Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Diet and Nutrition

O n October 13 and 14, 2009, 16 scholars from a variety of different disciplines took part in a workshop in Berlin to discuss evolutionary dimensions of human nutrition. The workshop was one of five related to the overall theme of ‘‘Evolution and Diseases of Civilization’’ organized by Randolph Nesse (Michigan) and sponsored by the Volkswagen Stiftung and the Brandenberg Academy of Arts and Sciences. The goal of the workshop was to draw together different perspectives on the evolution of the human diet and to discuss areas of consensus and disagreement, issues warranting further research, and strategies for establishing more collaborative research that will integrate theory and methods from different disciplines. The participants included researchers from North America and Europe; they represented such diverse fields as paleoanthropology, human biology and ecology, human genetics, nutritional science, and biomedical and clinical research. The group consisted of Loren Cordain (Colorado State), Ann Gibbons (Science magazine), Kristen Hawkes (Utah), William Leonard (Northwestern), Robert Perlman (Chicago), Andreas Pfeiffer (Charité Berlin), Barbara Piperata (Ohio State), Michael Power (Smithsonian National Zoological Park), Michael Richards (British Columbia), Josh Snodgrass (Oregon), Matt Sponheimer (Colorado), Jay Stock (Cambridge), Mark Thomas (University College London), Peter Ungar (Arkansas), Claudia Valeggia (Pennsylvania), and Jonathan Wells (University College London). Discussions were based on three key themes: diet and nutrition in earlier human evolution, recent human evolution and dietary adaptations, and the origins of ‘‘diseases of the modern world.’’ DIET AND NUTRITION IN EARLY HUMAN EVOLUTION