Deconstructing the Paleolithic Diet: Components that Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Studies demonstrate that a Paleolithic-type diet reduces risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Deconstruction of the Paleolithic diet shows that ancestral hominids followed a dietary pattern that consisted of raw-whole foods containing efficacious levels of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, dietary fibre, phytosterols, protein, and potassium. While Paleolithic diets provided modest levels of carbohydrate-derived energy, these diets also were low in sodium. Therefore, the objective of this review is to identify the attributes of ancestral diets that reduce risk factors for CVD. These risk factors include dyslipidemia, elevated blood pressure, diabetes/hyperglycaemia, and excess body weight/obesity. Overall, data suggest that the Paleolithic diet is a dietary paradigm, which contains bioactive components that modulate biological processes and decrease CVD risk in modern-day humans.