Tag: Brain size

For over 3 million years, hominin ancestors were incorporating meat into their diet, marking a major departure from the mostly plant-based diets of earlier primates. This pivotal dietary shift, evidenced by fossil and archaeological discoveries, sparks the central question: was man born to eat meat, or did our biology simply adapt to an opportunistic food source?

According to a study published in the journal *Neurology*, postmenopausal women with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids had larger total brain volumes eight years later compared to peers with lower levels. This finding raises an intriguing question: can omega-3 increase brain size or does it play a more protective role in maintaining brain volume?

According to the 'expensive-tissue hypothesis,' the energy demands of a larger brain were offset by a reduction in the size of the digestive tract, a trade-off made possible by a shift to a more nutrient-dense diet. This illustrates precisely how does nutrition help in evolution, driving significant anatomical and physiological changes over millennia.

Over the last two million years, the human brain has nearly tripled in size, a remarkable feat largely attributed to changes in our ancestors' diet. This dramatic increase highlights the profound significance of nutrition in evolution, acting as a crucial selective pressure that molded our physical and genetic makeup.

A child's brain can reach 95% of its peak size by age six, underscoring the brain's rapid early development. But is brain size correlated with nutrition during this crucial window? A growing body of evidence suggests a strong and complex link, demonstrating that diet profoundly influences brain architecture, development, and overall health.

According to UNICEF, nearly 19 million babies are at risk of permanent brain damage every year due to preventable iodine deficiency alone. This stark statistic highlights how vital proper nutrition is, but it also raises the question: **does nutrition affect brain size** beyond these extreme cases?