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39Paleo Diet - Scientific Rationale, Proven Health Benefits, Advantages and Disadvantages
Eliseeva Tatyana, editor-in-chief of the EdaPlus.info project
Tkacheva Natalia, phytotherapist, nutritionist
E-mail: eliseeva.t@edaplus.info, tkacheva.n@edaplus.info
Abstract . Lauren Cordain, a Paleolithic nutrition researcher, claims that you can shed extra pounds, reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other health problems by following a diet like in the Stone Age. This diet includes plenty of meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats such as olive and coconut oil. Eliminate processed foods from the diet. At the same time, you will lose weight without reducing the calorie intake.
Keywords: paleo diet , benefits, harms, beneficial properties, contraindications
What is the paleo diet?
This is a diet plan based on foods similar to those that could be consumed during the Paleolithic era - a period between 2.5 million and 10 thousand years ago. Includes plenty of lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds—foods that could be hunted and gathered. At the same time, products that appeared in the diet during the era of agricultural development are excluded - dairy products, legumes and cereals. There are such names as the Paleolithic diet, the Paleolithic diet, the Stone Age diet, the hunter-gatherer diet, the caveman diet .
There is no scientific justification for the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the diet of ancient people. As a guideline, you can take 20-40% of calories for carbohydrates, the rest falls on proteins and fats.
The Goal of the Paleo Diet
The goal of the paleo diet is to return to a diet similar to what early humans ate. According to the Dissonance Hypothesis, the human body does not conform to modern eating style. Farming has changed the diet of people, bringing in dairy products, grains and legumes. [one]
Most of the foods typical of the modern Western diet have only been introduced in the last 100-200 years. These are vegetable oils, refined sugar and flour, and other processed foods. For example, refined flour did not appear until after the invention of steel roller mills in the late 1800s. Varieties of
cereals with a high content of gluten have also been bred relatively recently. About 70% of the modern diet appeared only during the life of the last few generations. From the point of view of evolution, this is a very short time for our bodies to learn how to properly digest these foods. It contributes to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The paleo diet has a therapeutic effect on metabolic diseases, autoimmune disorders, and mental
health. Since the diet is anti-inflammatory in nature, it has a positive effect on most chronic diseases.
[2]
Story
The paleo diet became known after 2011, before that almost no one had heard of it. What are its origins?
Since 1981, Lauren Cordain, PhD, has studied in the Department of Health and Physical Education at Colorado State University how diet and exercise affect athletic performance and fitness. The impetus in a new direction for his research was Dr. Bond Eaton's classic scientific paper on the nature and consequences of Paleolithic nutrition in 1985. [3]
Thus, hunter-gatherers of the Stone Age did not consume cereal crops until they learned how to farm. They also did not drink milk and did not consume dairy products. Soon, the negative health effects of grain crops became an obvious and researched topic. [4] Since then, hundreds, if not thousands, of scientists, doctors, and people have been exploring the idea of the paleo diet and lifestyle. However, the origins of this system are believed to be Charles Darwin's famous On the Origin of Species, published in 1859. But Darwin's theory didn't apply to nutrition until 1985.
Observations on the diet and health of numerous non-Western populations, including Amazon Indians, Alaska Eskimos, Australian Aborigines, Canadian Indians, Polynesians, and African tribes, were made in the 1920s and 1930s. The perfect health of people has been recorded until processed foods became available to them. With the penetration of modern eating style into non-Western societies, their health steadily declined. This is true even today.
The basis and logic of the paleo diet concept is a newly recognized discipline called Darwinian medicine. Its main idea is: "Human biology corresponds to the conditions of the Stone Age. The modern environment causes many diseases."
Lauren Cordain's paleo diet was first published in 2002. By that time, thousands of scientific papers had independently confirmed that certain principles of the paleo diet normalized body weight and improved health and well-being.
