Meat may be the reason humans outlive apes

[SledgeHammer]

Meat may be the reason humans outlive apes

Even hunter-forager humans have twice the life expectancy as wild chimps

Chimps and apes are genetically so similar to humans - and their human-like gestures do remind us how close we are on the family tree - that scientists have long been puzzled why they don't live as long as we do. Diet-related evolutionary changes may explain it.

By Charles Q. Choi

updated 12/15/2009 1:48:09 PM ET

Genetic changes that apparently allow humans to live longer than any other primate may be rooted in a more carnivorous diet

These changes may also promote brain development and make us less vulnerable to diseases of aging, such as cancer, heart disease and dementia.

Chimpanzees and great apes are genetically similar to humans, yet they rarely live for more than 50 years. Although the average human lifespan has doubled in the last 200 years — due largely to decreased infant mortality related to advances in diet, environment and medicine — even without these improvements, people living in high mortality hunter-forager lifestyles still have twice the life expectancy at birth as wild chimpanzees do.

These key differences in lifespan may be due to genes that humans evolved to adjust better to meat-rich diets, biologist Caleb Finch at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles suggested.

The oldest known stone tools manufactured by the ancestors of modern humans, which date back some 2.6 million years, apparently helped butcher animal bones. As our forerunners evolved, they became better at capturing and digesting meat, a valuable, high-energy food, by increasing brain and body size and reducing gut size.

Ten fossils that tell the human taleOver time, eating red meat, particularly raw flesh infected with parasites in the era before cooking, stimulates chronic inflammation, Finch explained. In response, humans apparently evolved unique variants in a cholesterol-transporting gene, apolipoprotein E, which regulates chronic inflammation as well as many aspects of aging in the brain and arteries.

One variant found in all modern human populations, known as ApoE3, emerged roughly 250,000 years ago, "just before the final stage of evolution of Homo sapiens in Africa," Finch explained.

ApoE3 lowers the risk of most aging diseases, specifically heart disease and Alzheimer's, and is linked with an increased lifespan.

"I suggest that it arose to lower the risk of degenerative disease from the high-fat meat diet they consumed," Finch told LiveScience. "Another benefit is that it promoted brain development."

Curiously, another more ancient variant of apolipoprotein E found in a lesser degree in all human populations is ApoE4, which is linked with high cholesterol, shortened lifespan and degeneration of the arteries and brain.

"The puzzle is, if ApoE4 is so bad, why is it still present?" Finch asked. "It might have some protective effects under some circumstances. A little bit of data suggests that with hepatitis C, you have less liver damage if you have ApoE4."

Finch detailed these findings in the December issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.

© 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

Meat may be the reason humans outlive apes - Technology & science - Science - LiveScience | NBC News

 

[Sugarcane]

One more reason not to copy apes - Thanks for joining the cause.

 

[Yogijaat]

and how about this @SledgeHammer and @LoveIcon

Are vegetarian diets secret to long life? People who avoid meat have better health due to lower blood pressure

• Study shows vegetarians 12% less likely to die than meat-eaters
• Ingredients in red meat linked to increased risk of cancer and high blood pressure
• Vegetarians more likely to drink less, smoke less and exercise more

Vegetarians live longer because of their diet - with men reaping the most benefits, claim researchers.

They found a cut in death rates for people eating vegetarian diets compared with non-vegetarians in a study of more than 70,000 people.

Over a six-year period, vegetarians were 12 per cent less likely to die from any cause, says a report published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine.

It is thought the benefits come from lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol levels in people eating low-fat diets based on vegetables, whole grains and fruit.


The research shows vegetarians are less likely to die because of their dietary choices

Vegetarian diets have been linked to lower risk for several chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and heart disease.

An estimated three million Britons, around five per cent, are vegetarian and never eat meat or fish, including superstar musician Paul McCartney and his fashion designer daughter Stella McCartney.

Dr Michael Orlich, of Loma Linda University in California, and colleagues examined all-cause and cause-specific death rates in a group of 73,308 men and women Seventh-day Adventists.

Researchers assessed dietary patients using a questionnaire that classified them into five groups: nonvegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian (includes seafood), lacto-ovo-vegetarian (includes dairy and egg products) and vegan (excludes all animal products).

The study said vegetarian groups tended to be older, more highly educated and more likely to be married, to drink less alcohol, to smoke less, to exercise more and to be thinner.

Previous research has suggested vegetarian diets may extend life expectancy compared with meat-eating, but many of the studies have been small.

In the latest study there were 2,570 deaths among the study participants during an average follow-up time of almost six years.

There was a 12 per cent lower risk of dying from any cause for vegetarians compared with non-vegetarians.

Men fared better, as they benefited from a significant reduction in deaths from cardiovascular disease and ischaemic heart disease.

In women, there were no significant cuts in these categories of deaths.

The report said ‘These results demonstrate an overall association of vegetarian dietary patterns with lower mortality compared with the non-vegetarian dietary pattern.

‘They also demonstrate some associations with lower mortality of the pesco-vegetarian, vegan and lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets specifically compared with the non-vegetarian diet.’

The main reason for the difference is thought to be the effect of a low-fat vegetarian diet on cholesterol and blood pressure, partly through avoidance of red meat and also from higher consumption of vegetables.


Red meat contains ingredients that have been linked to increased risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer

These include heme iron, saturated fat, sodium, nitrites, and certain carcinogens that are formed during cooking.

Eating more vegetables and fruit may also help through their antioxidant effects, combating harmful naturally occurring chemicals in the body.

Official advice from the Department of Health in 2010 said cutting down on red meat could reduce the risk of bowel cancer.

Liz O’Neill, head of communications at the Vegetarian Society said ‘With higher intakes of fresh vegetables, pulses and other plant-foods, it seems obvious to many that balanced vegetarian diets are healthier than those reliant on meat, but we do not need to rely on gut instinct with so much hard evidence of that health advantage, both in the UK and abroad.

Vegetarians are more likely to live active lives and exercise, increasing their chances of a healthy, longer life






Research showed the lifestyle choices of vegetarians help improve life expectancy. People who don't eat meat proved to be less-likely to smoke and drink alcohol

‘This new American study is significant because the nature of the community studied (Seventh Day Adventists) means that even the meat eaters included were leading a relatively health-conscious lifestyle.

‘The reported 12 per cent reduction in mortality was directly associated with being vegetarian, rather than having a healthy balanced diet.

‘Similarly UK studies indicate that vegetarians have lower rates of cancer and significantly lower (32 per cent less) rates of heart disease which are major causes of death in Britain.’

Findings from the largest British study of 45,000 Britons earlier this year found vegetarians have healthier hearts than people who eat meat or fish.

They were one-third less likely to need hospital treatment for heart disease or die from it.


Are vegetarian diets secret to long life? People who avoid meat have better health due to lower blood pressure | Daily Mail Online











and this


Shattering The Meat Myth: Humans Are Natural Vegetarians

Dr. T. Colin Campbell, professor emeritus at Cornell University and author of The China Study, explains that in fact, we only recently (historically speaking) began eating meat, and that the inclusion of meat in our diet came well after we became who we are today. He explains that "the birth of agriculture only started about 10,000 years ago at a time when it became considerably more convenient to herd animals. This is not nearly as long as the time [that] fashioned our basic biochemical functionality (at least tens of millions of years) and which functionality depends on the nutrient composition of plant-based foods."

That jibes with what Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine President Dr. Neal Barnard says in his book, The Power of Your Plate, in which he explains that "early humans had diets very much like other great apes, which is to say a largely plant-based diet, drawing on foods we can pick with our hands. Research suggests that meat-eating probably began by scavenging--eating the leftovers that carnivores had left behind. However, our bodies have never adapted to it. To this day, meat-eaters have a higher incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other problems."

There is no more authoritative source on anthropological issues than paleontologist Dr. Richard Leakey, who explains what anyone who has taken an introductory physiology course might have discerned intuitively--that humans are herbivores. Leakey notes that "[y]ou can't tear flesh by hand, you can't tear hide by hand.... We wouldn't have been able to deal with food source that required those large canines" (although we have teeth that are called "canines," they bear little resemblance to the canines of carnivores).

In fact, our hands are perfect for grabbing and picking fruits and vegetables. Similarly, like the intestines of other herbivores, ours are very long (carnivores have short intestines so they can quickly get rid of all that rotting flesh they eat). We don't have sharp claws to seize and hold down prey. And most of us (hopefully) lack the instinct that would drive us to chase and then kill animals and devour their raw carcasses. Dr. Milton Mills builds on these points and offers dozens more in his essay, "A Comparative Anatomy of Eating."

The point is this: Thousands of years ago when we were hunter-gatherers, we may have needed a bit of meat in our diets in times of scarcity, but we don't need it now. Says Dr. William C. Roberts, editor of the American Journal of Cardiology, "Although we think we are, and we act as if we are, human beings are not natural carnivores. When we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us, because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores."

