A look at the ancestral health movement and the idea that agriculture was the catalyst for poor human health. A look at the timing and history of poor health and what it may tell us about the true 'optimal' human diet.

1. Ancestral, But Not Paleo
A look at health, diet and lifestyle through the
lens of modern history and evidence
Brian Mansfield
brian@brianmansfield.net
@blmansfield

2. Some questions
● Is the invention of agriculture really the reason
for the failing health of the human race?
● If not agriculture, then what?
● Or when?

3. Time Travel
● How far back do we need to go?
● What are the diseases of modern life?
● When did these diseases become common?
● What changed?
● What causes modern disease?
● A paradigm shift

4. Paleo Perspective
● Began 2.6 million years ago
● Ended around 10,000 B.C.

5. Causes of Death before 10,000 B.C.
● Infant Mortality
● Childbirth
● War
● Infection
● Predators

6. Before 10,000 B.C.
● How many people were overweight?
● How many were obese?
● Hint: Very few

7. Causes of Death
10,000 B.C. To ~1840 A.D.
● Infant Mortality
● Infection
● Trauma
● War

8. 10,000 B.C. To ~1840 A.D.
● How many were overweight?
● How many were obese?
● Still a VERY small portion of the population
● Not much change from the earliest days of
human life

9. Ok, so what's the point?
● From early in human existence until about
1840, death was brought on by natural causes
● Very few people were overweight or obese.
● These diseases were rare or unheard of:
– Diabetes – Alzheimer's
– Cancer – Autism
– Heart Disease – Asthma
– Arthritis – Liver failure

10. Fast Forward
~1840 A.D. To 2014 A.D.
● Common diseases include:
– Cancer
– Heart Disease
– Liver Failure
– Diabetes
– Autism
– Alzheimer's
– Asthma

11. So?
● Humans have existed somewhere between:
– 4,000 years
– 3+ million years
● Depending on your perspective
RIGHT?
● But obesity and other previously unheard-of
diseases have only been seen in the past 150
years. And are now COMMON.

12. But that's because people in early
human existence didn't live long
enough to get those diseases.
Right?

13. Surprisingly, No
(Math nerd alert)
● If a woman has 10 kids (I know, a lot, but stay
with me) and 5 make it to an average age of
75 and the other 5 don't make it to their first
birthday, what is the life span of her children?
● Give up?

14. Answer:
● 38 years. Pretty young. And according to the
common theory, pretty accurate.
● But is it true?
● What if those 5 children didn't die before their
first birthday?
● What would their life expectancy be if they
survived their first year?
(I promise, this is the last math problem)

15. Answer:
● If each of the 5 made it a more advanced age,
say between 65 and 80, the average would be
in the mid-70s. (Remember, 5 made it to 75)
● A life span of about 75 years
● The math: (75x5)+(65+71+77+74+80)
10 =74.2 Years

16. So what does that mean?
● Many people think that ancient man lived only
30-40 years
● Many people fail to account for the lower rate
of infant mortality, which is now around 3.5%
for modern countries but was much higher in
the distant past.
● The point: Averages can be very misleading
● The other point: Ancient man lived about as
long as we do now.

17. A conundrum
● If humans have always had a life span of
about 75+- years, then why didn't we start
seeing new diseases in older people until the
mid-1800s?
● And if obesity was so rare for nearly the
entirety of human existence, what changed to
cause the diseases of modern life?

18. It was agriculture...Right?
● The Paleo movement teaches that:
– the invention of agriculture and the end of the
hunter-gatherer lifestyle damaged our health.
– Grains and legumes should be completely
shunned from the human diet.
– Dairy should be limited or avoided.

19. The evidence says...No
● The diseases of modern life didn't show up
until the middle of the 1800s, twelve thousand
years later.
● For all that time, people somehow thrived in
an agriculture-based society without obesity,
cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc.
● So if agriculture wasn't the big change...

20. ...then what was?
● The world's food system has undergone
massive changes since the 1800s.
● Paleo is a good start, but...
● Knowing what has changed can help you form
a rock-solid, indestructible foundation for
your health and the health of your family.
● Armed with the proper perspective, you'll
never again have to ask, “Is this OK to eat?”
You'll have the knowledge to make the right
decision every time.

21. This is just the beginning!
● Interested in Ancestral health from a different
perspective?
● Don't miss out! Find me on Twitter:
@blmansfield