Garnås Eirik
Institute of Health, Oslo New University College, Ullevålsveien 76, Oslo, 0454, Norway.
Lipids Health Dis. 2025 Jan 28;24(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s12944-024-02399-0.
Evolutionary perspectives have yielded profound insights in health and medical sciences. A fundamental recognition is that modern diet and lifestyle practices are mismatched with the human physiological constitution, shaped over eons in response to environmental selective pressures. This Darwinian angle can help illuminate and resolve issues in nutrition, including the contentious issue of fat consumption. In the present paper, the intake of saturated fat in ancestral and contemporary dietary settings is discussed. It is shown that while saturated fatty acids have been consumed by human ancestors across time and space, they do not feature dominantly in the diets of hunter-gatherers or projected nutritional inputs of genetic accommodation. A higher intake of high-fat dairy and meat products produces a divergent fatty acid profile that can increase the risk of cardiovascular and inflammatory disease and decrease the overall satiating-, antioxidant-, and nutrient capacity of the diet. By prioritizing fiber-rich and micronutrient-dense foods, as well as items with a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, and in particular the long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, a nutritional profile that is better aligned with that of wild and natural diets is achieved. This would help prevent the burdening diseases of civilization, including heart disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative conditions. Saturated fat is a natural part of a balanced diet; however, caution is warranted in a food environment that differs markedly from the one to which we are adapted.
进化观点在健康和医学科学领域产生了深刻见解。一个基本的认识是，现代饮食和生活方式与人类生理构造不匹配，人类生理构造是在漫长岁月中为应对环境选择压力而形成的。这种达尔文主义视角有助于阐明和解决营养方面的问题，包括脂肪摄入这一有争议的问题。在本文中，我们讨论了祖先和当代饮食环境中饱和脂肪的摄入量。结果表明，尽管饱和脂肪酸在不同时间和空间都被人类祖先所食用，但它们在狩猎采集者的饮食或基因适应的预计营养摄入中并不占主导地位。较高的高脂肪乳制品和肉类产品摄入量会产生不同的脂肪酸谱，这会增加心血管疾病和炎症性疾病的风险，并降低饮食的总体饱腹感、抗氧化能力和营养能力。通过优先选择富含纤维和微量营养素的食物，以及不饱和脂肪酸比例较高的食物，特别是长链多不饱和欧米伽 - 3脂肪酸，可以实现与野生和天然饮食更相符的营养状况。这将有助于预防文明社会的负担性疾病，包括心脏病、癌症和神经退行性疾病。饱和脂肪是均衡饮食的天然组成部分；然而，在与我们所适应的环境明显不同的食物环境中，仍需谨慎。
