Natural Conditions and Adaptation to them Among the Population of the Caspian Region in the Early Iron Age

The article presents the results of research on the reconstruction of natural and climatic conditions and human adaptation to them. In order to identify the evolutionary stages of the natural environment of the Western Caspian region in the second half of the Holocene, buried sub-kurgan soils and bone remains in the Bogomolny Sands 1 mound were analyzed. Spore-pollen, anthropological and isotope analyses were carried out on soil and bone samples. Bioclimatic fluctuations of the natural environment were established based on the reconstruction of paleolandscapes (soils, vegetation) and associated changes in socio-cultural factors (changes in paleo-diet, anthropological characteristics).

Effects of modified-Paleo and moderate-carbohydrate diets on body composition, serum levels of hepatokines and adipocytokines, and flow cytometric analysis of endothelial microparticles in adults with metabolic syndrome: a study protocol for a randomized clinical trial

Background Metabolic syndrome is a combination of metabolic risk factors causing a pathological condition that increases the risk of non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. A variety of dietary approaches have been examined to halt this rapid trend; however, the effects of modified-Paleo diet and medium-carbohydrate diet on inflammation, adipokines, hepatokines, and the profile of endothelial microparticles in individuals with metabolic syndrome have not been investigated in detail. The present study is designed to examine the effect of modified-Paleo and moderate-carbohydrate diet with two delivery modes: “fixed diet plan” vs “calorie counting” on weight, body composition, serum levels of some hepatokines and adipocytokines, and flow cytometric analysis of endothelial microparticles in adults with metabolic syndrome. Methods Eighty metabolic syndrome patients will be recruited in this study. They will be randomly allocated to one of the following 4 groups: (1) receiving a modified-Paleo diet with calorie counting, (2) receiving a modified-Paleo diet with a fixed diet plan, (3) receiving a medium-carbohydrate diet with calorie counting, and (4) receiving a medium-carbohydrate diet with a fixed diet plan for 10 weeks. Weight, height, waist circumference, and body composition will be assessed at the study baseline and at the end of the trial. Serum insulin, asprosin, chemerin, FGF-21, CTRP-1, PYY, ghrelin, plasma EMPs (CD31+/CD42b− and CD144+/CD42b−), lipid profile, glycemic indices, hs-CRP, leptin, vitamin C, creatinine and satiety, hunger, fullness, and desire to eat (via visual analog scales) will be measured at the study baseline and at the end of the trial. Insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity will be determined using the HOMA-IR and QUICKI equations. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first randomized controlled trial that will determine the effect of modified-Paleo and moderate-carbohydrate diet on weight, body composition, serum levels of some hepatokines and adipocytokines, and the profile of EMPs in adults with metabolic syndrome. Moreover, the effects of different diet delivery modes, including “fixed diet plan” and “calorie counting” will also be analyzed. The results of this trial can provide clinical witnesses on the effectiveness of carbohydrate-restricted diets in ameliorating metabolic status and prevent the development of chronic diseases. Trial registration Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT2016121925267N4. Registered on 26 July 2017

Theoretical Intakes of Modern-Day Paleo Diets: Comparison to U.S. Dietary Reference Intakes

Objectives To evaluate the nutrient adequacy of theoretical, modern-day Paleo meal plans relative to the U.S. Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). Methods This analysis used data from the Adhering to Dietary Approaches for Personal Taste (ADAPT) Feasibility Study, which captured data on 9 726 self-reported, popular diet followers. Paleo respondents (N = 925) reported sources of recipes and diet guidance. Five days from each of the top six sources were used to generate 30 days of meal plans among a random sample of n = 200 Paleo respondents. Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) was used to estimate daily nutrient content of meal plans which was compared to DRIs and recommendations, as follows: recommended daily allowances (RDAs) for vitamins D, E, and folate, which do not vary by age (years, y)/sex; sex and age-specific RDAs for vitamins A, C, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe); adequate intakes (AIs) for potassium (K) and fiber; upper intake level (UL) for sodium (Na); and Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) upper threshold to limit saturated fat and Na. Results Estimated daily nutrient intakes of theoretical Paleo meal plans met or exceeded RDAs for the following (Paleo vs. RDA): vitamin A for men or women (1481 RAE µg vs. 900 μg and 700 µg), vitamin D (56 µg vs. 15 μg), vitamin E (27 mg vs. 15 mg), folate (489 µg vs. 400 μg), vitamin C for men or women (225 mg vs. 90 mg and 75 mg), Mg for men and women 31–70 y (539 mg vs. 420 mg and 320 mg), and Fe for men (16 mg vs. 8 mg). Theoretical estimates did not meet the following: RDAs for carbohydrate (91 g vs. 130 g), Fe for women 19–50 y (16 g vs.18 mg), Ca for men and women 61–70 y (562 mg vs. 1000 mg and 1200 mg), and AI for K (4027 mg vs. 4700 mg) or dietary fiber (25 g vs. 28 g/2000 kcal). Estimated levels of Na exceeded the UL (2763 mg vs. 2300 mg), saturated fat exceeded the DGA (19% vs. 10% kcal), and added sugar levels fell within the recommendation (1% vs. 10%). Conclusions While certain aspects of the Paleo diet offer improvements over typical reported intakes of US adults, saturated fat is high, and carbohydrate, fiber, Ca, and K levels of these theoretical diets do not meet DRIs. High levels of saturated fat present concern for cardiovascular health. Optimal nutrition may be challenging to sustain on a Paleo diet. Funding Sources Supported by USDA Cooperative Agreements 58-8050-9-004 and 58-8050-9-003.

