Scientists Uncover Surprising Origins of Humanity’s Carb Cravings

This discovery reshapes our understanding of early human nutrition.

Our ancestors’ preference for carbohydrates may have existed long before agriculture became popular, according to a recent study. Recent archaeological finds have cast doubt on the widespread belief that prehistoric people were meat eaters. Studies have revealed that our predecessors also consumed substantial amounts of carbohydrates, despite the conventional wisdom that protein served as the primary source of energy for human development.

Further research into this dietary preference has revealed a particular gene that allowed early humans to digest starches more effectively, according to a recent study published in Science magazine. The amylase enzyme, which is produced by the AMY1 gene, converts complex carbohydrates into simple sugars.

The researchers discovered that this gene began to replicate and spread long before agriculture was invented by examining the genomes of ancient humans. This implies that our ancestors’ preference for carbohydrates evolved naturally in response to their environment rather than as a result of advances in culture or technology.

According to a report by CNN, humans today have multiple copies of this gene, and the number varies from person to person. However, it has been tricky for geneticists to piece together how and when the number of these genes expanded, a reflection of when eating starch likely became advantageous for human health.

“The main question we were trying to answer was, when did this duplication occur? That’s why we started studying ancient genomes,” said study first author Feyza Yilmaz, an associate computational scientist at the Jackson Laboratory. CNN.

“Previous studies show that there is a correlation between the number of AMY1 copies and the amount of amylase enzyme that is released in our saliva. We wanted to understand if this is a fact that corresponds to the advent of agriculture . That’s … a burning question,” she said.