Low glycemic load diets improve health and promote weight loss. High protein diets are an effective strategy for improving blood chemistry and weight loss. Omega-3 fats improve health and wellness in every imaginable way. But at the same time, the combination of all the nutritional characteristics of the diet has not yet been considered by anyone. Whether a diet with all these principles was healthy - in 2002 there was no scientific answer yet. [5]
And only 22 years after the work of Dr. Eaton, multiple studies were conducted that confirmed the effectiveness of the paleo diet as a complex of factors. In 2007, Dr. Lindeberg's research team compared the effectiveness of the paleo diet and the Mediterranean diet. Both diets were found to have a positive effect on blood glucose tolerance, a risk factor for heart disease, but the results were better on the paleo diet. In 2010, the same experiment found that the Paleo diet was more satiating at baseline
calories than the Mediterranean diet because it had a stronger effect on leptin, a hormone that regulates appetite and body weight. [6]
Basic Principles of the Paleo Diet
1. Eat foods that humans have evolved for thousands of years.
2. Paleo foods are more loaded with vitamins, minerals, and organic compounds than "empty" calories.
3. A minimum of attention to the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the diet. Just eat healthy food.
4. Reduced hunger signals. The body receives the products it needs and insulin fluctuations stabilize. You get more energy, reduce food cravings and reduce the calorie content of food. This will make it easier to control your weight.
5. Dips in energy are reduced as you eat foods with a lower glycemic load.
6. Contrary to popular belief, the paleo diet is not based on eating meat. [8] Although not vegetarian, it is plant-based in volume - vegetables, fruits, seeds, and a moderate amount of nuts.
7. Nutrient balance. The ratio of sodium to potassium for optimal health should be 1:2, while in the modern diet it is close to 10:1. [8] This imbalance causes acidification of the body and negative conditions, such as osteoporosis and others. In the paleo diet, both sodium-potassium and magnesium-calcium are in the optimal proportion.
8. The optimal ratio of fatty acids. A diet based on fish, fresh lean meats, wholesome vegetables and fruits provides an optimal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. [9]
9. Alignment of acid-base balance. A high ratio of sodium and potassium is the reason for the imbalance of this ratio. This leads to inflammatory reactions and contributes to osteoporosis.
[ten]
10. Elimination of substances with a "doubtful" reputation - antinutrients. These include gluten, phytates, tannins, lectins, oxalates, and saponins. [11] They are sourced from wheat and rye crops, nuts, seeds and whole grains, legumes, nightshade. Tiny molecules of these substances effectively evade the defense mechanisms of our intestines, increasing its permeability and causing serious illness if eaten raw. Soaking and cooking grains and seeds eliminates many, but not all, of the negative effects of these substances. Regular consumption of them causes chronic inflammatory reactions leading to inflammatory diseases such as autoimmune conditions and cancer. [1] The Paleo diet excludes many of these.
Benefits of the Paleo Diet
Compared to diets based on fruits, vegetable oil, whole grains, legumes, and dairy products, the paleo diet may have benefits such as:
• faster weight loss;
• improved glucose tolerance;
• better blood pressure control;
• lower triglyceride levels (as part of cholesterol);
• better appetite control.
What Health Problems Can a Paleolithic Diet Help to Solve?
• Type 2 diabetes
Comparisons were made between a paleo diet and an American Diabetes Association-based diet containing whole grains and legumes, low-fat dairy products, and moderate salt intake for three weeks.
The groups on both diets had improvements in metabolic measurements, the paleo group showed better control of glucose levels and lipid profile. Insulin sensitivity also improved significantly, which was not observed in the second group. [12]
However, long-term consumption of red meat, which the paleo diet allows, can negatively affect cardiovascular health. In diabetic patients, this is a vulnerable area. Therefore, a mandatory consultation of the attending physician about the ratio of possible benefits and risks is necessary.
• Autoimmune diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
The paleo diet helps to reduce inflammatory reactions, eliminates substances that cause irritation and swelling of the intestines. However, hunter-gatherer diets are missing many important elements, so more research is needed to confirm long-term effectiveness in autoimmune diseases. [13]
• Weight loss
The paleo diet is not a quick weight loss method. It is rather the principles of nutrition for a long period, perhaps for life. There are no "empty" calories and sweets in the diet, fast foods and trans fats are excluded - this will certainly allow you to get rid of extra pounds. Minimal salt intake reduces the likelihood of puffiness, which is often perceived as being overweight.
