Paleo Diet Analysis

I.

Introduction
The Paleo Diet, a low carb, low fat, high protein based diet, is one of the more interesting
diet to come out of the early 21st century. While similar in structure to any of the low carb
movements, this one has the peculiarity of claiming to be over ten thousand years old. Dr
Loren Cordain, the architect of The Paleo Diet, claims that our bodies evolved to conform
to the hunter-gatherer diet our genetically identical Paleolithic ancestors thrived on over
three hundred generations ago. He backs his claims with a body of research he made on
over two hundred modern hunter-gatherer cultures. In his first book, Cordain gives us a
promising image of Paleo man, munching on delicious lean meats like turkey, chicken,
omega 3 enriched eggs and lean beef. Nutrient dense leafy green vegetables like
asparagus and broccoli, as well as sweet and juicy fruits like bananas and strawberries
were frequently gathered by our cave man ancestors. These mighty hunters roamed the
ancient landscape, being long lived and disease free.
Was this a genuine image of Paleolithic humans? Of course not, and to his credit, Dr.
Cordain did try to reign in this romantic exaggeration in his revised materials. But by then the
damage was done, and people flocked to this new age lifestyle based on Cordains stylized
version of events. The Paleo Movement was well entrenched, with people filling blogs with low
carb recipies and exercise tips, and having people demonize bread or pulling cars to simulate
dragging mammoths our ancestors hunted. The Paleo Man became a mascot of all things we are
supposed to be doing to live healthier lives.
Just because the Paleo Diet is more fad than fact, does not mean that some of the basic
principles of the diet are not beneficial. It is true adopting a low carb diet is extremely well suited
for people with obesity or metabolic conditions like diabetes. The Paleo Diet has too many

inaccuracies and contradictions to be accepted as a Paleolithic diet model, but its fundamental
principles indicative of a low carb Ketogenic diet shows favorable overall improvement to
human health.
A. The popularity and results are indeed significant as research does indicate the diet low in
carbohydrates, high in protein and frequent physical activity
B. The Paleo Diet is has too many inaccuracies to be accepted as a Paleolithic diet model,but
its fundamental principles indicative of a low carb Ketogenic diet shows favorable overall
improvement to human health.
II.

Defining the Paleo Diet

A. Dr. Loren Cordain
1. Exercise physiology
2. Lacks education in archaeology, biological anthropology.
B. The diet
According to Cordain, author of The Paleo Diet, and according to his website the leading
authority on the Paleolithic diet:
We are returning to the diet we were genetically programmed to eat. The Paleo
Diet is more than a blast from the past. Its the key to speedy weight loss, effective
weight control, and above all, lifelong health. The Paleo Diet enlists the bodys
own mechanisms, evolved over millions of years, to put the brakes on weight gain
and the development of chronic diseases of civilization. It is the closest
approximation we can make, given the current scientific knowledge, to
humanitys original, universal diet the easy-to-follow, cravings-checking,
satisfying program that nature itself has devised. (Cordain, 2002).

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Simply put, The Paleo Diet supposedly is returning to the diet anatomically modern humans ate
in the Paleolithic era, approximately 10,000 years ago. This is important because Cordain asserts
that our DNA has evolved little from our ancestors a mere 333 generations ago (Cordain,
2010). What do Paleolithic people have to do with us? Actually, quite a bit. DNA evidence
shows that genetically, humans have hardly changed at all to be specific, the human genome has
changed less than 0.02 percent in 10,000 years. This means that the genome makeup of
Paleolithic people is virtually identical to our own (Cordain, 2002).
Foods on the diet
The Paleo Diet has a basic structure. 60% of your intake is lean protein, with
animals only from free-range, grass fed, or pasture raised. Game meat such as
venison, wild boar, squirrel and reindeer are highly recommended. My research
demonstrates that although there was no single Stone Age diet, animal food was
always favored over plant food. Our analysis of 229 hunter-gatherer societies showed
that animal foods composed about 60 percent of the total daily caloric intake
(Cordain, 2002). Also included by Cordain are Omega-3 enriched eggs. He is quite
fond of Omega-3 eggs, and only suggests only eating Omega-3 enriched eggs. He
fails to mention why exactly he makes this particular distinction, but it should be
noted that enriched eggs are not only unnatural, but he makes no connection with the
Paleolithic diet.
The balance of the Paleo Diet is made up of an indiscriminate amount of fruits
and vegetables. If you love fruit and are convinced it is making you fat, dont worry.
It wont make you fat on this diet, even in unlimited amounts (Cordain, 2002). He
makes no mention of the high caloric fructose content in fruits, and in fact heavily

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criticizes fructose in a different section of his book. In fact, he really makes no

mention of calorie limitations and only suggests to have just over half your calories
come from meat. He gives little limitations on vegetables, with the exception of corn
or potatoes. He also eliminates all legumes, including peanuts, beans and lentils.
Other than the modern nutritional issue of high glycemic, autoimmune or metabolic
issues related to their consumption, he claims, these foods were rarely on Stone Age
menus (Cordain, 2010).

