100 to 1,000 times the number of disease-causing pathogens. Urinary tract infections, the study finds, also healed much more slowly.

After just one week on the high-salt regimen, blood samples from test subjects showed that human granulocytes were already failing to cope with bacterial intruders. They also showed increased glucocorticoid levels which scientists anticipated would have an impact on the immune system, as glucocorticoid cortisones are already used to suppress inflammation (caused by an immune response) in medical settings.

Knowing how much salt is in your diet can be difficult, as most store-bought foods dont include salt content on the nutritional label. Rather, they list sodium, otherwise known as sodium chloride, which is a component of dietary salt. For a better understanding of how much salt youre getting per serving, simply multiply the sodium content in grams by a factor of about 2.5. Thus 5 grams of salt is equivalent to 2 grams (2000 milligrams) of sodium.

More here:
A salty diet could make it hard for your body to fight off infection: study - New York Post

According to the World Health Organization, anemia affects 1.62 billion people, globally. In the U.S., anemia is the most common blood condition, affecting more than three million Americans.

Anemia occurs when the number of healthy red blood cells in a persons body is too low. Aplant-based diet may increase ones risk of developing anemia,but there are many other factors that can cause a person to become anemic.

Anemia occurs when the body doesnt produce enough RBCs, loses too many RBCs, or destroys too many RBCs. If a persons body does not contain enough RBCsor the bodys hemoglobin levels are low it will not get enough oxygen.

People with long-term diseases, women, and young children are more likely to have anemia. According to the Mayo Clinic, iron deficiency is one of the most common causes of anemia, but there are many different types of the blood conditioneach with its own cause.

The blood condition affects people of all races, ages, and ethnicities, but there are certain factors that may put a person more at risk for developing anemia. They include:

Anemia cases are typically classified as either chronic or acute. There are more than 400 different types of anemia. According to WebMD, they can be divided into three main categories anemia caused by blood loss, anemia caused by decreased or faulty RBC production, and anemia caused by the destruction of RBCs.

The body contains three different types of blood cells: platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells (RBCs).

Platelets, most white blood cells, and RBCs are produced regularly in the bone marrow the soft spongy tissue found inside bone cavities. Platelets help stop bleeding by creating blood clots, while white blood cells (also known as leukocytes or leucocytes) help fight off infectious diseases and protect the body against foreign invaders.

RBCs contain an iron-rich protein called hemoglobin that gives blood its red color. Anemia is measured by how much hemoglobin is present in RBCs. Hemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Conversely, hemoglobin carries carbon dioxide back from other parts of the body to the lungs to be exhaled.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the average red blood cell can only survive for about 120 days. When RBCs die, the hemoglobin breaks apart. Any iron contained within is saved and transported to the bone marrow via proteins called transferrins. The iron is then recycled and used to produce new RBCs.

According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of anemia vary depending on the conditions cause. Chronic conditions can mask a persons anemia or, depending on the causes, there could be no symptoms at all.

If a person does have symptoms, they may include weakness, fatigue, pale or yellowish skin, chest pain, cold hands and feet, headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, and irregular heartbeats.

In order to diagnose anemia, your doctor will also ask about medical and family history. Your doctor will also perform a physical exam and run a handful of tests.

Tests include a complete blood count to determine the number of RBCs present in a sample of blood. Your doctor will pay close attention to the size, shape, and levels of RBCs (hematocrit) and hemoglobin in the blood.

Normal adult hematocrit values vary among medical practices but are generally between 40% and 52% for men and 35% and 47% for women. Normal adult hemoglobin values are generally 14 to 18 grams per deciliter for men and 12 to 16 grams per deciliter for women, states the Mayo Clinic.

If a positive anemia result comes back, a doctor may require additional tests to determine the cause of the condition.

If a person does have anemia, their doctor may include dietary changes in their treatment plan. Recommended dietary changes may include increasing the intake of vitamins that are essential for RBC and hemoglobin production. Your doctor may also urge you to eat foods that aid the body in absorbing iron.

In order to create RBCs, and thus hemoglobin, your body must get ample vitamins and nutrients from food including iron, folate, and vitamin B-12.

A diet lacking in vitamin B-12 and folate may impact the bodys ability to produce RBCs. A plant-based diet may also increase ones risk of anemia. Including certain foods in a vegan diet may help reduce the risk of developing anemia.

Although meat and seafood are high in iron, there are plenty of plant-based foods a person can eat to increase iron intake. Eating iron-rich foods may help fight iron deficiency anemia. These include leafy greens (spinach and kale), beans, fortified foods (white rice and pasta), and nuts and seeds. Iron supplements are another option for increasing iron intake but consult with your doctor prior to making these changes.

Summary

Article Name

Anemia and the Vegan Diet: What You Need to Know

Description

Anemia is the most common blood condition US. Aplant-based diet may increase the chances of developing it, but other causes could be to blame.

Author

Audrey Enjoli

Publisher Name

LIVEKINDLY

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Excerpt from:
Anemia and the Vegan Diet: What You Need to Know - LIVEKINDLY

What is your diet like?

In the morning, I'll eat a good, healthy breakfast. Usually it'll be scrambled eggs with turkey bacon. It's with soy, so it's not fatty. And then peppers, onions, spinach, and feta cheese.

I don't eat fast food, so if I have to stop somewhere for lunch or dinner, Ill find a deli where I can get a good sandwich. My favorite food, really, is the carne asada nachos that we have at Trejos, with two eggs on top. We have the best nachos in the world. I'll put those up against anybody. And theyre actually pretty healthy. They're gluten-free.

Youre very outspoken about how your restaurantsand your personal dietare all about food thats high-quality, organic, ethically sourced, and the like. What went into applying those ideas to a restaurant business?

I was doing a movie called Bad Ass, and if I didn't like what the food truck on set had, I would order food. Ash Shah, the producer, kinda jokingly said, "Hey, Danny, why don't you open a restaurant?" And, still joking, I said, "Yeah, Trejo's Tacos." Two movies later, he brought me a business plan.

For the menu we talked about vegan and vegetarian options, how everything's gonna be fresh, and you can bite into a cow if you want to. So we had all that covered. We have four menus: your regular menu, a vegan menu, a vegetarian menu, and a gluten-free menu. We make it really, really easy. We've gotta take care of each other, and we've gotta watch out for one another.

Have you been cooking your entire life?

Yeah, in one way or another. I just kind of did it. Necessity is the mother of invention. I was a single parent for a while, so I'd cook my kids breakfast in the morning, I'd pack them lunch, and then cook them dinner. A dinner I love is a couple chicken breasts with garlic and rice and veggies. I'm not big on desserts, but that's a pretty good meal. I wouldn't say I'm a health nut, but I've always tried to live healthy, and my kids' mom was a good cook. She always did a pretty balanced meal.

Do you still have access to all the food you like in quarantine?

I'm still eating the same thing, but all our restaurants now do just take-out and delivery. We have a few people around the restaurants who are disabled, so we deliver to them. We make a point to make sure they're eating.

Youve got a bunch of projects to juggle. On a day where you're not social distancing, how do you manage your time?

It was once told to me that a busy man has time to do everything. When we're not in isolation, I just do whatever's in front of me. I gotta go here, I gotta go there, I just go. I really believe that success depends on the people around you, and I've got some great people around me. Everything good that has happened to me has happened as a direct result of helping someone else.

Also, I love coffee. And Trejo's has the best coffee. I'm drinking our coffee right now.

Have you identified any specific ways to help people during the pandemic?

Right now what we're trying to do is partner with Angel Food. They pack up food, deliver it to anybody that needs ityou just call them, say, "Hey, we need food," and they'll deliver food to your door. It's so beautiful. We've worked with them for a while, so now we're trying to figure out how we can handle this crisis with them, because they go all over Los Angeles.

