Early hominid hunting and scavenging: the role of meat as an energy source

Speth, John D.

doi:10.1016/0047-2484(89)90035-3

Cited by 197 publications

(117 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Archaeological evidence suggests that fat derived from bone marrow may have been preferred over muscle tissue as a source of energy and nutrients among early Homo (Blumenschine, 1991;Blumenschine and Madrigal, 1993). Moreover it is known that diets deriving more than 50% of calories from lean protein can lead to negative energy balance, so-called "rabbit starvation," due to the high metabolic costs of protein digestion (Speth and Spielmann, 1983;Noli and Avery, 1988) as well as a physiological maximum capacity of the liver for urea synthesis (Speth, 1989;Cordain et al, 2000). Rather, we focus on whole meat or animal protein because virtually no research to date has addressed the impacts of cooking on the energy value of fat.…”

Section: Energetic Effects Of Cooking Animal Foodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The energetic significance of cooking

Carmody¹,

Wrangham²

2009

Journal of Human Evolution

334

220

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While cooking has long been argued to improve the diet, the nature of the improvement has not been well defined. As a result, the evolutionary significance of cooking has variously been proposed as being substantial or relatively trivial. In this paper, we evaluate the hypothesis that an important and consistent effect of cooking food is a rise in its net energy value. The pathways by which cooking influences net energy value differ for starch, protein and lipid, and we therefore consider plant and animal foods separately.Evidence of compromised physiological performance among individuals on raw diets supports the hypothesis that cooked diets tend to provide energy. Mechanisms contributing to energy being gained from cooking include increased digestibility of starch and protein, reduced costs of digestion for cooked versus raw meat, and reduced energetic costs of detoxification and defense against pathogens. If cooking indeed consistently improves the energetic value of foods through such mechanisms, its evolutionary impact depends partly on the relative energetic benefits of non-thermal processing methods used prior to cooking.We suggest that if non-thermal processing methods, such as pounding, were used by Lower Paleolithic Homo, they likely provided an important increase in energy gain over unprocessed raw diets. However, cooking has critical effects not easily achievable by nonthermal processing, including the relatively complete gelatinization of starch, efficient denaturing of proteins, and killing of foodborne pathogens. This means that however sophisticated the non-thermal processing methods were, cooking would have conferred incremental energetic benefits. While much remains to be discovered, we conclude that the adoption of cooking would have led to an important rise in energy availability. For this reason, we predict that cooking had substantial evolutionary significance.

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Section: Energetic Effects Of Cooking Animal Foodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The energetic significance of cooking

Carmody¹,

Wrangham²

2009

Journal of Human Evolution

334

220

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“…The nature of this relationship is virtually identical among all vertebrates (Cordain et al, 2000a) and is exemplified by the cubic polynomial equation in Figure 4. Hunter-gatherers tended to shun very small animals or fat-depleted animals because of their excessive protein content (Noli & Avery, 1988;Speth & Spielmann, 1983;Speth, 1989), and numerous historical and ethnographic accounts have documented the adverse health effects that have occurred when people were forced to rely solely upon the fat depleted lean meat of wild animals (Speth & Spielmann, 1983). Excessive lean protein consumption without adequate fat or carbohydrate causes a condition referred to as 'rabbit starvation' by early American explorers that results in nausea, diarrhea and eventual death (Speth & Spielmann, 1983).…”

Section: Meat-based Hunter-gatherer Diets L Cordain Et Almentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Clinically, this syndrome probably results from the finite ability of the liver to up-regulate the ratelimiting enzymes of urea synthesis, thereby culminating in hyperammonemia and hyperaminoacidemia (Rudman et al, 1973). For a foraging human, the avoidance of the physiologic effects of excessive dietary protein was an important factor in shaping their subsistence strategies (Noli & Avery, 1988;Speth & Spielmann, 1983;Speth, 1989). Lean meat therefore could not be eaten in unlimited quantities, but rather had to be accompanied by sufficient fat or by carbohydrate from plant food sources.…”

Section: Meat-based Hunter-gatherer Diets L Cordain Et Almentioning

confidence: 99%

The paradoxical nature of hunter-gatherer diets: meat-based, yet non-atherogenic

et al. 2002

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Objective: Field studies of twentieth century hunter-gathers (HG) showed them to be generally free of the signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Consequently, the characterization of HG diets may have important implications in designing therapeutic diets that reduce the risk for CVD in Westernized societies. Based upon limited ethnographic data (n ¼ 58 HG societies) and a single quantitative dietary study, it has been commonly inferred that gathered plant foods provided the dominant energy source in HG diets. Method and Results: In this review we have analyzed the 13 known quantitative dietary studies of HG and demonstrate that animal food actually provided the dominant (65%) energy source, while gathered plant foods comprised the remainder (35%). This data is consistent with a more recent, comprehensive review of the entire ethnographic data (n ¼ 229 HG societies) that showed the mean subsistence dependence upon gathered plant foods was 32%, whereas it was 68% for animal foods. Other evidence, including isotopic analyses of Paleolithic hominid collagen tissue, reductions in hominid gut size, low activity levels of certain enzymes, and optimal foraging data all point toward a long history of meat-based diets in our species. Because increasing meat consumption in Western diets is frequently associated with increased risk for CVD mortality, it is seemingly paradoxical that HG societies, who consume the majority of their energy from animal food, have been shown to be relatively free of the signs and symptoms of CVD. Conclusion: The high reliance upon animal-based foods would not have necessarily elicited unfavorable blood lipid profiles because of the hypolipidemic effects of high dietary protein (19 -35% energy) and the relatively low level of dietary carbohydrate (22 -40% energy). Although fat intake (28 -58% energy) would have been similar to or higher than that found in Western diets, it is likely that important qualitative differences in fat intake, including relatively high levels of MUFA and PUFA and a lower o-6=o-3 fatty acid ratio, would have served to inhibit the development of CVD. Other dietary characteristics including high intakes of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and phytochemicals along with a low salt intake may have operated synergistically with lifestyle characteristics (more exercise, less stress and no smoking) to further deter the development of CVD.

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“…Also shearing crests have grown. These changes could be explained through the urgent need of tearing and chewing meat rather than grinding leaves, fruits, seeds and cereals (Speth, 1989).…”

Section: The Role Of Meat In Human Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meat nutritional composition and nutritive role in the human diet

2013

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a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oMeat has exerted a crucial role in human evolution and is an important component of a healthy and well balanced diet due to its nutritional richness. The present review attempts to sum up meats role and importance in human nutrition as well as examine some pejorative beliefs about meat consumption. Meat is a valuable source of high biological value protein, iron, vitamin B12 as well as other B complex vitamins, zinc, selenium and phosphorus. Fat content and fatty acid profile, a constant matter of concern when referring to meat consumption, is highly dependent on species, feeding system as well as the cut used. Pork meat can have the highest fat content but poultry skin is not far behind. It is also crucial to distinguish meat cuts from other meat products especially regarding its association with disease risk. As in other dietary components, moderation is advisable but meat has been shown to be an important component of a balanced diet.

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Early hominid hunting and scavenging: the role of meat as an energy source

Cited by 197 publications

References 41 publications

The energetic significance of cooking

The energetic significance of cooking

The paradoxical nature of hunter-gatherer diets: meat-based, yet non-atherogenic

Meat nutritional composition and nutritive role in the human diet

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