Most paleo diet foods are low glycemic. As a result, insulin fluctuations are stabilized. You are not subject to energy dips and unreasonable hunger. Food saturates more effectively, there is no need to eat a larger portion with a higher calorie content.
• Normalization of blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.
Compliance with a paleo diet in groups of healthy people, women with an increased body mass index in menopause, patients with type 2 diabetes for 2-5 weeks leads to an improvement in blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, waist circumference and other cardiovascular risk factors. [fourteen]
What can you eat on a paleo diet?
• Nutrition should be based on whole, unprocessed paleo foods. It can be:
• Meat, ideally fed in natural conditions: pork, beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, etc.; hunting animals: wild boar, venison, roe deer, bison, quail, black grouse, partridge, etc.
• Fish and seafood, if possible wild catch: trout, salmon, haddock, shellfish, shrimp and others.
• Eggs. Free-range, pasture-raised or reared omega-3 fortified eggs are recommended.
• Vegetables: cabbage, peppers, carrots, onions, broccoli , tomatoes, pumpkin, asparagus, etc.
• Fruits and berries: citrus fruits, apples, pears, bananas, mangoes, figs, strawberries, blueberries and many others.
• Root vegetables: sweet potato (sweet potato), yams, turnips, white potatoes (limited).
• Nuts and seeds: walnuts, hazelnuts (hazelnuts), almonds, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and many others.
• Healthy fats and oils: avocado and avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, and nut oil.
[15,16]
What Should You Avoid on the Paleo Diet?
• Sugar and fructose syrups, foods high in these ingredients: sweets, candies, ice cream, fruit juices and soft drinks, etc.
• Artificial sweeteners: saccharin, acesulfame potassium, cyclamates, sucralose, aspartame. Give preference to natural sweeteners: stevia, erythritol, xylitol.
• Milk and dairy products. Some "softer" versions of the paleo diet allow full-fat dairy products such as butter and cheese.
• Many vegetable oils: sunflower, corn, grape, soybean, cottonseed, safflower and others.
• Trans fats: hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated margarines and products containing them.
• Legumes: soybeans, beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, mung beans, etc.
• Cereals: bread, cereals and pasta made from wheat, barley, rye, spelt, buckwheat, quinoa and others.
• Highly processed foods or with a lot of additives. Everything that is produced in factory conditions is better not to use.
What can you drink on a paleo diet
The ideal drink suitable for a person is pure water. Ancient people quenched their thirst with water - so ordinary water should make up the majority of the fluid consumed. Lemon or lime juice can be added to add flavor. It is also acceptable to drink mineral and coconut water. [17]
Drinking tea is allowed - green tea is considered the most useful. Coffee contains powerful antioxidants and if you tolerate caffeine well, then this drink is quite acceptable on a paleo diet.
How strict is the paleo diet?
The paleo diet is a set of nutritional principles, not a rigid set of rules. When transitioning to a paleo diet, "open meals," as Cordain calls them, are allowed. You can eat whatever you want 3 times a week or, with more strict observance, once a week.
Some versions of the Stone Age diet allow for quality vegetable oil and some gluten-free grains such as rice.
In small quantities, high-quality red wine is allowed due to the high content of antioxidants.
According to Cordain, ancient people may have consumed some sort of fermented beverage, although they did not have access to alcohol in its modern form. [17]
Not often, but you can still treat yourself to high-quality dark chocolate with a cocoa content of at least 70%.
Controversial Paleo Foods
white potatoes
It all depends on whether you follow a strict paleo diet or not. Of course potatoes_didn't exist at that time.
But should it be limited in the modern paleo diet?
