High dietary intake of prebiotic inulin-type fructans in the prehistoric Chihuahuan Desert

Archaeological evidence from dry cave deposits in the northern Chihuahuan Desert reveal intensive utilisation of desert plants that store prebiotic inulin-type fructans as the primary carbohydrate. In this semi-arid region limited rainfall and poor soil conditions prevented the adoption of agricultu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of nutrition 2010-06, Vol.103 (11), p.1558-1561
Main Authors: Leach, Jeff D., Sobolik, Kristin D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agave (Agave lechuguilla)
Agave - chemistry
Animals
Archaeology
Arid zones
Biological and medical sciences
Carbohydrates
Carbon isotopes
Chihuahuan Desert
Desert Climate
Desert plants
deserts
Diet
Diet - history
dietary carbohydrate
Feces
Feeding. Feeding behavior
food intake
Fossils
Fructans
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
history
History, Ancient
human nutrition
Humans
hunter-forager economy
Inulin
Liliaceae - chemistry
literature reviews
Male
Onions - chemistry
plant-based foods
Plants, Edible
Prebiotics
Prebiotics - history
Prehistoric era
Prehistory
Semiarid lands
Texas
Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
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Summary:Archaeological evidence from dry cave deposits in the northern Chihuahuan Desert reveal intensive utilisation of desert plants that store prebiotic inulin-type fructans as the primary carbohydrate. In this semi-arid region limited rainfall and poor soil conditions prevented the adoption of agriculture and thus provides a unique glimpse into a pure hunter–forager economy spanning over 10 000 years. Ancient cooking features, stable carbon isotope analysis of human skeletons, and well-preserved coprolites and macrobotanical remains reveal a plant-based diet that included a dietary intake of about 135 g prebiotic inulin-type fructans per d by the average adult male hunter–forager. These data reveal that man is well adapted to daily intakes of prebiotics well above those currently consumed in the modern diet.
ISSN:0007-1145
1475-2662
DOI:10.1017/S0007114510000966