Experts warn mixing modern diet with ancient genes is a recipe for chronic disease

World renowned nutrition and anthropology experts warn that chronic diseases, from Obesity and Coronary Heart Disease to Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension, are the result of a lethal mix of our ancient genes with our modern diet.

This bold new theory will be presented in Sydney today (Wednesday, November 23) at a seminar where nutrition professionals, academics and researchers will hear how our ancient genes simply can’t keep pace with our rapidly evolving food supply and the nutritional changes it brings.

Professor Loren Cordain, Colorado State University and co-author of the new study, 'Origins and evolution of the western diet: health implications for the 21st century', outlines how modern humans are still based genetically on the dietary pattern our hunter-gatherer ancestors survived on millions of years ago.

Processed foods were first introduced into our diet with the arrival of agriculture, around 10,000 years ago, resulting in the significant shift away from a strict omnivore diet of lean meat and plants.

"Approximately 75 per cent of the energy consumed in our modern diet now comes from foods which have no resemblance to those we ate pre-agriculture. These 'new' foods include refined cereals, refined sugars, refined vegetable oils and alcohol," said Prof Cordain.

This theory is backed by anthropological nutrition expert, Professor Michael Richards of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, whose research, as documented in his paper 'A brief review of the archaeological evidence for Palaeolithic and Neolithic subsistence', has uncovered direct evidence of this switch.

"The introduction of agriculture allowed for the major expansion of our species, both geographically and in population, but at a price of poorer health and ultimately serious health implications in the form of chronic diseases," said Prof Richards.

"Our diets have evolved over the past four million years to be largely based on fresh fruit, vegetables, lean red meat and seafood which can be directly linked to morphological changes, namely decreased mandible size and an increase in brain size."

"The best explanation of these changes is the increased consumption of nutrient rich food such as meat. As such our omnivorous adaptation has been a key factor in our evolution and success as a species," added Prof Richards.

The visiting experts urge all Australians to include more natural foods in their diet by making better use of the access we have to good quality lean red meat, fresh fruit and vegetables as well as seafood in keeping with our evolutionary instinct and to help maintain better health.