Understanding the omnivore, vegetarian, vegan, and paleo dietary patterns: How they differ in disordered eating indicators

Background and Objective: Disordered eating behaviours are a spectrum of maladaptive eating behaviours that affect a substantial proportion of today's society, having been studied regarding their relationship with different dietary patterns. The present study aimed to better characterise the omnivore, vegan, vegetarian and palaeolithic (paleo) dietary patterns and explore dietary pattern's differences regarding disordered eating indicators, sociodemographic data, the motive of choice of dietary pattern and perception of health value. Method: All data were collected online, comprising a sample of 447 [omnivores (n = 281), vegetarians (n = 61), vegans (n = 50) and paleo (n = 55)] women from the general Portuguese population. Results: Results revealed that the dietary patterns differed regarding motive of choice (omnivores: "Family habit"; vegetarians and vegans: "Ethical/Moral"; paleo: "Weight/Shape control") and on the self-assessed health value of their dietary pattern, with the vegan and paleo diets reporting the highest values. Finally, the groups differed significantly regarding disordered eating, binge eating, and orthorexic behaviours, with the paleo group generally presenting the highest values. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of exploring the individual's dietary pattern, including motive of choice, in the field of eating psychopathology, with an emphasis on the paleo diet as a risk factor. This means that prevention and intervention clinical guidelines should be developed for individuals with this dietary pattern.

The Paleolithic imagination:Nature, science, and race in Anthropocene fitness cultures

The widespread uptake of the Anthropocene concept over the past two decades has seen a concomitant rise in cultural forms that trade on nostalgia for Paleolithic life. Mud running, CrossFit, and the Paleo diet exemplify this trend, with the Paleolithic hunter-gatherer at the center of their popular prescriptions for healthy living. In this article, we identify these practices as embodying the anxieties of the Anthropocene as well as its historical and racial elisions. By focusing on the oblique and subtle racializations of Anthropocene health and fitness cultures, we contribute to understandings of the cultural significance of the human body in the Anthropocene and the relationship between the biopolitics of health and geological life, arguing that the body is a key site through which the tensions and inequalities of the Anthropocene are played out. And by unraveling how the Paleolithic imagination is rooted in a distinctly capitalist, Euro-American attitude to the body in nature, we show the Anthropocene to be defined by uneven distributions of health as self-optimization, and health as environmental risk. The Paleolithic imagination demonstrates the tangled politics of race, science, and nature in the twenty-first century, in which global ecological instability, the biopolitics of health, the shadows of colonialism, and consumer capitalism converge.

Healthy Diet: New Rations for Individual Use

Nutrition is one of the most significant factors influencing the state of health, the development of diseases and the generally the human longevity. The nature of nutrition, which has a protective effect, is the basis of the healthy diet. Among healthy nutritious rations, there are those that have developed naturally, formed from the cultural food heritage and later were made in scientific nutritional recommendations. These are such diets as the Mediterranean type of food, the Scandinavian diet, the Tibetan style of food, etc. At the same time, there are diets specially developed by specialists for specific purposes. All of them correspond to the basic principles of the healthy diet: balance, usefulness and energy balance. This article offers an overview of the use of individual diets that have been developed by nutritionists, such as the intermittent fasting diet, the Paleo diet, and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. The article discusses the differences and advantages of these dietary approaches, presents the results of effectiveness, considers the limitations and features of their use.