Human Origins of Ancestral Diets

There was a fascinating paper published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society viewing the human genome in relation to the evolutionary changes in diet. The researchers of this study speculate that selective differences may have been influenced by diet. An increase in meat and starchy plants may be responsible for selective differences among human populations. Interestingly, archaeological records demonstrate evidence of the Homo erectus having the ability to extract bone marrow by means of stone tools. Furthermore, calorie dense oil rich seeds were obtained by H. erectus as well. However, it is difficult to know the type of meats and starchy plants that were available throughout seasonal changes and the various ratios of macronutrients. Other evidence that establishes a change reflecting consumption of meat is through dental traits but the interpretation of these studies remain inconclusive.

The allele frequencies have been known to shift in accordance to different diets. The previous study points to other researchers that found in their results "significant shifts in allele frequency" in association to diets rich in roots and tubers. Yet, it seems clear from Leonard et al that meat was responsible for metabolic adaptations and evolution of the brain.