How Did We Get Here?
Depending on what part of the world your ancestry hails from; there is little debate that the lifestyle you currently live is far different than that of your ancestors. Some of you reading this have ancestors that were likely subsistence farmers, while others may have come from a long line of hunter and gatherers.
Regardless of your ancestral origins, the lifestyle you lead today is a far cry from how your genes evolved, and is likely a large part of the reason many of us deal with excessive body weight, high blood pressure, poor cholesterol and lipid profiles, metabolic syndrome, and in many cases: type II diabetes.
What is a Mismatch Disease?
Infections and other communicable diseases were a scourge of ancestral societies, but if an individual was fortunate enough to avoid those diseases they were very unlikely to deal with the non communicable diseases that plague modern societies. Our ancestors lives were filled with high levels of physical activity, ZERO ultra processed foods, better air quality, and an avoidance of many of the modern stressors we face today. Sure, they had to deal with predators, warring neighbors, drinking water that could lead to cholera, and lack of safe shelter; all things that generally don’t concern us today. Despite all the modern advances we have in western society and their obvious benefits; are we healthier overall? Many would argue that we are not!
Mismatch diseases are considered to be diseases resulting from our body’s inability to adapt to the modern environment which we currently live. Compared to our ancestors, we are highly sedentary, have access to an abundance of ultra processed foods which are high in calories and low in nutritional value, exposed to inadequate sleep cycles, and deal with chronic stressors never before seen. (Do you think your ancestors cursed out the driver in the car next to them on the Eisenhower expressway en route to their office cubicle deep in the heart of downtown Chicago?)
The theory is that the human body was designed to be physically active and to consume more natural foods such as lean meats, vegetables, fruits (in season), and low glycemic starches. Our constant exposure to a sedentary lifestyle and ultra processed, high calorie, low nutrition foods is pre-disposing us to carrying excessive body weight, higher blood pressure, metabolic disorders, heart disease, certain cancers, and ever rising rates of type II diabetes.
What is the Answer?
A paper published in December 2024 in the Scandinavian Journal of Medical Science and Sports looked at 8 volunteers who took part in an intensive lifestyle intervention which mirrored an “ancestral lifestyle.” Participants walked 8,000-10,000 steps per day, did several moderate intensity exercise sessions each week, and three resistance training sessions each week, on top of following dietary advice mimicking an ancestral diet.
At the end of the study researchers found that participants had lost an average of 23 KG of body weight (approximately 50 pounds), improved VO2 max (cardio fitness) by 18.2 ML of O2/KG of body weight, decreased blood pressure by 33 systolic over 18 diastolic, and most had restored normal metabolic and cardiovascular function. As an added bonus, 3 out of the 4 participants who had been previously diagnosed with type II diabetes had restored there A1C levels to normal without additional pharmacological intervention!
What Is The Ancestral Lifestyle?
Stay tuned for our upcoming announcement of dates for our annual Ancestral Lifestyle program. We are currently reworking our presentation format and will be launching our 2025 fully online master class!
