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Old Tue, Dec-18-18, 16:57
M Levac M Levac is offline
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Posts: 6,498
 
Plan: VLC, mostly meat
Stats: 202/200/165 Male 5' 7"
BF:
Progress: 5%
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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A quote from the Scientific American article, linked to in the main article, to support the argument that "The core concept behind paleo eating isn’t supported by science; our digestive systems aren’t comparable to those of our Paleolithic ancestors...":
Quote:
Such processed foods often offer less protein, fiber and iron than their unprocessed equivalents, and some are packed with sodium and preservatives that may increase the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
...
But the Paleo diet bans more than just highly processed junk foods—in its most traditional form, it prohibits any kind of food unavailable to stone age hunter–gatherers, including dairy rich in calcium, grains replete with fiber, and vitamins and legumes packed with protein.
...
Our gut bacteria interact with our food in many ways, helping us break down tough plant fibers, but also competing for calories.

I could argue here that the single most significant difference any two different guts could have is the ability to break down plant fiber. Ours doesn't have that, and if I take my crap as evidence (corn goes straight through intact, for example), neither do the microogranisms that live therein. So, whether our gut is comparable or not rests on that single difference.

Since our gut doesn't have that ability now, then the only way we can demonstrate that our gut is not comparable to theirs, would be if theirs had that ability, which would make them herbivores (like all hominids), not hunter-gatherers (like all homo sapiens). And the vague allusions to evolution of our gut (vague cuz no specifics that tie in to the other arguments, i.e. fiber therefore grains therefore official guidelines) is just flash, no substance.

Otherwise, yeah I agree, results is why it sticks around, just like Atkins et al. Indeed, if we point a finger at just one thing in common with all them diets that stick around, it's that they all omit refined grains and sugars to some extent.
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