OPINION
Are government recommendations for daily fibre intake too low? an evolutionary perspective
It’s safe to say that our current chronic low-intake of dietary fibre in the western world (~12 to 15g/d) – coupled with our overuse of antibiotics and the increase in multiple antibiotic resistance in pathogens – has started a large-scale genetic “re-engineering” experiment on the slowly evolved and critical symbiotic relationship between humans and our little evolutionary hitchhiking friends, with limited discussion of its outcome on public health. (more)

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OPINION
E. coli and the future health of America
In 2006, Americans learned that a salad could be hazardous to your health. The media flurry and the elected official posturing that followed the September 14 outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 associated with spinach, is still fresh on American minds and making daily headlines thanks in no small part to the brisk recalls associated with tainted beef. So is our food supply less safe and are the growers, shippers and various groups and agencies tasked with oversight not doing all they can to protect the consumer from deadly microbes as some believe? While the media and the public at-large lays blame at the doorstop of industry and government, might the brunt of this burden be misplaced? Probably so. (more)

OPINION / Letter to the Editor
Paleo Longevity Redux
Geoffrey Cannon¹ repeats a widespread affirmation that “paleolithic people usually did not survive into what we call later middle age.” His underlying point, which is widely shared among researchers and the public at-large, is that our ancestors did not live long enough to develop cancer, heart disease and other chronic illnesses. All of which forms the basis for the near universal belief that ancient hunter-gatherers (our ancestors) really were not healthier or fitter than us moderns, and therefore their ancient dietary practices have little relevance to modern health, well-being, and longevity. (more)

PEER REVIEW
Prebiotics in Ancient Diets
While modern studies continue to expand our knowledge of the health benefits of prebiotics, virtually nothing is known of their use among ancient populations. Drawing on select ethnographic and archaeological data, examples of prebiotic use in ancient diet is presented. By utilizing well-documented cooking facilities found throughout the archaeological record of North America used to cook inulin-bearing plants as a proxy, prebiotic consumption is documented in Europe and the Mediterranean possibly as early as 40,000 years ago.  (more)

OPINION / Op-Ed


Fighting E. coli the old-fashioned way
In the wake of E. coli 0157:H7 outbreaks associated with spinach and other produce in 2006, the new 110^th Congress will be dusting off and reintroducing the Food Safety Act (S. 729), initially proposed in 2005 by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), to assure the American public that the government is working hard to substantially reduce future food-borne outbreaks.   (more)

OPINION
Unintended Consequences
What happed to the Human Hybrid?
As you read this, there are millions of tiny microbes swimming around in the fluid surrounding your eyeballs. But you can’t see them. There are millions more under your finger nails, on your hands, arms, legs and just about every imaginable section of your fleshy real estate. There are millions more lining your moist nasal passage, many more maneuvering about your liver, heart, lungs, pancreas and trillions more living throughout your continuous gastrointestinal tract – from mouth to anus. (more)

PEER REVIEW
Evolutionary perspective on dietary intake of fibre and colorectal cancer 

From an evolutionary perspective, the ongoing discussion of fibres role in colorectal cancer is possibly limited by the overall low intake of fibre across study groups. Our ancestral diet consistently included a diverse range of plants that regularly contributed >100 g/d of dietary fiber. Importantly, this diversity assured that, due to a range of physical and chemical structures, a steady flow of fermentable substrates promoted metabolic activity into the distal regions of the colon.  more>>

paleobiotics
 

Paleobiotics are plant parts that, due to their physical and chemical structure, escape digestion and absorption in the small intestine of humans. These nondigestible plant remains reach the colon where they are fermented by the residing intestinal flora and have been shown to selectively stimulate the growth and / or activity of health promoting bacteria that confer demonstrated benefits upon the host. Prehistoric populations that diversified their diet to include paleobiotics would have enjoyed a selective advantage over competitors.

                see also    prebiotics     probiotics      synbiotics
 

general interest articles

	E. coli and the future health of America
	Paleo Longevity Redux
	Unintended Consequences: What happed to the Human Hybrid?
	So go the Pima, so go the rest of us
	It's the fiber, stupid!
	Intelligent Nutrition
	How the colon got the shaft
	The fiber-colon connection
	Strengthening bones through bioavailability
	C-sections, breastfeeding, and bugs for your baby
	Did we evolve? (New York Times)