Fruit and honey fuelled the early evolution of the human brain

The human brain is an energy hog, consuming about a fifth of the body's total energy at rest – far more than in other primates. But here's the puzzle: brains run on glucose, which meat doesn't provide. A new study published in Science shows that fruit and honey, not meat, were the primary fuel for human brain evolution over four million years. Researchers modeled ancient hominin diets starting with Lucy, our early ancestor, who got more than two-thirds of her energy from natural sugars. As humans migrated to colder climates where fruit became seasonal, they developed genetic adaptations for higher blood glucose – which, today, predispose us to type two diabetes and heart disease. Per The Conversation, this explains both why we crave sweetness and why healthy humans need about half their calories from carbohydrates, ideally from whole fruit rather than refined sugars.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton