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Are we meat eaters or vegetarians? Part II | The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D.
"Meat eating made us human. The anthropological evidence strongly supports the idea that the addition of increasingly larger amounts of meat in the diet of our predecessors was essential in the evolution of the large human brain. Our large brains came at the metabolic expense of our guts, which shrank as our brains grew.
In April 1995 an article appeared in the journal Current Anthropology that was an intellectual tour de force and, in my view, an example of a perfect theoretical paper. “The Expensive-Tissue Hypothesis” (ETH) by Leslie Aiello and Peter Wheeler demonstrated by a brilliant thought experiment that our species didn’t evolve to eat meat but evolved because it ate meat.
It was our gradual drift toward the much higher quality diet provided by food from animal sources that allowed us to develop the large brains we have. It was hunting and meat eating that reduced our GI tracts and freed up our brains to grow. As I wrote at the start of this post, the evidence indicates that we didn’t evolve to eat meat – we evolved because we ate meat."
Are we meat eaters or vegetarians? Part I | The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D.
"One of the problems - if it could be called a problem - in writing this blog and moderating the comments is most readers are pretty intelligent. Occasionally I have the angry vegetarian wander in, take me to task for my errant ways, and, after a comeback or two on my part, drift away to never be heard from again. Thanks to the confirmation bias, this blog pretty much selects against the non-meat eater. So, I tend to forget how many people there are out there who are pretty much clueless about basic nutrition, and how many people there are who bobble through life spouting cliches they've heard along the way as great nutritional truths. Based on the comments I get on this blog, it seems to me that most people are pretty nutritionally sophisticated and reasonable."
Berberine is a novel cholesterol-lowering drug working through a unique mechanism distinct from statins. - Nat Med. 2004 Dec;10(12):1344-51.
Berberine is a novel cholesterol-lowering drug working through a unique mechanism distinct from statins.
Kong W, Wei J, Abidi P, Lin M, Inaba S, Li C, Wang Y, Wang Z, Si S, Pan H, Wang S, Wu J, Wang Y, Li Z, Liu J, Jiang JD.
Nat Med. 2004 Dec;10(12):1344-51. Epub 2004 Nov 7.
PMID: 15531889
doi:10.1038/nm1135
We identify berberine (BBR), a compound isolated from a Chinese herb, as a new cholesterol-lowering drug. Oral administration of BBR in 32 hypercholesterolemic patients for 3 months reduced serum cholesterol by 29%, triglycerides by 35% and LDL-cholesterol by 25%. Treatment of hyperlipidemic hamsters with BBR reduced serum cholesterol by 40% and LDL-cholesterol by 42%, with a 3.5-fold increase in hepatic LDLR mRNA and a 2.6-fold increase in hepatic LDLR protein. Using human hepatoma cells, we show that BBR upregulates LDLR expression independent of sterol regulatory element binding proteins, but dependent on ERK activation. BBR elevates LDLR expression through a post-transcriptional mechanism that stabilizes the mRNA. Using a heterologous system with luciferase as a reporter, we further identify the 5' proximal section of the LDLR mRNA 3' untranslated region responsible for the regulatory effect of BBR. These findings show BBR as a new hypolipidemic drug with a mechanism of action different from that of statin drugs.
Berberine suppresses in vitro migration and invasion of human SCC-4 tongue squamous cancer cells through the inhibitions of FAK, IKK, NF-κB, u-PA and MMP-2 and -9
Berberine suppresses in vitro migration and invasion of human SCC-4 tongue squamous cancer cells through the inhibitions of FAK, IKK, NF-kappaB, u-PA and MMP-2 and -9.
Ho YT, Yang JS, Li TC, Lin JJ, Lin JG, Lai KC, Ma CY, Wood WG, Chung JG.
Cancer Lett. 2009 Jul 8;279(2):155-62. Epub 2009 Feb 28.
PMID: 19251361
doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2009.01.033
There is increasing evidence that urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in cancer metastasis and angiogenesis. Inhibition of u-PA and MMPs could suppress migration and invasion of cancer cells. Berberine, one of the main constituents of the plant Rhizoma coptidis, is a type of isoquinoline alkaloid, reported to have anti-cancer effects in different human cancer cell lines. There is however, no available information on effects of berberine on migration and invasion of human tongue cancer cells. Here, we report that berberine inhibited migration and invasion of human SCC-4 tongue squamous carcinoma cells. This action was mediated by the p-JNK, p-ERK, p-p38, IκK and NF-κB signaling pathways resulting in inhibition of MMP-2 and -9 in human SCC-4 tongue squamous carcinoma cells. Our Western blowing analysis also showed that berberine inhibited the levels of urokinase-plasminogen activator (u-PA). These results suggest that berberine down-regulates u-PA, MMP-2 and -9 expressions in SCC-4 cells through the FAK, IKK and NF-κB mediated pathways and a novel function of berberine is to inhibit the invasive capacity of malignant cells.
