Eating like a caveman can help reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease by helping postmenopausal women lose weight, according to a new study.
Swedish researchers linked the Paleolithic-type diet to weight loss, improved levels of circulating fatty acid and a lower risk of developing diabetes and heart disease in obese postmenopausal women.
"Eating a Paleolithic-type diet without calorie restriction significantly improved the fatty acid profile associated with insulin sensitivity, and it reduced abdominal adiposity and body weight in obese postmenopausal women," said Caroline Blomquist, lead author of the study and doctoral student in the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Umeå University in Umeå, Sweden.
The Paleolithic diet, also called the paleo diet, caveman diet or stone-age diet, involves eating foods presumed to be available to early humans living in the Paleolithic era. Dieters on the Paleolithic diet are allowed foods like vegetables, fruits, meats, nuts and roots and avoid dairy, grains, sugar, legumes, salt, coffee and alcohol.
For the study, participants on the Paleolithic diet ate lean meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries. Additional fat sources included rapeseed, olive oils and avocado.
"A Paleolithic-type diet, high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, may have long-term beneficial effects on obesity-related disorders, including reduced risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease," Blomquist added.
The latest study involved 70 obese postmenopausal women who were followed for 24 months. The women were randomly assigned to either the Paleolithic diet or the prudent control diet group.
Participants in the Paleolithic diet group were assigned to a daily food regimen consisting of 30 percent protein, 30 percent, and 40 percent fats with high-unsaturated fatty acid content. However, women assigned to the prudent control diet group adhered to a 15 percent protein, 30 percent fat and 55 percent carbohydrate diet.
Participants in the two-year study kept ongoing food diaries and attended 12 group sessions led by a dietitian.
The researchers also collected body measurements, food intake and physical activity data, and blood samples at the start of the study, at six months and at 24 months when the study ended.
While women in both diet groups experienced significant weight loss and substantially decreased their waist circumference, those on the Paleolithic diet experienced significant improvements in their levels of insulin resistance.
The findings were presented at the ENDO 2016 meeting in Boston, Mass.
