Health Myths

[AnnaFaraday]

Interesting New Scientist article this week (August 24 issue)

Don't swallow it: Six health myths you should ignore - New Scientist

You can only read part of each section on the website, for the full article you have to get the magazine or subscribe, but it gives you an idea of what it is about.

 

[Happy Holidays]

Oh thanks for that, a few interesting topics I'd like to read, sounds good, if I remember I'll pick a copy up when I'm next in the shops.

 

[fillymum]

I want to read the caveman bit.Off to do a search online for the full article.

Will look at it when I go WHSmith.

I thought of you when I read that bit. Will be interested to see what they say in the full article.

Wonder if I can get it here.

 

[AnnaFaraday]

There would be copyright issues if I tried to type in the whole article, but I can paraphrase:

The myth is that we would all be a lot healthier if we lived and ate more like our ancestors. This is called the "evolutionary discordance hypothesis" and it was first put forward in 1985 by university professors in Atlanta, who claimed that diets have changed dramatically over the years but it has happened too quickly for us to keep up. So if we ate more like hunter-gatherers and exercised more we would be healthier.

This theory assumes that there was a point fifty thousand years ago when people were perfectly adapted to their environment, but there is no real evidence to suggest this. Also, we don't know for certain what our ancestors ate - animals and plants are nothing like they were back then. Also, we don't know that people were healthier back then.

The originators of the theory have revised it in the light of latest evidence.

 

[*Emsie*]

Nearly picked this up the other day, wish I had now!