Berberine inhibits growth, induces G1 arrest and apoptosis in human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells by regulating Cdki-Cdk-cyclin cascade, disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential and cleavage of caspase 3 and PARP -- Mantena et al. 27 (10): 2018 --
Berberine inhibits growth, induces G1 arrest and apoptosis in human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells by regulating Cdki-Cdk-cyclin cascade, disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential and cleavage of caspase 3 and PARP.
Mantena SK, Sharma SD, Katiyar SK.
Carcinogenesis. 2006 Oct;27(10):2018-27. Epub 2006 Apr 18.
PMID: 16621886
doi:10.1093/carcin/bgl043
In the present investigation, we show that berberine, which is present abundantly in Berberis plant species, significantly inhibits the viability, proliferation and induces cell death in human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells (Figure 1), but this effect was not found in normal human epidermal keratinocytes under the identical conditions, except for a non-significant reduction in cell viability at higher concentrations of berberine (50 and 75 µM) and treatment of cells for a longer period of time (72 h). These data suggested that berberine may be examined as an effective chemotherapeutic agent against non-melanoma skin cancers.
In conclusion, our study indicates that berberine inhibits growth, induces G1 arrest and apoptotic cell death of human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells. We also provide mechanistic evidences that berberine-induced apoptosis in human epidermoid carcinoma cells is mediated through disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of caspase 3 pathway, although other pathways may have a role and that require further investigation. Moreover, further in vivo studies are required to determine whether berberine could be an effective chemotherapeutic agent for the prevention of non-melanoma skin cancers.
Effects of a short-term intervention with a paleolithic diet in healthy volunteers - European Journal of Clinical Nutrition - Abstract of article
Effects of a short-term intervention with a paleolithic diet in healthy volunteers.
Osterdahl M, Kocturk T, Koochek A, Wändell PE.
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;62(5):682-5. Epub 2007 May 16.
PMID: 17522610
Conclusion: This short-term intervention showed some favourable effects by the diet, but further studies, including control group, are needed.
SURVIVAL OF THE FATTEST
"In general, evolution depends on a special combination of circumstances: part genetics, part time, and part environment. In the case of human brain evolution, the main environmental influence was adaptation to a 'shore-based' diet, which provided the world's richest source of nutrition, as well as a sedentary lifestyle that promoted fat deposition. Such a diet included shellfish, fish, marsh plants, frogs, bird's eggs, etc. Humans and, and more importantly, hominid babies started to get fat, a crucial distinction that led to the development of larger brains and to the evolution of modern humans. A larger brain is expensive to maintain and this increasing demand for energy results in, succinctly, survival of the fattest."
Phytase activity in the human and rat small intestine.
Phytase activity in the human and rat small intestine.
Iqbal TH, Lewis KO, Cooper BT.
Gut. 1994 Sep;35(9):1233-6.
PMID: 7959229
Fats and Fatty Acids in Human Nutrition - Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 2009, Vol. 55, No. 1-3
Fats and Fatty Acids in Human Nutrition
Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 2009, Vol. 55, No. 1-3
Also available as ISBN 978-3-8055-9261-1
The Worst Mistake In The History Of The Human Race" by Jared Diamond, Prof. UCLA School of Medicine - Discover-May 1987, pp. 64-66
"The Worst Mistake In The History Of The Human Race"
by Jared Diamond, Prof. UCLA School of Medicine
Discover-May 1987, pp. 64-66
Whole Health Source: What Can Evolution Teach us About the Human Diet?
Vegetarians deserve our respect. They're usually thoughtful, conscientious people who make sacrifices for environmental and ethical reasons. I was vegetarian for a while myself, until I decided I could find ethical meat.
Vegetarianism and especially veganism can get pretty ideological sometimes. People who have strong beliefs like to think that their belief system is best for all aspects of their lives and the world, not just bits and pieces. Many vegetarians believe their way of eating is healthier than omnivory or carnivory. It's easy to believe, since mainstream nutrition research has a distinctly pro-vegetarian slant. One of the classic arguments for vegetarianism goes something like this: our closest living relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, are mostly vegetarian, therefore that's the diet to which we're adapted as well. Here's the problem with that argument:
Vitamin D: In the evolution of human skin colour - ScienceDirect - Medical Hypotheses
Vitamin D: In the evolution of human skin colour.
Yuen AW, Jablonski NG.
Med Hypotheses. 2009 Aug 28. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 19717244
Aging decreases the capacity of human skin to produce vitamin D3. - Journal of Clinical Investigation
Aging decreases the capacity of human skin to produce vitamin D3.
MacLaughlin J, Holick MF.