We're prioritizing getting food out because there are so many people that can't come out of their houses. I'm 75. I have two sons and a daughter. My son calls every day, I say, "I'm fine, I'm great, don't worry," but he'll come by, bring us masks, and if I had no kids or didn't have kids nearby and I lived alone, I would have to go to the market.

I think the government right now is trying to play catchup, because we didn't get on this thing right when we had to. A lot of people at the top didn't take it seriously. So now it's up to us.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Real-Life Diet is a series in which GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and everyone in-between about their diets and exercise routines: what's worked, what hasn't, and where they're still improving. Keep in mind, what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.

The NFL star's figuring out how to keep up his unorthodox workouts in a world of social distancing.

Continued here:
The Real-Life Diet of Danny Trejo, Who's Banging Out Two-a-Days In Isolation - GQ

We know too much salt consumption can mean bad things for our health, driving up blood pressure and with it our chances of heart disease and stroke. Scientists at Germanys University Hospital Bonn have now turned their attention to its impacts on the immune system, finding that a diet too heavy on sodium chloride can also significantly weaken our natural defenses against bacterial infections.

While its drawbacks are well established, previous research has suggested that a high-salt diet may actually benefit human health in some ways. Studies have shown that certain skin infections heal faster in animals fed a high amount of salt and that immune cells called macrophages are more active in the presence of salt, leading some to conclude that a diet high in sodium chloride can boost ones immune system. The new study from the University Hospital Bonn team reveals that's not necessarily the case.

"Our results show that this generalization is not accurate," says Katarzyna Jobin, lead author of the study.

According to the team, this is because of the way salt is distributed around the body after it is consumed, and the mechanisms that control it. The skin acts as a kind of salt reservoir, absorbing excess amounts of sodium chloride and keeping salt concentration in the blood and organs more or less constant, which is why some skin diseases benefit from a higher intake of sodium chloride.

Meanwhile, the kidneys play the important role of filtering out excess salt via urine, through what the researchers describe as a sodium chloride sensor. While this does a good job of cleansing the body of additional salt, as a side effect it also leads to the buildup of what are known as glucocorticoids in the body. These hamper the activity of an important type of immune cell in the blood called granulocytes, which are key to fighting bacteria.

The scientists explored what this meant for mice fed a high-salt diet, finding that urinary tract infections healed far more slowly in those subjects. In another experiment they explored the mices impeded ability to fight off listeria infections, which can come about through contaminated food and lead to fever and vomiting.

"We were able to show this in mice with a listeria infection," explains Dr. Jobin. "We had previously put some of them on a high-salt diet. In the spleen and liver of these animals we counted 100 to 1,000 times the number of disease-causing pathogens."

Another experiment involved human subjects, with the volunteers fed a high-salt diet an extra six grams on top of their daily intake and then providing blood samples for study. The researchers found that the extra salt raised glucocorticoid levels, and that the granulocytes ability to fight off bacteria was far worse as a result.

"We have now been able to prove for the first time that excessive salt intake also significantly weakens an important arm of the immune system," explains Prof. Dr. Christian Kurts from the Institute of Experimental Immunology at the University of Bonn.

The research was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Source: University Hospital of Bonn

Visit link:
High-salt diet found to hamper the immune system - New Atlas

BATON ROUGE - Officials say development along the Government Street corridor will carry on amid coronavirus fears.

The Department of Transportation and Development says a lane closure at the intersection of Government and S. 10th Streetwill happen starting 8 a.m. Friday and continue through 3 p.m. Saturday.

According to DOTD, crews are currently filing roadway joints and performing curb and gutter work on the roundabout approaches. Construction on the roundabout multi-path began this week.

Construction on the project first began back in January 2018. The $11.7 million project will reduce travel lanes to one in each direction, with a two-way-left-turn-lane in the center. Also included in the project are sidewalk improvements, with ADA accessible ramps and bicycle lanes in each direction, as well as a roundabout that will replace the signalized intersection at Government St., Lobdell Ave., and Independence Park Blvd.

The project is expected to be completed in late 2020.

