Colesterol

The search for healthy nutritional standards to prevent chronic diseases

has led researchers to investigate the diet of our ancestors, mainly of the

Paleolithic age. The aim of this study was to examine the current knowledge

about the Paleolithic diet and the extent to which it can be applied to the

prevention of chronic diseases. The research was based on data from

several English, Spanish and Portuguese articles found at Medline and

Lilacs databases. The Paleolithic diet consisted of only 3 basic foodstuffs:

meat, vegetables and fruit and was thus rich in fi bers (46 g), vitamins,

minerals and phytochemicals having a high amount of potassium and low

sodium content. The intake of calcium was satisfactory since this was

obtained from forage and deer meat. The meat available from wild animals

was low in fat and contained omega-3 fatty acids. The results of recent

studies have been promising and suggest the diet can help in the reduction

of chronic diseases. Further in-depth enquiries are needed into both the

potential risks and benefi ts of the paleolithic diet as, if there are no collateral

risks, its introduction could lead to signifi cant changes in the feeding habits

of the western world. However, health professionals should adopt a critical

point of view to this issue, and should not be swayed by its growing popula