Hype or Reality: Should Patients with Metabolic Syndrome-related NAFLD be on the Hunter-Gatherer (Paleo) Diet to Decrease Morbidity?

Plain Language Summary

Hunter-Gatherers (HG) during the Paleolithic period, from about 2.5 million to 10,000 years BC, fed mainly on meat, organ meats, fish, insects, roots, green vegetables, seasonal fruit and nuts, whilst grains and dairy were only introduced as a main part of the human diet with the agricultural revolution approximately 10,000 years ago. It is thought that eating a diet that is in disagreement with our evolutionary physiological heritage contributes to the increase seen in non-communicable diseases, especially type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This review article evaluates the existing evidence of the potential benefits of following an HG (Paleo) type diet in terms of the above mentioned conditions which are based on metabolic disturbances and in comparison with other dietary strategies, such as the Mediterranean diet and low fat diets. The authors come to the conclusion that a diet resembling a paleolithic diet might be an acceptable antidote to the typical (unhealthy) Western diet, but that more research from randomised controlled trials is needed to support this hypothesis.