The role of meat in our diets: evolutionary aspects and nutritional value

Meat has played a crucial role in human evolution, facilitating ‘encephalization’ and the development of larger brains relative to body size.

For over three million years, people and their hominin ancestors have relied on meat. Our anatomy, digestion, and metabolism evolved distinctly from other primates, reflecting our adaptation to a meat-rich diet. Human beings, categorized as omnivores, possess a simple and very acid stomach, an elongated small intestine, and a reduced cecum and colon with diminished fermentative capacity, indicating a preference for high-quality diets with significant meat consumption.

Meat has played a crucial role in human evolution, facilitating ‘encephalization’ and the development of larger brains relative to body size. But even today, meat remains vital due to its high density of bioavailable nutrients, which are not easily replaced in plant-based diets and may be deficient in global populations. Vitamin B12, retinol, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, and bioactive compounds like taurine and creatine are primarily sourced from meat. Organ meats are particularly rich in vitamins A and D, iron, zinc, folate, and choline, nutrients often lacking globally. Beyond its nutrient content, meat influences nutrient absorption and metabolism within the diet matrix, making it a cornerstone in food-based dietary strategies, especially in regions heavily reliant on cereals.

Removing or significantly reducing meat intake necessitates careful consideration of nutritional implications, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant and lactating women, older adults, and the chronically ill across all income levels. Disconnection from evolutionary dietary patterns may contribute to nutritional deficiencies and disease, especially affecting growth and brain development in childhood. Meat, crucial for young children’s cognitive functions, underscores the importance of incorporating evolutionary knowledge into dietary guidelines. Animal-sourced foods also positively correlate with essential functions in older adults, such as muscular, skeletal, and neural health, reducing risks associated with ageing.

Efforts to reduce global meat consumption, driven by environmental or other concerns, must balance potential benefits with nutritional risks, particularly in regions with low meat intake and high undernutrition rates like Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Even in high-income countries, reductions in meat intake must address the impact on nutrient status, which is especially crucial during life stages requiring nutrient-dense foods.

See the full Paper by Frédéric Leroy, Nick W Smith, Adegbola T Adesogan, Ty Beal, Lora Iannotti, Paul J Moughan, Neil Mann, “The role of meat in the human diet: evolutionary aspects and nutritional value | Animal Frontiers | Oxford Academic (oup.com)“