Scoping review of Paleolithic dietary patterns: a definition proposal

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Dietary Pattern Analysis
• Public Health

Background:

• The Paleolithic diet (PaleoDiet) is a popular dietary pattern mimicking ancient food intake.
• Existing research uses diverse definitions of the PaleoDiet, impacting study outcomes.
• Variations in PaleoDiet definitions may influence its association with health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing Paleolithic diet scores.
• To propose a novel, standardized Paleolithic diet score.
• To investigate how PaleoDiet components affect health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of Paleolithic diet definitions and scores.
• PubMed search up to December 2019 identified 14 different PaleoDiet definitions.
• Development of a new PaleoDiet score based on food composition analysis.

Main Results:

• High heterogeneity exists among current PaleoDiet definitions regarding encouraged/banned foods.
• Evidence suggests potential benefits for cardiometabolic diseases, but the level of evidence is weak.
• A new 11-item PaleoDiet score is proposed, emphasizing whole foods and limiting processed items.

Conclusions:

• Standardizing the Paleolithic diet definition is crucial for accurate health outcome assessment.
• The proposed PaleoDiet score offers a more consistent measure for future research.
• Further high-quality studies are needed to confirm the long-term health effects of the Paleolithic diet.