Sure, most of us are "behavioral omnivores"--that is, we eat meat, so that defines us as omnivorous. But our evolution and physiology are herbivorous, and ample science proves that when we choose to eat meat, that causes problems, from decreased energy and a need for more sleep up to increased risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Shattering The Meat Myth: Humans Are Natural Vegetarians | Kathy Freston

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Maybe it's due to an ape's sedentary lifestyle. They should go to the jungle gym more.

 

[SQ8]

The latter is wrong entirely. Humans are omnivores, the apex predator on this planet. However, they all need a balanced diet and not vegetarian or meat only diet.

 

[Jaanbaz]

One more reason not to copy apes - Thanks for joining the cause.

Some people will be burning.

 

[ExtraOdinary]

Chimpanzees are omnivores. They eat ants for protein, heck they even hunt other monkeys for food

 

[Yogijaat]

The latter is wrong entirely. Humans are omnivores, the apex predator on this planet. However, they all need a balanced diet and not vegetarian or meat only diet.

how so?? than why meat eaters are still prone to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other problems.

 

[Sugarcane]

and how about this @SledgeHammer and @LoveIcon

Are vegetarian diets secret to long life? People who avoid meat have better health due to lower blood pressure

• Study shows vegetarians 12% less likely to die than meat-eaters
• Ingredients in red meat linked to increased risk of cancer and high blood pressure
• Vegetarians more likely to drink less, smoke less and exercise more

Vegetarians live longer because of their diet - with men reaping the most benefits, claim researchers.

They found a cut in death rates for people eating vegetarian diets compared with non-vegetarians in a study of more than 70,000 people.

Over a six-year period, vegetarians were 12 per cent less likely to die from any cause, says a report published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine.

It is thought the benefits come from lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol levels in people eating low-fat diets based on vegetables, whole grains and fruit.


The research shows vegetarians are less likely to die because of their dietary choices

Vegetarian diets have been linked to lower risk for several chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and heart disease.

An estimated three million Britons, around five per cent, are vegetarian and never eat meat or fish, including superstar musician Paul McCartney and his fashion designer daughter Stella McCartney.

Dr Michael Orlich, of Loma Linda University in California, and colleagues examined all-cause and cause-specific death rates in a group of 73,308 men and women Seventh-day Adventists.

Researchers assessed dietary patients using a questionnaire that classified them into five groups: nonvegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian (includes seafood), lacto-ovo-vegetarian (includes dairy and egg products) and vegan (excludes all animal products).

The study said vegetarian groups tended to be older, more highly educated and more likely to be married, to drink less alcohol, to smoke less, to exercise more and to be thinner.

Previous research has suggested vegetarian diets may extend life expectancy compared with meat-eating, but many of the studies have been small.

In the latest study there were 2,570 deaths among the study participants during an average follow-up time of almost six years.

There was a 12 per cent lower risk of dying from any cause for vegetarians compared with non-vegetarians.

Men fared better, as they benefited from a significant reduction in deaths from cardiovascular disease and ischaemic heart disease.

In women, there were no significant cuts in these categories of deaths.

The report said ‘These results demonstrate an overall association of vegetarian dietary patterns with lower mortality compared with the non-vegetarian dietary pattern.

‘They also demonstrate some associations with lower mortality of the pesco-vegetarian, vegan and lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets specifically compared with the non-vegetarian diet.’

The main reason for the difference is thought to be the effect of a low-fat vegetarian diet on cholesterol and blood pressure, partly through avoidance of red meat and also from higher consumption of vegetables.


Red meat contains ingredients that have been linked to increased risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer

These include heme iron, saturated fat, sodium, nitrites, and certain carcinogens that are formed during cooking.

Eating more vegetables and fruit may also help through their antioxidant effects, combating harmful naturally occurring chemicals in the body.

Official advice from the Department of Health in 2010 said cutting down on red meat could reduce the risk of bowel cancer.

Liz O’Neill, head of communications at the Vegetarian Society said ‘With higher intakes of fresh vegetables, pulses and other plant-foods, it seems obvious to many that balanced vegetarian diets are healthier than those reliant on meat, but we do not need to rely on gut instinct with so much hard evidence of that health advantage, both in the UK and abroad.

