Jeffrey Salazar
The hunter-gatherer diet has been a topic of interest for researchers curious about its impact on the human body. Jeff Leach, who has been living and working among the Hadza people, one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer groups in Africa, invited a colleague to test the effects of the diet on the body. The plan was for his colleague to spend three days eating like a hunter-gatherer while living with the Hadza. The Hadza diet consists of various meats, vegetables, and fruits, and a significant amount of honey. They also consume large amounts of fiber, about five times more than the average American adult. The effects of the diet on the body were measured by testing gut microbes before and after the three-day period. This experiment aimed to understand the impact of a short-term hunter-gatherer diet on gut health and overall health, given that the Hadza people are known for their healthy weight, body mass index, longevity, and low prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrates | High percentage |
| Fiber | High |
| Calories | Low |
| Physical Activity | High |
| Positive Mental Health | High |
| Gut Microbes | Improved diversity |
| Macronutrients | No standard pattern |
| Energy | Low |
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The Hadza diet
The Hadza are one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes in the world. They live in northeast Tanzania and are known for their healthy lifestyle and diet. The Hadza diet consists of various meats, vegetables, and fruits, and a significant amount of honey. They get 15-20% of their calories from honey, a simple carbohydrate. The diet also includes baobab fruit, which is packed with vitamins, fat, and fibre.
The Hadza have a high-fibre diet, with approximately 100 grams of fibre per day, about five times more than the average American adult. This contributes to strong microbiome health, helps avoid blood sugar spikes, and makes them feel full on fewer calories. The Hadza also consume about a third fewer calories per bite on average than people in industrialized societies.
The Hadza are always hunting and gathering their food, walking 8 to 12 kilometres per day, climbing trees, and digging for root vegetables. This active lifestyle, combined with their diet, contributes to their overall health and longevity. They maintain a healthy weight, body mass index, and walking speed throughout their adult lives, and commonly live into their 60s, 70s, and sometimes 80s, with very little to no cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
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Health benefits
The health benefits of a hunter-gatherer diet and lifestyle are evident when comparing the health of modern humans to that of our Paleolithic ancestors. Here are some of the key health benefits that can be observed within just three days of adopting such a diet:
Improved Gut Health
A diet rich in natural, whole foods like fruits, vegetables, roots, meats, and honey, as consumed by hunter-gatherers, promotes a healthy gut microbiome. This diverse gut microbiome is associated with a lower risk of obesity and various other diseases. The high fiber content in their diet, approximately 100 grams per day, contributes to better microbiome health and helps regulate blood sugar levels.
Weight Management
Hunter-gatherer diets tend to be naturally lower in calories due to the type of foods consumed and the physical activity required to obtain them. This calorie deficit can lead to weight loss and improved weight management. Additionally, the physical activity associated with the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, such as walking 8 to 12 kilometers daily and climbing trees, contributes to increased energy expenditure, further aiding in weight management.
Cardiovascular Health
The hunter-gatherer diet and lifestyle are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases. The combination of a nutrient-dense diet and regular physical activity helps maintain a healthy weight, body mass index, and walking speed throughout their adult lives. This lifestyle can lower the risk of developing cardiovascular issues that are prevalent in modern societies.
Longevity
Adopting a hunter-gatherer diet and lifestyle has been linked to increased longevity. The Hadza people, for example, commonly live into their 60s, 70s, and sometimes even reach their 80s. Their diet and physical activity habits contribute to their overall health and longevity, with a reduced risk of cardiovascular issues, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
Mental Health
While not directly observable within three days, the hunter-gatherer lifestyle is believed to positively impact mental health. The reduced stress associated with career and financial worries, the strong social connections with friends and family, and the time spent outdoors in natural environments are all factors that contribute to improved mental well-being.
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Physical activity
The Hadza, a hunter-gatherer group in northeast Tanzania, provide a good example of the physical activity levels of hunter-gatherers. They spend their days walking, climbing trees, and digging for roots, and they get 15 to 20% of their calories from honey. The Hadza maintain a healthy weight, body mass index, and walking speed throughout their adult lives, and they commonly live into their 60s, 70s, and sometimes 80s, with very little to no cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
The physical activity of hunter-gatherers can be contrasted with the sedentary lifestyle of modern humans, where the equivalent energy expenditure is often just moving groceries from the car to the house. The shift from hunter-gatherer to sedentary-agricultural societies has created evolutionary mismatches, and modern humans are likely poorly adapted to their environment in some ways. The complexity of movements and the range of motion required in hunter-gatherer activities are much greater than those in farm work or modern life, which has largely eliminated the need for daily physical exercise.