3. Foods not allowed on the diet

The central themes of Cordain throughout both his 2002 book and the updated
material in his cookbook are that, Saturated fats are mostly bad. Theyre found in
meats and whole dairy products; most are known to raise cholesterol (Cordain
2002). This is also his reason for removing dairy from his Paleo Diet, as well as fatty
meats. He ties his claim of the dairy ban with, Paleolithic people ate no dairy food.
Imagine how difficult it would be to milk a wild animal, even if you could somehow
manage to catch one (Cordain, 2002). Cordain eliminates several food staples from
his Paleo Diet, including any cereal from the Agricultural age, including wheat, corn,
oats, and anything with a high carbohydrate profile. This also includes potatoes, but
allows limited quantities of yams or red potatoes, unless there is the presence of a
metabolic syndrome. Potatoes are excluded because they maintain high glycemic
loads that may adversely affect your blood sugar and insulin levels. Corn actually is
not a vegetable, but rather is a grain, and like all other grains was not a staple
component of preagricultural diets (Cordain, 2010). It is important to note that

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Cordain does not provide a Paleolithic or hunter-gatherer reason why potatoes are
excluded.

C. Presenting archaeological data of the Paleolithic Diet

1. The faunas of Hayonim Cave, Israel
2. Diet of upper paleolithic modern humans: Evidence from microwear texture
analysis
3. Holt, B. M. and Formicola, V. (2008), Hunters of the Ice Age: The biology of
Upper Paleolithic people. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., 137: 7099.
D.
III.

Arguments in support of the Paleo Diet

A. Earliest evidence for caries and exploitation of starchy plant foods in Pleistocene huntergatherers from Morocco (Humphrey, et al)
B. Low carbohydrate Ketogenic diet lowers body fat and increases muscle mass over high
carb athletes. It shows vast improvements in the VO2 max, a standard of athletic
endurance.

IV.

Arguments against the Paleo Diet

A. Adaptations that appear to be strongly genetic likely reflect Neolithic, rather than
Paleolithic, adaptations and are significantly influenced by human niche-constructing
behavior. (Turner & Thompson
B. It is not a Paleolithic diet, as the foods listed as paleo-friendly are the result of thousands
of years of agricultural adaptation.
1

Fruits, Vegetables and meats.

In reality, Paleolithic man had no luxury of domesticated animals like turkey and
chicken. Omega 3 enriched eggs being the result of, kelp in the feed [of chickens]
to boost levels of omega-3 fatty acids (Pollan 2006). As Paleolithic man did not
domesticate livestock or feed the animals they ate any modified diets, Omega 3

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enriched eggs were not on the menu. Nor were any domesticated animals that exist
today.
The wild fruits and vegetables Cordain speaks of that our ancestors ate are in no
resemblance to the fruits and vegetables that are the results of thousands of years of agricultural
engineering. In reality, the wild fruits and vegetables were bitter, small and had very little
nutrient value. For example, until agricultural cultivation, the banana was inedible. The banana
itself is a relatively new fruit, according to Prof. Edmond De Langhe, Founding Director of
INIBAP, Belgium, who states, The earliest written reference to banana is in Sanskrit and dates
back to around 500 BC (De Langhe, ). The plantain, a close relative to the banana, Plantain
must have reached Africa more than 3000 years ago (De Langhe). Still, the sources of both
these crops were of inedible, seedy things with very little pulp.
Broccoli is also on Cordains list of Paleo friendly foods (Cordain 2002, 2010). However,
our Paleolithic ancestors are long since removed from the origin of the nutrient dense, most
superior of vegetable, and not a wild source our most ancient hunter-gatherers would have had.
According to P.A. Buck, Department of Food Technology, University of California Berkeley,
This popular vegetable may have been known to the Greeks, 2,500 years ago. Present day
varieties have been developed principally from forms that have arisen in Italy in the past 2,000
years (Buck 250). Including all sources of healthy fruits and vegetables are excellent in ones
diet, but to insist this is what our ancestors ate 10,000 years ago is ludicrous.

C. Cordains research into modern hunter gatherers show a more diverse selection of
carbohydrates and starches than allowed on his Paleo Diet still have the same health
benefits.

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However, according to a paper co-authored by Cordain, the amount of kilo-calories in

grains and legumes (another food that should be severely limited or removed) is
relatively large. Starchy roots yielded 1200 6300 kilocalories, and grass seeds, acorns,
and pine nuts were consumed in the amounts of 4000+ kilocalories (Cordain et al. S45).

V.