J Clin Invest. 1985 Oct;76(4):1536-8.
PMID: 2997282
doi:10.1172/JCI112134
An evaluation of surgically obtained skin (age range, 8-92 yr) revealed that there is an age-dependent decrease in the epidermal concentrations of provitamin D3 (7-dehydrocholesterol). To ascertain that aging indeed decreased the capacity of human skin to produce vitamin D3, some of the skin samples were exposed to ultraviolet radiation and the content of previtamin D3 was determined in the epidermis and dermis. The epidermis in the young and older subjects was the major site for the formation of previtamin D3, accounting for greater than 80% of the total previtamin D3 that was produced in the skin. A comparison of the amount of previtamin D3 produced in the skin from the 8- and 18-yr-old subjects with the amount produced in the skin from the 77- and 82-yr-old subjects revealed that aging can decrease by greater than twofold the capacity of the skin to produce previtamin D3. Recognition of this difference may be extremely important for the elderly, who infrequently expose a small area of skin to sunlight and who depend on this exposure for their vitamin D nutritional needs.
Aging decreases the capacity of human skin to produce vitamin D3. - J Clin Invest. 1985 Oct;76(4):1536-8.
Aging decreases the capacity of human skin to produce vitamin D3.
MacLaughlin J, Holick MF.
J Clin Invest. 1985 Oct;76(4):1536-8.
PMID: 2997282
Harvard Gazette: Vitamin D critical to human TB response
Vitamin D plays a critical role in the human body's response to tuberculosis, according to new research that explains why people of African descent are more susceptible to TB.
The research also suggests a new way to fight one of the world's deadliest diseases: with a simple dietary supplement. Tuberculosis, usually caused when a person inhales tuberculosis bacteria, killed an estimated 1.7 million people in 2003 and is the leading cause of death for people afflicted with AIDS, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The roles of calcium and vitamin D in skeletal health: an evolutionary perspective - Robert P. Heaney
Robert P. Heaney is John A. Creighton University Professor, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States.
Hominid evolution took place in an environment (equatorial East Africa) that provided a superabundance of both calcium and vitamin D, the first in available foods and the second through conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol to pre-vitamin D in the skin, a reaction catalysed by the intense solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Seemingly as a consequence, the evolving human physiology incorporated provisions to prevent the potential of toxic excesses of both nutrients. For vitamin D the protection was of two sorts: skin pigmentation absorbed the critical UV wavelengths and thereby limited dermal synthesis of cholecalciferol; and slow delivery of vitamin D from the skin into the bloodstream left surplus vitamin in the skin, where continuing sun exposure led to its photolytic degradation to inert compounds. For calcium, the adaptation consisted of very inefficient calcium absorption, together with poor to absent systemic conservation. The latter is reflected in unregulated dermal calcium losses, a high sensitivity of renal obligatory calcium loss to other nutrients in the diet and relatively high quantities of calcium in the digestive secretions.
Today, chimpanzees in the original hominid habitat have diets with calcium nutrient densities in the range of 2 to 2.5 mmol per 100 kcal, and hunter-gatherer humans in Africa, South America and New Guinea still have diets very nearly as high in calcium (1.75 to 2 mmol per 100 kcal) (Eaton and Nelson, 1991). With energy expenditure of 3 000 kcal per day (a fairly conservative estimate for a contemporary human doing physical work), such diets would provide substantially in excess of 50 mmol of calcium per day. By contrast, median intake in women in North America and in many European countries today is under 15 mmol per day.
Two factors altered the primitive situation: the migration of humans from Africa to higher latitudes and the adoption of agriculture. The first red
Timeline of human evolution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The timeline of human evolution outlines the major events in the development of human species, and the evolution of humans' ancestors. It includes a brief explanation of some animals, species or genera, which are possible ancestors of Homo sapiens sapiens. It begins with the origin of life and presents a possible line of descendants that led to humans. This timeline is based on studies from paleontology, developmental biology, morphology and from anatomical and genetic data. The study of human evolution is a major component of anthropology.
Nutritional intervention with omega-3 Fatty acids in a case of malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the lungs. - Nutr Cancer. 2005 (free full text PDF file)
Nutritional intervention with omega-3 Fatty acids in a case of\nmalignant fibrous histiocytoma of the lungs.
Pardini RS, Wilson D, Schiff S, Bajo SA, Pierce R.
Nutr Cancer. 2005;52(2):121-9.
PMID: 16201843
Even Couch Potatoes May Have Been Born to Run - The New York Times > Health >
The apparently crucial role of running in human evolution, overlooked for the most part in previous research, is being proposed today in an article in the journal Nature by two American scientists.
While walking upright first set early human ancestors apart from their ape cousins, the scientists write, it may have been the ability to run long distances with springy step over the African savanna that influenced the transition to today's human body form.
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