See the article here:
Work continues on Government St. road diet project this week - WBRZ

Austin Ekeler has nearly 25 million reasons to stay in peak shape for his fourth year in the NFL. Coming off a breakout season in which he recorded 92 receptions (second behind only Carolina Panthers star Christian McCaffrey among running backs), he signed a four-year, $24.5 million deal to return to the San Diego Los Angeles Chargers. With former top backfield option Melvin Gordon off to the Denver Broncos, and longtime quarterback Phillip Rivers headed to the Indianapolis Colts, Ekeler is about to become a focal pointif not the focal pointof a revamped offense.

Ekeler was already planning on a weight room-heavy offseason, and hes had to adjust to the coronavirus pandemic. Here, he explains his unorthodox workout regimen, streaming his workouts like a gamer, and how he's training for an NFL season in a moment of social distancing.

GQ: There are obviously far more pressing matters with this outbreak, but for NFL players, how are COVID-19 and social distancing affecting the offseason?

Austin Ekeler: Right around this time is when Pro Days would be going on, and a lot of under-the-radar players would be getting the opportunity to show their skills. I was one of these players. I needed the Pro Day to show to scouts that I could play.

How are you managing to get your workouts in now?

Finding a gym is nearly impossible. I can run, but I need to keep up my weightnot through eating, but by lifting. I have some small weights at home. Its not the type of training Id like to be doing, but Im still engaging my muscles.

I saw youve been live-streaming your home workouts on Twitch. What was behind that idea?

I actually started my Twitch stream a while back to make people aware that Im also a gamer. But more recently I wanted to stream the workouts to have a different interaction with fans and people around the world. My game of choice is League of Legends. I dont play sports games or shooters, although I may try a shooter game if this quarantine lasts a few more weeks.

Whats one exercise an NFL running back would recommend to esports players?

Run [laughs]. Id say run just because youre sitting down so much, and that will engage your entire body. I wouldnt say lifting would be absolutely necessary. I would think youd need more aerobic-type activities.

Take us through one of your workouts.

My girlfriend Taylor [Frick] is a personal trainer, and shes been coming up with these aerobic, full-body workouts, using lots of core holds and different athletic movements. We did one the other day, and my legs were like Jell-O. Youre pushing it the entire time. When I got done I was dripping in sweat.

We did burpees, different types of lunges, pushups, and engaged our core, all for 30-second intervals. She also loves to do different types of jumpsstar jumps, some twist jumps. Those are good, functional workouts that will get your heart rate up after about 30 seconds. They kind of fit into the aerobic type of movements I should be doing as a football player.

Is it true you like to wing it when you hit the gym?

I have a loose plan about what the days workout will be. Like, I know if my workout is going to be lower-body, but thats it until I get to the gym. Ill switch it up, shock the body in different ways. For example, Ive recently been working with a trainer on lower-body workouts. Hes a CrossFit guy, so well incorporate lots of volume. But I wont know the exact movements until Im at the gym. Ill set up different equipment, try different things to keep my body guessing, kind of like simulating the uncertainty on the football field. Its a unique way of working out, but its something Ive always done.

Follow this link:
The Real-Life Diet of the L.A. Chargers' Austin Ekeler, Whos Streaming His Workouts Like a Gamer - GQ

21-lockdown plan: Try to have early dinners in your days of quarantine

21-day lockdown: Your time in quarantine is now for at least 21 days, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a complete lockdown of the country last night. The step has been called for in order to curb down the spread of coronavirus outbreak, which has killed at least 9 and infected at least 562 people in India. Celeb nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar has been sharing day-wise quarantine plan which includes both diet and workout tips that you can follow. They are simple and easy-to-follow and can be helpful in maintaining your health and weight as you self-isolate at home.

The plan which Diwekar shared today includes eating non-perishables like pulses, grains, millets and spices.

1. You can begin your day with squats and lunges at home. Skipping rope, jumping jacks, push-ups, pull-ups, planks, side planks etc are other exercises that you can do. Else, you can even plan a fun play session like hopscotch with the rest of your family members and the kids in the house.

