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New Blog on the Science of Low Carbs
For a couple of years I have been following a blog called Gene Expression, which has posts on genetics research breakthroughs, the use of genetics to trace human evolution, and a lot of discussion on the politicization of science.
One of the bloggers at Gene Expression has created a new blog focusing on examining whether the human body has really evolved around a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. A lot of our obesity problems have arisen as a result of the ready availability of cheap carbs. But the health industry has been telling us the contrary: steer away from meat. Eat more carbs.
It passes the common sense test for me. Our species is about 200,000 years old in our current form. For most of that time we have been hunter-gatherers. The latest evolutionary breakthroughs that allowed us to get big brains and walk fully erect were when we were able to more effectively hunt. The idea that our ancestors were able to find two to three thousand calories per day, with most of them coming from carbs, is ridiculous. They had to be getting the bulk of them from meat. Try to plan a day's worth of meals equalling your maintenance level of calories without a significant amount of fat in the mix. You need a tremendous amount of food. More than someone could walk around and gather day in and day out.
Until the advent of agriculture, which happened only in the last 10,000 years. Certainly our bodies have started adapting to the new diet that agriculture has brought to us, but 10,000 years of evolution does not reverse the hundreds of thousands of years that came before.
Anyway, there are not a lot of posts up yet. But check them out at Low Carb Art and Science.
One of the bloggers at Gene Expression has created a new blog focusing on examining whether the human body has really evolved around a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. A lot of our obesity problems have arisen as a result of the ready availability of cheap carbs. But the health industry has been telling us the contrary: steer away from meat. Eat more carbs.
It passes the common sense test for me. Our species is about 200,000 years old in our current form. For most of that time we have been hunter-gatherers. The latest evolutionary breakthroughs that allowed us to get big brains and walk fully erect were when we were able to more effectively hunt. The idea that our ancestors were able to find two to three thousand calories per day, with most of them coming from carbs, is ridiculous. They had to be getting the bulk of them from meat. Try to plan a day's worth of meals equalling your maintenance level of calories without a significant amount of fat in the mix. You need a tremendous amount of food. More than someone could walk around and gather day in and day out.
Until the advent of agriculture, which happened only in the last 10,000 years. Certainly our bodies have started adapting to the new diet that agriculture has brought to us, but 10,000 years of evolution does not reverse the hundreds of thousands of years that came before.
Anyway, there are not a lot of posts up yet. But check them out at Low Carb Art and Science.
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