Reply Mon 6 Jan, 2014 06:01 pm
http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/01/06/13-18176large1-aed525776c5523f72f90c6055158a1e7c5fa3f4a-s4-c85.jpg
One of the hinge points in human history was the invention of agriculture. It led to large communities, monumental architecture and complex societies. It also led to tooth decay.

When hunter-gatherers started adding grains and starches to their diet, it brought about the "age of cavities." At least that's what a lot of people thought. But it turns out that even before agriculture, what hunter-gatherers ate could rot their teeth.

The evidence comes from a cave in Morocco — the Cave of the Pigeons, it's called — where ancient people lived and died between 12,000 and 15,000 years ago. These were hunters and gatherers; they didn't grow stuff. And what was astonishing to scientists who've studied the cave people was the condition of their teeth.

"Basically, nearly everybody in the population had caries," or tooth decay, says Louise Humphrey, a paleo-anthropologist with the Natural History Museum in London.

Anthropologists say early humans who hunted and gathered had longer jaws to hold all those teeth.
The Salt
Farm-Fresh Food May Have Shaped The Modern Mouth
Humphrey says 94 percent of the more than 50 people from the cave she studied had serious tooth decay. "I was quite surprised by that," says Humphrey. "I haven't seen that extent of caries in other ancient populations.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/01/06/260185944/looks-like-the-paleo-diet-wasnt-so-hot-for-ancient-hunters-teeth?utm_content=socialflow&utm_campaign=nprfacebook&utm_source=npr&utm_medium=facebook
  • Topic Stats
  • Top Replies
  • Link to this Topic
Type: Discussion • Score: 4 • Views: 2,219 • Replies: 3
No top replies

 
Jpsy
 
  1  
Reply Tue 7 Jan, 2014 07:46 am
@edgarblythe,
That's interesting because I just listened to some quack dietician who said cavities were solely the result of our modern diets. He even cherry picked some examples to prove his point but I was skeptical. It's interesting that this 12,000-15,000 year old hunter gatherers had cavities given that their average life span my have been less than 30. I'm a 35 year old who occasionally eats candy and occasionally drinks soda and I've never had a cavity.
0 Replies
 
tsarstepan
 
  2  
Reply Wed 13 Apr, 2016 06:54 pm
@edgarblythe,
Very old diet emerges...
https://youtu.be/Qzjggcb3q6E
shanel1234
 
  1  
Reply Mon 2 May, 2016 01:28 am
@tsarstepan,
That could be helpful then.
0 Replies
 
 

Related Topics

New Propulsion, the "EM Drive" - Question by TomTomBinks
The Science Thread - Discussion by Wilso
Why do people deny evolution? - Question by JimmyJ
Are we alone in the universe? - Discussion by Jpsy
Fake Science Journals - Discussion by rosborne979
Controvertial "Proof" of Multiverse! - Discussion by littlek
 
  1. Forums
  2. » Paleo Diet
Copyright © 2024 MadLab, LLC :: Terms of Service :: Privacy Policy :: Page generated in 0.07 seconds on 12/14/2024 at 04:15:19