Do not skip exercising and be physically activePhoto Credit: iStock

2. On rising, have a handful of unsalted pistas (or any other nuts of your choice) or some khareek with some ghee.

Also read:Coronavirus: Should You Disinfect Your House Too? Here Are The Steps You Should Follow

3. For breakfast, you can have a homemade ragi dosa with gun powder, or have plain dosa if you have a leftover batter. Ragi is a gluten-free whole grain which is rich in fibre and can help with weight loss and diabetes management.

4. After your breakfast, you can have dry coconut with jaggery and 1-2 coriander seeds. Now isn't this an interesting snacking option?

5. For lunch, have the good old rajma chawal. Legumes like rajma are rich in protein. When combined with the complex carbs in rice, it makes for a dish with a complete amino acid profile. You can also have dal rice or khichdi.

Also read:Coronavirus In India: How COVID-19 Mysteriously Killed Males, Elderly People

6. After your lunch, you can opt having homemade mathri or some nuts. You can also involve your kids in making mathri at home.

7. Have early dinner. This is actually the time when you can make the effort of having dinners early. On the day you have the aforementioned meals, you can opt for a light dinner like some khichdi and papad, or have teekha poori with achar as Diwekar suggests.

8. Keep a gap of at least two hours between your dinner and bedtime. Before going to bed, either have a cup of turmeric milk or a cup of milk with gulkand and sabja (basil) seeds.

You can have a cup of turmeric milk at bedtimePhoto Credit: iStock

9. Stay well-hydrated throughout the day.

10. Make sure that you are physically active and do not skip exercising.

In this 21-day lockdown, try to get good quality sleep. Work towards sleeping and waking up at the same every day. This extended quarantine period can be used to restore good health and even your dream weight. Stay indoors, stay safe everyone!

Also read:Avoid Weight Gain While Working From Home With These Healthy Snacks

(Rujuta Diwekar is a nutritionist based in Mumbai)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

Read more here:
21-Day Lockdown: 10 Diet And Workout Tips That You Can Follow - NDTV News

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The new study analyses for the first time the diet of the only fossil remains of this primate with the analysis of buccal dental microwear. According to the conclusions, the eating pattern of this guenon -the most abundant in the fossil records from the African Pleistocene- would be different than the one in the baboonTheropithecus gelada-the phylogenetically closest species living in Semien Mountains, northern Ethiopia, at the current moment-, which usually eats herbs and stalks.

The study, led by the lecturers Laura Martnez and Alejandro Prez-Prez, from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona (UB), counts on the participation of experts from the Faculty of Earth Sciences and the Faculty of Psychology of the UB as well as members from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, University of Alicante, the Museum of Orce Prehistory and Palaeontology (Granada) and the George Washington University (United States).

Cueva Victoria: the long journey of the African baboonTheropithecus oswaldi

The genreTheropithecusspread over the Sahara Desert, from east to north and south in the African continent. Its evolutionary lineage, also present in some European and Asian areas, reached its limit of disappearance about 500,000 years ago. Today, it would be only represented by the speciesTheropithecus gelada, a baboon which only eats plants and shows an ecological profile more similar to herbivore animals rather than primates.

Cueva Victoria provided with fossil remains of about a hundred species of vertebrates and it is one of the few European sites of the early Pleistocene with remains of human species. Credit Universidad de Barcelona

In 1990, the excavation campaign led by the palaeontologist Josep Gibert found the first fossil remain -a tooth- ofTheropithecus oswald(Journal of Human Evolution, 1995). This cave -an old manganese mine- provided with fossil remains of about a hundred species of vertebrates and it is one of the few European sites of the early Pleistocene with remains of human species. Outside the African continent, the fossil records of this baboon is scarce and researchers have only found other remains in Ubeidiya (Israel) and Minzapur (India).

