Persistent lack of progress by mainstream (non-evolutionary) medicine suggests evolutionary thinking is necessary for progress, but many examples – involving Weston Price, sleep, depression, weight control, omega-3, acne, depression, and fermented foods -- suggest it is far from sufficient. Evolutionary thinking helps solve health problems because it greatly narrows the possibilities worth study but it does not narrow the possibilities far enough (there is too much uncertainty) to by itself produce practical solutions. For example, evolutionary thinking helped me find a new theory of weight control but I had learn more to find a practical way to lose weight.

1. Paleo: Necessary, Not Sufficient
Seth Roberts
UC Berkeley & Tsinghua University
twoutopias@gmail.com

2. “It Works” Defense
• “I don’t give a *&%@ what detractors
say. Paleo/low-carb works for me.” –
Mark’s Daily Apple comment
• “The Ancestral health movement has
become popular because it works . . .
Millions have experienced its benefits.” –
Paul Jaminet

3. Problems with “It Works” Defense
• Many things work that are wrongly
explained
• Paleo includes theory – the theory
behind the advice. If you want better
advice or more advice, you want the
theory to be true.

4. Three Kinds of Paleoistas
1. Theorists give advice
2. Testers try the advice (does it work for
me?)
3. Me theorist & tester, micro ideas &
advice

5. My Interest in Paleo
• Self-experiments showed dermatologist
& I both wrong
• Can self-experiments improve sleep? 10
years of failure
• Finally: no breakfast  less early
awakening
• Breakfast not paleo. Start with mismatch
assumption?

6. 6 Uses of Paleo Ideas
1. Morning faces & mood
2. Shangri-La Diet
3. Flaxseed oil & brain function
4. Fermented foods
5. Standing & sleep
6. Morning Vitamin D & sleep

7. What Examples Share
Paleo Idea + Non-Paleo Input
 Progress

8. Morning Faces & Mood
Problem Early awakening
Non-paleo input When we socialize
influences when we sleep
Paleo idea Stone Age people chatted
with neighbors in morning
Big new effect Seeing morning faces
improves mood the next day

9. Shangri-La Diet
Problem Obesity
Paleo idea Amount of energy stored
should depend on energy cost
Non-paleo input Rat experiments
Big new effect Calories without smell
cause weight loss

10. Flaxseed Oil & Brain Function
Problem How to do Shangri-La Diet?
Paleo idea Aquatic Ape Theory
Non-paleo input Nutrition experts rarely
study brain function
Big new effects 1. Flaxseed oil improves
balance and other measures of brain
function. 2. So does butter. 3. Removal of
mercury amalgam fillings improved brain
function.

11. Morning Vitamin D & Sleep
Problem Tara Grant’s poor sleep
Paleo idea Less sun exposure now than
long ago
Non-paleo input Morning sunlight
improves sleep, sunlight makes Vitamin D
Big new effect Morning Vitamin D
improves sleep

12. My Experience
What Worked Several Times
Mismatch Assumption + Guesses about
Ancient Life + Non-Paleo Input
What Never Worked
Mismatch Assumption + Guesses about
Ancient Life

13. Paleo Alone Can Be Misleading
Warinner Me
• diversity No reason to think
50% good, 50% bad
better than 100% good
• fresh fermented better
• whole foods supplements helpful
Warinner told listeners what they already
believed. Which I consider wrong or overstated

14. My Explanation

15. My Explanation

16. My Explanation

17. My Explanation

18. My Explanation
•Paleo helped me decide
where to look
•. . . but I needed more help
to find useful effects