Bio4 Lifestyle and Human Biology

-seasonal avail of plants
--variety in the diet
-diet changed with the seasons
not always great access to food
-was adapted an ability to store fat

a diet that changed with the seasons and not always having great access to

- 60,000 yrs

-10 million

-6-7 billion

-10 thousand years ago.

Lots of opportunities for microorganisms to pass amongst us

They had sophisticated stone tools. They processed plant and animal food to make it easier to digest. They cooked their food.

They worked hard
They were physically active

They worked 2.5 days per week (8 hr days) to get necessary food for survival (not very long compared to today)

The elderly were revered, honored for their knowledge and important for the survival of the group. (they might recall draught 30 yrs ago and how they survived for ex)

The groups were multigenerational unlike now when we isolate our old.

40% of kids died by age 1.

if you survived infancy and juvenile age, people did live into their 80's.

Low fat! grubs and bone marrow
Animals they ate were low fat unlike the ones we eat.
Low levels of salt and sugar
70% of diet came from plant food. (over 200 species) root veggies nuts fruits and NO grain. Our diet now is carbs of grain and corn.
30% of diet, insects, small vertebrates

No rise in blood pressure
No evidence of atherosclerosis
No death from diabetes
No obesity
Low chronic diseases

Leading cause Infectious disease and accidents
3rd leading cause Homicide.

Settling down in smaller villages where people relied on plants and animals. Records of sheep and cattle herding. More storage of grain. Hierarchial communities

This did NOT improve their health! MYTH! diet became less varied as they depended on fewer species of animals. With simple agriculture comes a hungry season.

After the harvest in a village there were at least two months where people lost 15% of body mass. This weight loss was stressful to the body.

Five years between births because the first 1-3 years the kids depended upon breast milk. Less ovulation when the mom is lactating.

Kids weened earlier, mom ovulates and increases fertility, decreased time between births. Children valued as workers with agriculture.
Increase in popluation.

30% infant mortality rate.

Along with agriculture

More infectious disease from cattle and farm animals.

An increased susceptibility from vitamin and mineral deficiency with limited diversity in diet.

Transportation. After WW2 reliance on cars and smog. Prior to that we walked, rode wagons and horses and horses take alot of work. This required effort and calories.

because we didn't have access to fats in the past. It's adaptive.

Now our diets have so much more fat! our animals are breed to have more fat to have better taste.

We have a DISCONNECT between our cravings, our adaptation, and our availity to now eat sugar fat and salt. We eat as much as we want now.

152 pounds.

94% of kids grow up o be teenagers.
We have medical technology that increases our chance of surviving.

Infancy
The juvenile years (lots of accidents, usually involving fire)
Women, must survive childbirth.

100 yrs ago many deaths of women in 20s-30's from labor.

Social isolation. We shut them up in rest homes and this contributes to their disease including depression. We need the elderly to be more socially intergrated.

Probably because of poor sanitation.
Diarrhea was a leading cause of infant death.

cities developed sewer systems and cleaned water so people didn't die from diarrhea.
Access to better nutrition leading to a more competent immune system to fight disease.

After WW2, Antibiotics, no more death from pneumonia, strep throat, ect.

Access to health care.

Kung Western W
Menarche 16.5 12.5
5 kids 2.2. kids
16yrs nursing 1yr nurs?
4yrs preg 18mths preg
4 yrs cycles 35 yrs cycle

Female primates either pregnant or lactating.
Few menstral cycles

Now, women dont have to breast feed like they did in hunter/gatherer.

Kung worked with their babies amd the babies had constant nipple. We nurse average 6mths and that's hard cause we are seperated from our babies when we work.

The seculary trend in menarchy.

These changes are recent. We have not had time to genetically adapt.

In London in the 1800's, it was age 16. Same as the Kung.

in 1900 in the U.S. it was 14.

Menopause is reached about age 51. More ovulatory and menstral cycles correlates with the levels of estrogen in a women's lifetime. This correlates to an increase in incidents of BREAST CANCER

8 billion

10 million yrs ago 5-10 million
2000 yrs ago 170 million
1800 AD 1 billion
1930: 2 biliion
1960: 3 billion
1975: 4 billion
1987: 5 billion
1999: 6 billion

Estrogen mimicking chemicals found in plastics and pesticides.
Estrogen in drinking water. (women on birth control lose molecules in urine that cant be filtered)

Hypospadia

We are not sure of the cause but estrogen does lead to weird changes.

Body mass index of over 30

50% of Americans are overweight
1/3 rd are considered Obese

Health officials are calling this DIOBESITY

In 1950 only 13% of the population was obese.

Obesity is an Epidemic not just confined to U.S. We're all fast food nations.

Social Connectedness
A purpose for living (whether religion or doing something for other people)
Feeling there is something beyond yourself to care about.
Moderation! (moderate alcohol if any)
Moderate intake of food, limited calories
Physically Active throughout life

Three things we need to life healthy long life...

Mental- the need to be mentally stimulated and engaged thoughout life.

Social, connectedness imprtant for health, increases immune response, decreases depression

Physical

YES! There is no limit to human goodness.
We have flexibility due to our intelligence. Let's use the opportunity of the mess we are in to make some fundamental CHANGES!

We have a large brain so we can confront issues. We have an emotional brain that motivates us to care. We can make choices and engage these parts of our brain.

We are social creature and it's important for us to live with positive social interactions