Hunter-gatherers would alternate between days of exertion and rest, as regular high-intensity exercise increased their risk of injury and illness, which could be devastating in the absence of modern medical practices. Their diet, which is high in fat and protein, allowed them to do aerobic work at a moderate intensity for extended periods of time, almost every day. While they were more physically fit than the average individual today, they likely could not outpace an Olympic endurance athlete.
The high levels of physical activity, along with a natural diet, contribute to the good health of hunter-gatherers. However, other factors such as a lifestyle that fosters positive mental health and a non-sterile outdoor lifestyle may also play a role.
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Carbohydrates
The carbohydrate content of hunter-gatherer diets can range from 3% to 50% of total energy intake, with a median and mode of 16%-22%. This variation is influenced by the availability of plant and animal foods, with hunter-gatherers generally consuming high amounts of animal food (45-65% of energy) and lower amounts of carbohydrates from plant foods. The type of carbohydrates consumed also varies, with some hunter-gatherer societies including starchy carbohydrates as their main crop.
The Hadza, a hunter-gatherer group in northeast Tanzania, provides an example of a high-carbohydrate diet. They consume various meats, vegetables, fruits, and a significant amount of honey, with 15-20% of their calories derived from this simple carbohydrate. Despite their high carbohydrate intake, the Hadza maintain healthy weights, body mass indexes, and walking speeds throughout their adult lives, with low rates of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
In contrast, hunter-gatherers living in tundra and northern coniferous forests have very low carbohydrate intake (≤15% of total energy). This is due to the limited availability of plant foods in these environments. Similarly, Alaskan Eskimos are estimated to obtain only 15-20% of their energy from carbohydrates, with a higher proportion derived from fat (50%) and protein (30-35%).
While modern nutrition is often associated with excessive carbohydrate intake, which can have noxious effects on health, the range of carbohydrate intake in hunter-gatherer diets is generally lower than the recommended amount for humans (45-65%). This suggests that hunter-gatherers obtain their energy from a variety of sources, including animal foods and, in some cases, honey.
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Gut microbes
The gut microbiome is a community of trillions of bacteria and fungi that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract, with most of this 1kg to 2kg "microbe organ" found in the colon. These microbes have a significant influence on metabolism, the immune system, and mood.
The Hadza people of Tanzania are one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer groups in Africa. Their diet includes more than 600 species of plants and animals and is one of the richest in the world in terms of gut microbe diversity.
Tim Spector, a genetic epidemiology professor at King's College London, joined his colleague Jeff Leach in Tanzania to study the Hadza people's gut microbiome. Spector already had a very healthy and diverse gut flora for a "civilized person". After just three days of eating with the Hadza, Spector's microbe diversity increased by 20%, including some novel African microbes. However, after returning home, his gut flora balance returned to what it was before the trip.
The results of this study suggest that diet is key to maintaining gut microbe diversity. For example, an undergraduate student who ate McDonald's for ten days experienced a significant drop in beneficial microbes after just four days. Similarly, other studies have shown that a diet high in "bad" fats can induce atherosclerosis when combined with a low colonic bacterial diversity gut.
To improve gut health, it is recommended to re-wild one's diet and lifestyle by being more adventurous in cuisine choices and reconnecting with nature and its associated microbial life.
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Frequently asked questions
A hunter-gatherer diet is one that is similar to that of our Paleolithic ancestors, consisting of food sourced entirely from the earth and wild animals. This typically includes meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and honey.
A hunter-gatherer diet is believed to improve gut health and overall health. The Hadza community in Tanzania, one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer groups in Africa, has the richest and most diverse gut health. They also maintain a healthy weight, body mass index, and walking speed throughout their adult lives, and commonly live into their 60s, 70s, and sometimes 80s, with very little to no cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
A hunter-gatherer diet requires a lot of self-control and a significant change in lifestyle. Social interactions may be limited as many social events revolve around food, and it may be difficult to find restaurants that cater to this diet. Additionally, modern farming has altered the nutritional value of crops, so it may be challenging to obtain the same nutrients as our ancestors.