Vegetarians are more likely to live active lives and exercise, increasing their chances of a healthy, longer life






Research showed the lifestyle choices of vegetarians help improve life expectancy. People who don't eat meat proved to be less-likely to smoke and drink alcohol

‘This new American study is significant because the nature of the community studied (Seventh Day Adventists) means that even the meat eaters included were leading a relatively health-conscious lifestyle.

‘The reported 12 per cent reduction in mortality was directly associated with being vegetarian, rather than having a healthy balanced diet.

‘Similarly UK studies indicate that vegetarians have lower rates of cancer and significantly lower (32 per cent less) rates of heart disease which are major causes of death in Britain.’

Findings from the largest British study of 45,000 Britons earlier this year found vegetarians have healthier hearts than people who eat meat or fish.

They were one-third less likely to need hospital treatment for heart disease or die from it.


Are vegetarian diets secret to long life? People who avoid meat have better health due to lower blood pressure | Daily Mail Online











and this


Shattering The Meat Myth: Humans Are Natural Vegetarians

Dr. T. Colin Campbell, professor emeritus at Cornell University and author of The China Study, explains that in fact, we only recently (historically speaking) began eating meat, and that the inclusion of meat in our diet came well after we became who we are today. He explains that "the birth of agriculture only started about 10,000 years ago at a time when it became considerably more convenient to herd animals. This is not nearly as long as the time [that] fashioned our basic biochemical functionality (at least tens of millions of years) and which functionality depends on the nutrient composition of plant-based foods."

That jibes with what Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine President Dr. Neal Barnard says in his book, The Power of Your Plate, in which he explains that "early humans had diets very much like other great apes, which is to say a largely plant-based diet, drawing on foods we can pick with our hands. Research suggests that meat-eating probably began by scavenging--eating the leftovers that carnivores had left behind. However, our bodies have never adapted to it. To this day, meat-eaters have a higher incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other problems."

There is no more authoritative source on anthropological issues than paleontologist Dr. Richard Leakey, who explains what anyone who has taken an introductory physiology course might have discerned intuitively--that humans are herbivores. Leakey notes that "[y]ou can't tear flesh by hand, you can't tear hide by hand.... We wouldn't have been able to deal with food source that required those large canines" (although we have teeth that are called "canines," they bear little resemblance to the canines of carnivores).

In fact, our hands are perfect for grabbing and picking fruits and vegetables. Similarly, like the intestines of other herbivores, ours are very long (carnivores have short intestines so they can quickly get rid of all that rotting flesh they eat). We don't have sharp claws to seize and hold down prey. And most of us (hopefully) lack the instinct that would drive us to chase and then kill animals and devour their raw carcasses. Dr. Milton Mills builds on these points and offers dozens more in his essay, "A Comparative Anatomy of Eating."

The point is this: Thousands of years ago when we were hunter-gatherers, we may have needed a bit of meat in our diets in times of scarcity, but we don't need it now. Says Dr. William C. Roberts, editor of the American Journal of Cardiology, "Although we think we are, and we act as if we are, human beings are not natural carnivores. When we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us, because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores."

Sure, most of us are "behavioral omnivores"--that is, we eat meat, so that defines us as omnivorous. But our evolution and physiology are herbivorous, and ample science proves that when we choose to eat meat, that causes problems, from decreased energy and a need for more sleep up to increased risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Shattering The Meat Myth: Humans Are Natural Vegetarians | Kathy Freston

Written by an ape after consuming lot of cabbage and beans.

 

[SQ8]

how so?? than why meat eaters are still prone to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other problems.

Why are vegetarians deficient in many important nutrients. vegans may have intakes for vitamin B-12, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and occasionally riboflavin that are lower than recommended.

 

[Yogijaat]

Why are vegetarians deficient in many important nutrients. vegans may have intakes for vitamin B-12, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and occasionally riboflavin that are lower than recommended.

any source? my family is veg for generations and i don't think we lack any kind of nutrition.

 

[Kloitra]

how so?? than why meat eaters are still prone to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other problems.

So are vegetarians. Lack of balanced, healthy diet. Excess of fats/bad cholesterol etc. It doesn't matter if you are a vegetarian or omnivore, a balanced healthy diet is possible for both.

 

[Yogijaat]

Written by an ape after consuming lot of cabbage and beans.

of course you would say so and any progress in naya pakistan??

 

[Kloitra]

any source? my family is veg for generations and i don't think we lack any kind of nutrition.

You think. Most of us would not realize without proper testing.

 

[Yogijaat]

You think. Most of us would not realize without proper testing.

that's why i asked for source