Neanderthin
As a young man Ray Audette was stricken first
with rheumatoid arthritis and then with diabetes—
autoimmune diseases that are prevalent only in agri-
cultural societies. A non-scientist, Audette spent 15
years researching and experimenting with diets that
would improve his health. He self-publishedNean-
der-thin: A Caveman’s Guide to Nutritionin 1996.
While Audette helped to popularize the paleo diet,
his ideas were not new. Herodotus espoused the benefits
of a paleo diet in the fifth century B.C. The concept was
revived during the nineteenth century by William Bant-
ing and James Salisbury, who ground up cheap beef cuts
with fat to make ‘Salisbury steak.’ In the early twentieth
century the Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson lived
with the Inuit and adopted and publicized their all-meat
diet. Buckminster Fuller adopted a low-carbohydrate
diet on the theory that nature utilizes energy most effi-
ciently and that vegetables and animal protein are the
most concentrated sources of food energy.In 1985 S. B. Eaton and Melvin Konner published
an article in theNew England Journal of Medicinereport-
ing that, compared to our modern diet, the paleo diet
had far more:
fiber
iron
calcium
folate
essential fatty acids;
and far less:
sugar
salt
saturated fats.
They concluded: ‘The diet of our remote ances-
tors may be a reference standard for modern human
nutrition and a model for defense against certain ‘dis-
eases of civilization.’’ Although initially met with rid-
icule, this work opened up new avenues of nutritionKEY TERMS
Antigen—A substance that is foreign to the body and
invokes an immune response.
Antioxidant—A substance such as vitamin C or beta-
carotene that inhibits oxidation—reactions pro-
moted by oxygen and peroxides—and that may
help protect the body against the damaging effects
of free radicals.
Autoimmune disease—A disease caused by the
body’s own immune system.
Diabetes mellitus—A disorder of carbohydrate
metabolism caused by a combination of hereditary
and environmental factors and characterized by the
inadequate secretion or utilization of insulin, leading
to excessive sugar in the blood.
Glycemic index—GI; a measure of the rate at which
an ingested carbohydrate raises the glucose level in
the blood.
HDL cholesterol—High-density lipoprotein; ‘good’
cholesterol that helps protect against heart disease.
Homocysteine—An amino acid product of animal
metabolism that at high blood levels is associated
with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
LDL cholesterol—Low-density lipoprotein; ‘bad’
cholesterol that can clog arteries.
Lectins—Plant proteins that bind to carbohydrate-
containing receptors on cell surfaces.Omega-3 fatty acids—A type of polyunsaturated
fatty acids that appear to be beneficial for the heart.
Paleolithic—Human cultures of the Pleistocene
epoch, from about one million to 10,000 years ago.
Pemmican—Dried meat pounded into a powder and
mixed with hot fats and dried fruits or berries to make
a loaf or small cakes.
Phytate—Phytic acid; an acid in cereal grains that
interferes with the intestinal absorption of minerals
such as calcium and magnesium.
Phytochemicals—Compounds in plants such as car-
otenoids and phytosterols.
Rheumatoid arthritis—A chronic autoimmune dis-
ease that is characterized by pain, stiffness, inflam-
mation, and possible destruction of joints.
Saturated fats—Fats found in animal products and in
coconut and palm oils that are a major dietary cause
of high LDL.
Triglycerides—Neutral fat; lipids formed from one
glycerol molecule and three fatty acids that are wide-
spread in adipose tissue and circulate in the blood as
lipoproteins.
Unsaturated fats—Fats that help to lower blood cho-
lesterol; olive and canola oils are monounsaturated
fats; fish, safflower, sunflower, corn, and soybean
oils are polyunsaturated fats.Neanderthin