Le Mythe de l’Age d’Or : perspectives critiques sur le régime paléo

Abstract

The paper examines the Paleo Diet as a form of primitivism. After describing its constituents, it moves on to assess the evolutionary assumptions surrounding it through the lens of evolutionary mismatch theory. Evolutionary assumptions include the emphasis on one unique evolutionary environment of adaptation (EEA); the assumption of little or no evolution occurring in humans over the past 12,000 years; the use of contemporary hunter-gatherer groups as proxies for Paleolithic populations and the emphasis on genetic rather than developmental and cultural factors influencing dietary choice. There follows a discussion of its health-related benefits, and more specifically its impact upon ‘Diseases of Civilisation’.