D7 - Progress, Mismatch, and Dysevolution

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The Consequences - Good and Bad - of Having Paleolithic Bodies in a Post-Paleolithic World

almost every major infectious epidemic happened after the Agricultural Revolution began

hunter-gatherers didn't enjoy surpluses of food, but rarely suffered from famines or serious malnutrition

modern lifestyles ---> new noncommunicable but widespread illnesses (eg. heart disease, certain cancers, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes)

farming created more food and allowed populations to grow, but average farmer had to work much harder than any hunter-gatherer, experienced worth health, and more likely to die young

improvements in human health occurred over last 100 years

now face excesses - overweight, obesity

progress - bad for bodies - lack of using body, lack of use of energy