Will The Real Paleo Diet Please Stand Up? Amylase Variation Between Human and Non-human Primates
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Issue Date
2014
Authors
Worl, Charles
Publisher
Monroe Community College
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Community colleges -- New York (State) -- Rochester -- Periodicals. , student publications
Abstract
The degree to which humans can digest starch is a fundamental difference between humans and non-human primates. This adaptation in early man led to the ultimate colonization of the planet. The advent and control of fire occurred simultaneously with a drastic increase in brain size, a primary distinction in the genus homo. This makes sense in biological anthropology because starch must be cooked in order to access adequate amounts of nutrition. Amylase converts starch into glucose. By the same token, the brain runs on glucose. With a reliable energy source, irrelevant of location or season, early man was able to have a dependable fuel source that allowed for human migration out of Africa. With a focus on the salivary amylase gene and its specific function, this paper compares and contrasts salivary levels of amylase between the great apes. The results are useful for both human and non-human primate dietary guidelines.
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