The new fossil evidence ofT. oswaldi-which date back to 900,000 and 850,000 million years ago- were recovered by a team led by the lecturers Carles Ferrndez-Caadell and Llus Gibert, from the Department of Mineralogy, Petrology and Applied Geology of the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the UB. The presence of this African guenon in the south-eastern area of the Iberian Peninsula strengthens the hypothesis of the animal dispersal models going from the African continent to Europe during the Pleistocene through the Strait of Gibraltar.

What was the fossil baboon diet like in the south of the Iberian Peninsula?

The analysis of the produced buccal-dental stretch marks due to food intake reveal theT. oswaldispecimens in Cueva Victoria would have a more abrasive diet compared to the currentT. gelada, and more similar to the diet of other primates such as mangabeys i(Cercocebus sp) and mandrylles (Mandrillys sphinx), which eat fruits and seeds in forested and semiopen ecosystems, notes Laura Martnez, lecturer at the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the Faculty of Biology and first author of the study.

Other recent studies based on the observation ofT. geladain the area of Guassa, Ethiopia, describe a more diverse diet, with rhizome and tubers over the most unfavourable season. The difference betweenT. oswaldi andT. gelada-continues the researcher- shows that the observed specialization in the current baboon could be a derived specialization which did not exist in the fossils of its lineage. This could respond to a regression in its ecological niche as an adaptation to anthropically altered ecosystems or as a result from climate change.

The published study inJournal of Human Evolutionwhich analyses dental and cranial adaptions of primates from the tribe papionine as the analogue model to the evolution of the hominini lineage -which shared a common geographical space in similar datings. The new study on dental microwear counted on the support from the Spanish Ministry for Research, Development and Innovation, the Catalan Government and La Caixa Foundation.

Universidad de Barcelona

Header Image Credit Nanosanchez

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See the rest here:
Study reveals the diet of the fossil primate 'Theropithecus oswaldi' found in the site of Cueva Victoria in Spain - HeritageDaily

Yesterday, we focused on mental health. Today, we're talking about what should go on your plate.

Reporter Grant Pepper spoke with Natalie Brenneman, a registered dietitian and certified Diabetes educator with Knox Community Hospital, about how to maintain a healthy diet during the COVID-19 outbreak. Brenneman answered questions she's frequently being asked right now, including:

She also touched on the importance of maintaining a healthy diet during this time, and the mindset we should take from a dietary perspective.

Tomorrow, we will talk about how to stay physically fit during the outbreak. For more local coronavirus coverage: https://www.knoxpages.com/news/covid19/

Our stories will always be free to read, but they aren't free to produce. We need your support. To help our news organization tell Knox County's story every day, join our team. Become a member today.

Link:
How to maintain a healthy diet during the coronavirus outbreak - knoxpages.com

Plants rich in starch helped early humans to thrive even at the height of the last Ice Age, researchers say.

While the evidence around meat eating is clear, the role of plant foods is less understood. Animal bones can last millions of years and still show cuts made by human butchering tools, whereas almost all plant remains disintegrate.

But new studies into the remains of plants that do exist are uncovering why and how our ancestors ate them.

Plants were the staples. They were the foods that formed the basis of our calories in most environments, said Dr Amanda Henry, a paleobiologist and associate professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Tubers and cereals are full of starch making them good sources of glucose, which is important for brain growth as well as energy, says DrHenry. She leads a project called HARVESTwhich is studying the diets of early human species and the role of plants as food. Tubers are organs where plants store nutrients modern examples include potatoes and yams.

Some of the earliest evidence she found of eating tubers and cereals dates back 40,000 years, to the Paleolithic era. Neanderthal remains discovered in caves in Iraq and Belgium show that our cousins likely ate water lily tubers, and grains from relatives of wheat and barley grasses.

Innovation

But unlocking the energy in them required innovation. The grains may have been eaten green when they are easier to digest, but many tubers are toxic raw, says Dr Henry.

They are likely to have cooked them, said DrHenry. This not only releases energy but also makes tubers safe to eat.