My Opinion of the Paleo Diet

D. The fundamental argument of Cordains document is our virtually unchanged genome
from our Paleolithic Anatomically Modern Humans, and thus only should eat high
protein, low carbohydrate diet as hunter-gatherers.
1. Neolithic adaptations to food
A more direct contradiction to Cordains assertion that our genetic makeup hasnt
changed since Paleolithic times exists in the form of our modern bodies ability to
consume milk. A study led by Joachim Burger of the Institute of Archaeology at Mainz
University in Germany, and reported by National Geographic News reveals:
The vast majority of adult Europeans were lactose intolerant as recently as 7,000 years
ago milk drinkers became widespread in Europe only after dairy farming had become
established thereMost mammals lose their ability to digest milk after being weaned,
but some humans can continue to benefit from the calcium-rich, high-energy liquid
This is because they carry a mutation that lets them continue producing lactase, the gut
enzyme needed to break down the milk sugar lactose, in adulthood. (Owen)
However, we can see that our genetic structure adapts to many things, including diet.
Such is the case of the assertions of C. Naugler of the Department of Laboratory
Medicine, Dalhousie University. He proposes:
Hereditary hemochromatosis and in particular the common HFE C282Y mutation may
represent an adaptation to decreased dietary iron in cereal grain-based Neolithic diets.
Both homozygous and heterozygous carriers of the HFE C282Y mutation have increased

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iron stores and therefore possessed an adaptive advantage under Neolithic conditions
(Naugler, 2007).
Essentially, as our hunter gatherer went from a high iron diet in meats to a lower iron
grain based diet; the aforementioned mutation increased their stores of iron and prevented
the iron deficiency disease of hemochromatosis.
These two mutations completely contradict Cordains assertions that our genetics have
remained relatively stagnant since Paleolithic times. In fact, mutations show that even as
recent as 6,000 years ago, our ancestors genetic predispositions to food evolved as our
food sources became more abundant and diversified.

E. While a carbohydrate profile much lower than the Western American diet consistently
shows vast improvements in health, the diet restrictions in the Paleo Diet appear largely
arbitrary and even contradict each other
2

Contradicts saturated fat content

Cordain contradicts himself on the topic of saturated fats. On the one hand, he outrights
says, yet he also discusses how Paleolithic man did indeed find more benefits in taking down red
meat animals like mammoths, Large animals like deer and cows (for Paleolithic people,
mammoths and wild horses) contain more fat and less protein than smaller animalsyou would
not develop protein toxicity because youd be protected by the deers [or mammoths] higher fat
content (Cordain 44). So saturated fat is bad on page 17, but on page 44 it is beneficial against
contracting protein toxicity.

4. Fructose
More contradictions from Cordain come when he speaks of sugar. He finds some
academic source, apparently to back up his claims of the evils of fructose, Research at the

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University of Lausanne Medical School in Switzerland, by Dr. Luc Tappy and colleagues,
showing that fructose can cause insulin resistance in humans. Insulin resistance, in turn, often
promotes obesity and the chronic diseases of Syndrome X including hypertension, heart
disease, and diabetes (Cordain 2002). He must not realize that fruit is primarily made up of
fructose, because he then states, If you love fruit and are convinced it is making you fat, dont
worry. It wont make you fat on this diet, even in unlimited amounts (Cordain, 2010). So
fructose can cause insulin resistance, which promotes obesity, but eating fruit which is made up
of fructose in unlimited amounts wont make you fat.

VI.

Conclusion
A. The inconsistencies of the Paleo Diet make it a fundamentally flawed concept. The
fundamental low carbohydrate Ketogenic diet of which the Paleo Diet really is shows
consistently to improve human health. There is no reason to eliminate certain foods even
if Paleolithic humans didnt generally eat them, as our digestive system will adapt to
foods in agriculture, pastoralism and horticulture.

References
Cordain, L. (2002). The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were
Designed to Eat. New York, NY: J. Wiley.
Cordain, L. and Stephenson, N. (2010) The Paleo Diet Cookbook: More Than 150 Recipes for
Paleo Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, Snacks, and Beverages. Boston, MA: Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt.

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Cordain, L. (2016). The Paleo DietTM. Fort Collins, CO: The Paleo Diet, LLC. Thepaleodiet.com.
Cordain, L. (2016). Loren Cordain, Ph.D. Curriculum Vitae. Fort Collins, CO: The Paleo Diet,
LLC. Thepaleodiet.com
Cordain, L. et al. (2002). The Paradoxical Nature of Hunter-gatherer Diets: Meat-based, Yet
Non-atherogenic." European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 56, Suppl 1.
Humphreys, L. et al. (2013). Earliest evidence for caries and exploitation of starchy plant foods
in Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from Morocco. PNAS Volume 111 number 3.
Itan, Y. et al. (2009). The Origins of Lactase Persistence in Europe. PLoS Computational
Biology. Volume 5 | Issue 8 | e1000491

Naugler, C. (2007). Hemochromatosis: A Neolithic Adaptation to Cereal Grain Diets. Medical

Hypotheses, Issue 70.
Phinney, S. (2004). Ketogenic diets and physical performance. Nutrition & Metabolism, Volume
1, Number 1.
Pollan, M. (2006). The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York, N.Y.:
Penguin.

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