Those who try to eat like our ancestors may end up joining them faster: a new study says that followers of the popular paleo diet have twice the amount of a blood biomarker connected to heart disease.
Trimethylamine-n-oxide (TMAO) is an organic compound created in the gut during metabolism, and has been associated with increased risk of heart disease.
An Australian study published this month in the European Journal of Nutrition examined the level of TMAO in the blood of 44 paleo diet followers and 47 people who followed a diet closer to national food recommendations, in order to contrast the levels of TMAO between the two groups.
The paleo diet has been around since the 1970s, and has only grown with popularity since.
The concept behind the diet lies in the name. Paleo is short for Paleolithic. Proponents of the diet hold the belief that we should only consume food that our caveman ancestors would have. They believe that meat, fish, eggs, nuts, fruits and vegetables are natural for humans to eat, but that whole grains, processed foods, and dairy products are not, claiming that it is better for gut health to cut these products out. The diet also places an emphasis on consuming a higher amount of meat.
There is little scientific evidence to support the claims of superior gut health, the study said. As well, Dr. Christina Warinner, an archeologist who examines dietary histories of ancient people, gave a TedX lecture in 2013 that detailed how the paleo diet has “no basis in archeological reality.”
This month’s study said that although there was a markedly higher level of TMAO in the blood of those who followed the paleo diet, the extreme increase was only observed in those who adhered strictly to the diet.
Since the elimination of grains, dairy and legume protein sources leaves most of a person’s protein intake to animal-based proteins, researchers said this could account for the higher level of TMAO.
One of the main takeaways of the study was that a wide variety of fiber components are necessary to maintain both gut and heart health – and by cutting out whole grains, followers of the paleo diet may be making it harder for them to get that variety.
