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Potatoes and human brain - what brings the relation?
Posted on: 15/Aug/2015 11:28:10 AM
We humans have got unique brain. None of the other animal has got such a large brain as related to the size of the body. It`s said this increase in size is probably because of consumption of meat. But scientists say there are other food that have caused this which is the potato, say reports.
The extraordinary development of human brain in the past million years is due to the consumption of carbohydrates, especially in the form of starch, according to researchers. It is likely that our ancestors had enjoyed easy access to carbohydrate through potatoes, fruits and nuts.
Carbohydrates are not proteins:
The new study takes under consideration all the archaeological, anthropological, genetic, physiological and anatomical data to state that the key for human brain`s evolution is the consumption of carbohydrate. The development of human brain has largely involved the role of animal protein and cooking. The role played by starch rich food is to be overlooked in this case. According to Dr Karen Hardy and her team at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, there are five main reasons for the importance of starch rich diet in the development of humans.
Up to 25 percent of energy and 60 percent of blood glucose in our body is used up by the brain. Though synthesis of glucose is possible through other sources, the high demand of glucose cannot be met just with low carbohydrate diet. This high need of carbohydrate can be met by the development of it in cooking.
Human body poorly digests raw starch. This however loses its crystalline structure when cooked. By cooking, the nutrients should have got unlocked and our ancestors would have had wider range of diet. The required glucose in our body is further enhanced by pregnancy and breastfeeding. The blood glucose level during maternal time is inclusive of the need for both mother and offspring which determines the level of carbohydrate.
The research also states that humans have got 6 salivary amylase genes which is just two in case of other primates. These genes help in digesting starch. With multiplication of salivary amylase gene and increasing practice of cooking all over, there raised the availability of dietary glucose which triggered the size of brain.
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