Potatoes are very rich in carbohydrates, but there is nothing wrong with this for a healthy active person. Carbohydrates themselves are not dangerous unless accompanied by gluten, as in wheat, or phytic acid, as in other grains. They don't exist in potatoes.
Also, potatoes are not much inferior in nutritional value to their "brother" sweet potato, unconditionally allowed in the diet of the Stone Age.
The glycemic index of white potatoes is higher than that of sweet ones, but a moderate serving of potatoes will not harm a healthy person.
Potatoes belong to the nightshade family, which contain glycoalkaloids. This is bad for people with autoimmune diseases and leaky gut syndrome.
If all the above problems are not about you, then there is nothing wrong with eating white potatoes. Just keep it simple meals with healthy fats and proteins, and not a bag of chips or huge portions of french fries. [eighteen]
Buckwheat grain
Buckwheat is technically a seed, much like sunflower seeds, but classified as a grain. These are the seeds of melliferous flowers related to rhubarb and not related to wheat. They were first grown back in 6000 BC. Buckwheat contains a lot of starch, essential amino acids and does not contain gluten. This makes it an essential ingredient in gluten-free cooking. Buckwheat is also ground into flour, used for baking or gluten-free soba noodles.
And despite this, buckwheat is still not a paleo product. Grains are not considered paleo due to their phytate and saponin content. The use of buckwheat is allowed at the beginning of the transition to a paleo diet or in its soft versions. This is definitely more useful than products made from white wheat flour, because there is no gluten in buckwheat. But in strict adherence to the caveman diet, it is worth using alternatives. These include tapioca flour, almond flour, coconut flour, or psyllium flour, as well as grain-free Asian noodles made from sweet potatoes or tapioca. [19]
Rice
Rice is traditionally associated with traditional Japanese cuisine. The Japanese are known for longevity and good health, but these associations alone do not make rice a healthy food for the paleo diet. After all, rice is a grain. And grains are not paleo.
But it's not that simple.
Not all low carb foods are paleo, and not all paleo foods need to be low carb. Grains are not bad because they have carbohydrates. They do not meet the requirements of the paleo diet due to the content of various antinutrients that people are unable to digest without harming their intestines. We have already seen this in the example of buckwheat.
Antinutrients were created by Nature to protect grain from sunlight, insects and mold. These substances are found in the outer shell of the grain. It contains not only all the micronutrients of the plant, but also all potentially toxic compounds for humans. Therefore, brown brown rice is not a paleo product.
The inside of a grain of rice is almost pure starch. It contains almost no nutrients, but also no toxins. It is a pure carbohydrate and free of antinutrients and intestinal irritants, so white rice can be considered a paleo food.
Of course, white rice contains almost no micronutrients, and a diet completely devoid of micronutrients is not very suitable for the paleo protocol. But coconut oil, for example, also contains
no micronutrients, but is an undeniable paleo product. We eat this product not for enrichment with vitamins and minerals, but as a clean source of energy.
Similarly, white rice can be a source of carbohydrates in case you are gaining weight and need extra calories.
But if you prefer to give up rice altogether, then you are right to do so, because. white rice is not an obligatory and necessary product of the diet of hunter-gatherers. [twenty]
Disadvantages of the Paleo Diet
• The main difference between the paleo diet and other healthy diets is the absence of whole grains and legumes, recognized as a source of fiber, vitamins and other nutrients. Also missing are dairy products, which are considered good sources of protein and calcium.
• These foods are considered healthier and more affordable than bushmeat, wild animals, and nuts. Therefore, sticking to a paleo diet can be costly and difficult to obtain.
• Abundant consumption of animal protein can worsen the condition of the kidneys and the course of other diseases in which it is necessary to limit proteins in the diet.
• Excessive consumption of animal protein stimulates the release of insulin-like growth factor-1 in the body. During infancy and childhood, this hormone stimulates growth. But in adulthood, it accelerates aging and has been linked to the development of cancer.
• Also, if you do not choose exclusively lean meat, then there is a risk of eating a lot of saturated fat, which harms the cardiovascular system.
