Hunter-gatherer diets and activity as a model for health promotion: Challenges, responses, and confirmations

Beginning in 1985, we and others presented estimates of hunter-gatherer (and ultimately ancestral) diet and physical activity, hoping to provide a model for health promotion. The Hunter-Gatherer Model was designed to offset the apparent mismatch between our genes and the current Western-type lifestyle, a mismatch that arguably affects prevalence of many chronic degenerative diseases. The effort has always been controversial and subject to both scientific and popular critiques. The present article (1) addresses eight such challenges, presenting for each how the model has been modified in response, or how the criticism can be rebutted; (2) reviews new epidemiological and experimental evidence (including especially randomized controlled clinical trials); and (3) shows how official recommendations put forth by governments and health authorities have converged toward the model. Such convergence suggests that evolutionary anthropology can make significant contributions to human health.

Automated summary

Beginning in 1985, estimates of hunter-gatherer diet and physical activity were presented to combat the impact of the Western lifestyle on chronic degenerative diseases. The Hunter-Gatherer Model has faced controversy and criticism, but this article addresses eight challenges by modifying the model and presents new evidence that supports its effectiveness. Furthermore, official recommendations have aligned with this model, demonstrating the significant contributions of evolutionary anthropology to human health.