Diet choices and self-preserving behavior: New trends in Paleolithic diet

Abstract

The mode and structure of nutrition clearly have an impact on health. Collected and summarized scientifc data on the positive and negative impact on the health of specifc diets. Self-preservation behavior encourages healthy people and people with chronic illnesses to make intuitive dietary changes to improve health or to prevent ill health. Due to the wide availability of professional information and the lack of basic knowledge among the masses, misconceptions arise that can potentially worsen the state of health. One of the trends of self-preservation behavior in recent years is adherence to the Paleolithic diet. Research shows positive health outcomes in people with overweight and certain chronic diseases, and controversial results in healthy people. Data from scientifc studies on the influence of the Paleolithic diet on metabolic processes, hormonal levels, the cardiovascular system, and the gastrointestinal tract have been accumulated. Results have been obtained confrming the effectiveness of the Paleo diet in metabolic disorders and overweight. There are controversial and conflicting results on the use of the Paleo diet for liver disease and disorders of the intestinal microflora. Data on thyroid disease and inflammatory bowel disease come from small samples and cannot be considered reliable. Based on the available research to date, it can be concluded that the inclusion of a Paleolithic diet in prevention and treatment regimens is possible. In any case, a change in diet should be regarded as a risk factor for the development of chronic diseases. It is necessary to systematically manage the self-preserving behavior of the population, at least in relation to nutrition, due to scattered, contradictory, often unreliable information about the safe composition of the diet. An independent choice of a nutrition system without appropriate qualifcation and assessment of the state can lead to the formation of false expectations from self-preserving behavior in general and the loss of confdence in nutrition as a factor in managing health.