To date, there are no long-term clinical studies on the benefits and potential risks of the diet. You can certainly achieve the same health benefits if you exercise enough and eat a balanced, healthy diet with plenty of vegetables and fruits. [one]
The dangers of the Paleo diet
In 2016, a group of scientists in Australia conducted a study on the impact of a paleo diet on a group of healthy people of different ages from 18 to 70 years old, published in the European Journal of Nutrition in 2019.
The researchers found that all paleo groups had elevated blood levels of trimethylamine N-oxide. In other studies, experts have identified a clear relationship between elevated titers of this compound and a high risk of major cardiovascular events. [22]
Initially, it is produced in the intestines and depends on the intestinal microflora and diet. The population of beneficial bacterial species in the gut microflora was reduced when eating a paleo diet. Researchers attribute this to reduced carbohydrate intake and a complete ban on whole grains. Whole grains are a source of resistant starch and other fermentable fibers that are vital to the gut microbiome. Disturbance of the intestinal microflora can have long-term negative health consequences.
The lack of whole grains in the diet has changed the bacterial population so that wenghella bacteria, which produce trimethylamine N-oxide, have received higher concentrations. Similarly, consumption of red meat provides precursor compounds for the synthesis of the discovered compound. [22]
Scientists have concluded that for the health of the intestines and the cardiovascular system, components of various fibers are required, including whole grains.
Literature
1. Nutrition and healthy eating Print, source
2. The Paleo Diet® Premium, Source
3. paleolithic nutrition. A consideration of its nature and current implications, source
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5. A Brief History of the Contemporary Paleo Diet Movement, source
6. Lindeberg S, Jonsson T, Granfeldt Y, Borgstrand E, Soffman J, Sjostrom K, Ahren B: A Palaeolithic diet improves glucose tolerance more than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischaemic heart disease. Diabetologia 2007, 50(9):1795-1807
7. Meat vs. Vegetables: Chef Cat Cora, Dr. Loren Cordain, and Dr T. Colin Campbell Argue Their Stances On Animal Versus Plant-Based Diets, source
8. The Sodium to Potassium Ratio in Cheese: Clearly, a Non-Paleo Food, source
9. Omega-3 vs. Omega-6: Rethinking the Hypothesis, source
10. New studies on salt: Adverse influence upon immunity, inflammation and autoimmunity, source
11. Lectins, Phytates, and the Real Deal with Antinutrients, source
12. Metabolic and physiologic effects from consuming a hunter-gatherer (Paleolithic)-type diet in type 2 diabetes, source
13. Paleo Autoimmune Protocol for RA, source
14. 5 Studies on the Paleo Diet - Does It Work?, source
15. The Paleo Diet - A Beginner's Guide Plus Meal Plan, source
16. The Paleo Diet: How It Works, What to Eat, and the Risks, source
17. What Drinks Are Allowed in the Paleo Diet?, source
18. ARE WHITE POTATOES PALEO?, source
19. IS BUCKWHEAT PALEO?, source
20. ALL ABOUT RICE, source
21. The role of trimethylamine N-oxide in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases, source
22. Long-term Paleolithic diet is associated with lower resistant starch intake, different gut microbiota composition and increased serum TMAO concentrations, source
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Paleo Diet - Full Description, History, Fundamentals and Scientific Evidence, Proven Health Benefits, Advantages and Disadvantages, Diet Formulation Tips
Eliseeva Tatyana, editor-in-chief of the project EdaPlus.info
Tkacheva Natalia, phytotherapist, nutritionist
E-mail: eliseeva.t@edaplus.info, tkacheva.n@edaplus.info
Received 17.05.2021
Abstract : The paleo diet is based on the dietary principles of stone age hunter-gatherers. There is no one hard diet plan. The main idea of the diet is to ditch processed and dairy products, grains and sugar in favor of lean meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, moderate amounts of seeds and nuts, as well as healthy fats and some vegetable oils. The modern paleo diet allows for gluten-free grains, white potatoes, white rice, and occasional red wine and dark chocolate.
