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'Cooking as a biological trait'.

Richard Wrangham1, NancyLou Conklin-Brittain

  • 1Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Peabody Museum, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. wrangham@fas.harvard.edu

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A, Molecular & Integrative Physiology
|October 7, 2003
PubMed
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Cooking may be essential for human survival, as raw food diets lead to low energy and reproductive issues. Human biology likely evolved to depend on cooked food for sufficient calories and easier digestion.

Area of Science:

  • Human evolutionary biology
  • Nutritional science
  • Anthropology

Background:

  • No human populations subsist entirely on raw food; raw foodism is linked to negative health outcomes.
  • Hunter-gatherer caloric needs suggest raw food diets may be insufficient.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the hypothesis that cooking is obligatory for humans.
  • To explore the potential physiological and evolutionary adaptations to cooked food.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and analysis of existing data on human foraging and raw foodism.
  • Theoretical calculations on caloric intake from raw versus cooked diets.
  • Comparative analysis of human digestive physiology with other great apes.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Raw food diets are associated with low energy and impaired reproduction in humans.
  • Calculations indicate raw food diets may not provide sufficient calories for hunter-gatherers.
  • Raw plant foods are often high in fiber, and raw meat is tough, complicating digestion.

Conclusions:

  • Cooking may be an obligatory requirement for human survival and health.
  • Human digestive systems may have evolved to be less efficient at processing raw foods compared to other apes.
  • Cooking has likely played a significant role in human evolution, impacting biology, behavior, and psychology.