KOREA - A high-quality diet made possible by
devouring meat caused prehistoric humankind to wean faster, allowing them to be
more productive, according to a research by a group of scientists from Lund
University in Sweden.
"Eating meat enabled the breast-feeding period
and thereby the time between births to be shortened," said lead researcher
Elia Psouni.
The link between a high-protein diet and
breast-feeding lies in brain development, according to researchers.
Scientists studied 70 mammalian species and
discovered that the young of all species stop feeding off mother's milk when
their brain develops to a certain stage. They have learned that this stage is
reached faster by mammals that acquire at least 20 per cent of their energy
from meat.
Moreover, humans' development of unusually large
brain is contributed by process of obtaining meat as well as ingestion of meat.
Hunting requires communication, planning and use of
tools, all of which necessitates a more complicated thinking process and ergo,
a larger brain.
However, the study does not suggest how we should
eat now. Psouni stressed that the research is strictly about how meat-eating
may have helped humans spread on Earth, and it implies nothing about ideal diet
for modern humans.
The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
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