(Weve found) evidence of heating food in the presence of water which suggests they were boiling them, said DrHenry. Changes in the starch granules which suggests this type of cooking were found on the dental calculus (tartar).

The Neanderthal remains indicate they ate a wide variety of plant foods. This throws doubt on a theory that they died out because they had a narrower diet than our direct ancestors, DrHenry says.

Other researchers have found earlier evidence of cooked tubers from South Africa in a fireplace dating back more than 100,000 years.

During the last glacial period when ice caps expanded to cover much of northern Europe, there was an explosion of a new technology driven by the need for processing new sources of plant food: the ground stone.

It was a major evolutionary success, dating back about 30,000 years, says Dr Emanuela Cristiani, associate professor in prehistoric archaeology at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.

Hunter-gatherers primarily used knapped tools, made from big pieces of stone, says DrCristiani. At a certain point another technology appears like a boom which is the ground stone technology (It was) not used to cut or scrape or pierce, but to grind material, she said.

It means people were looking for new ways to eat during this dramatic climatic period, she said.

A lot of Paleo diets talk about health, but by this they mean weight loss. And I cant think of a single human ancestor who wanted to lose weight.

Amanda Henry, Leiden University, the Netherlands

Through a project called HIDDEN FOODS, DrCristiani is studying diets of humans in southeastern Europe from the late Paleolithic era when they were hunter-gathers to the Neolithic era, when there is the first evidence of farming in the region about 8,500 years ago. She is also exploring the evolution of plant food processing technologies.

Flour

Grinding meant people could make flour, which is another way of unlocking the energy in plants. The team found evidence in ground stones and plant remains in dental calculus that hunter-gatherers in the central Balkans ate a lot of wild oats, legumes and acorn flour, says DrCristiani.

The earliest evidence of flour dates back 30,000 years and was found in Russia, the Czech Republic and Italy.

It is likely that hunter-gatherers at the team's Italian research site ate cattail plants, which are abundant in a nearby river.

We think they used mostly roots. The plants root is very rich in starch and once its dried, you can make it into flour, said DrCristiani. The flour makes a sweet-tasting bread, she adds.

Paleolithic

The average Paleolithic person who survived infancy seems to have lived to age 50 or 60. It wasnt a life of luxury, it was probably a lot of work and generally cold, requiring quite a bit of effort, said DrHenry.

These early humans are likely to have died primarily from a combination of infections, parasites and physical trauma, she says.

Once people started settling and rearing animals and crops, disease levels rose mainly because they jumped from animals to humans and life expectancy appears to have fallen. That being said, agriculture is associated with increase in population size. Youre not living as long, but youre having more kids, said DrHenry.

Today, some people seeking a healthy alternative to modern industrialised diets look to the eating styles of our hunter-gatherer ancestors for inspiration.

The so-called Paleo diet eschews cereals, recommends few carbs and promotes meat and vegetables. But archaeologists say it does not represent the full diet of hunter-gatherers who ate cereals and relied on carbohydrates.

HIDDEN FOODS researchers found remains of legumes, oats and acorns in 10,000-year-old teeth from the last hunter-gatherer groups who built villages along the Danube river. This shows our idea of a Paleo diet as primarily based on protein intake is completely wrong, said DrCristiani.

Its important to understand for real what the (ancient) Paleolithic diet was. It was a very balanced way of eating, she said.

Hunter-gatherers were looking for calories, so carbohydrates in tubers and cereals would have been important.

A lot of Paleo diets talk about health, but by this they mean weight loss. And I cant think of a single human ancestor who wanted to lose weight, said DrHenry.

Diversity was integral to peoples diets, as was their ability to move to new regions. Plant foods vary a lot between environments. So, every time a human went to a new place, they had to learn what was edible, what was going to kill them and what was medicine, she said. There is no one size fits all diet. Anyone who tells you differently is trying to sell you something.

The research in this article was funded by the EU's European Research Council. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.

Excerpt from:
How Stone Age humans unlocked the glucose in plants - Horizon magazine

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