14 DAY TRIAL // According to the results of a new scientific study, it may be that one of the reasons why humans tend to live longer than their ape and primate cousins has something to do with the carnivorous diets we are accustomed to. Evolutionary biologists believe that a diet based on meat may also help our bodies avert cancer, heart diseases, dementia, as well as a host of other medical conditions, and also promote the development of the massively superior human brain. The study was conducted because scientists found it curios that primates, which have roughly the same genetic material as we do, lived on average for just 50 years, whereas we could reach as much as 130 years.
Experts say that, even without all of the perks of modern technologies, humans still have a twice as large life expectancy at birth than primates. This was true even thousands of years ago, in hunter-gatherer communities, when chances of you catching the dinner, or the dinner catching you were roughly the same. Over the years, with advancements in medicine and healthcare, our life expectancy rose even more. In fact, it is estimated that it doubled over the last 200 years alone, statisticians say. One expert believes that he may have an explanation for why this happened, from an evolutionary perspective.
According to University of Southern California in Los Angeles (UCLA) biologist Caleb Finch, it may be that we have a naturally occurring longer life-time expectancy because of the genes that evolved to allow us to better digest meat. He explains that, for example, the cholesterol-transporting gene apolipoprotein E may be considered one such adage. The gene evolved to counteract the inflammations that were caused by parasites in the uncooked meat our ancestors ate hundreds of thousands of years ago, before fire was discovered. In addition to taking care of chronic inflammation, the gene is also responsible for preventing the aging of the brain and arteries.
ApoE3, a gene variant found in all humans, appeared no less than 250,000 years ago, “just before the final stage of evolution of Homo sapiens in Africa,” Finch told LiveScience. “I suggest that it arose to lower the risk of degenerative disease from the high-fat meat diet they consumed. Another benefit is that it promoted brain development,” he added. In more recent studies, the gene was proven to have great benefits in counteracting heart diseases and Alzheimer's, and was also linked to an increased overall life span. Details of the new research can be found in the December issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).