The Caveman Diet Benefits and Risks

The caveman diet is intended to promote weight loss and overall better health by mimicking a diet similar to the diet of the humans who lived during the Paleolithic age. It is believed that the human body is not designed to be able to process foods that were not consumed during the Paleolithic age. It is also thought that eliminating these foods will allow the body to function more in the manner for which it was designed, leading to better health and a decreased risk of many of the diseases that are prevalent in the industrialized world such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Benefits 

There are many benefits to losing weight if it is done at a moderate pace through healthy eating and increased exercise. Obesity causes an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and many other diseases and conditions. The greater the obesity the greater the risk of these diseases, and the greater the severity of the symptoms associated with them. Losing weight can reduce the risks of these and other obesityrelated diseases as well as reduce the severity of the symptoms if the diseases have already occurred.

In addition to the general benefits of weight loss, the caveman diet may provide a variety of other health benefits. Fresh fruits and vegetables are high in many vitamins and minerals, which are important for overall good health. Some versions of the caveman diets that recommend free range, grass-fed lean meats may have additional benefits as these meats may be higher than regular meats in omega-3 fatty acids, which are believed have positive health benefits for the heart and cardiovascular system.

Varieties of the caveman diet that recommend large amounts of exercise may have additional health benefits. Regular exercise can help weight loss to occur more quickly by helping the body use more calories and creating muscle mass. Regular exercise also may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Precautions 

Anyone thinking of beginning a new diet should consult a medical practitioner. Requirements of calories, fat, and nutrients can differ significantly from person to person, depending on gender, age, weight, and many other factors such as the presence of any diseases or conditions. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should be especially cautious because deficiencies of vitamins or minerals can have a significant negative impact on a baby.

Risks 

There are some risks with any diet. It is often difficult to get enough of some vitamins and minerals when eating a limited variety of foods. All varieties of the caveman diet exclude all milk and dairy products. Because these foods are excellent sources of calcium it is possible that people on the caveman diet may not get enough calcium in their diet. Lack of calcium can lead to many different disease and conditions such as osteoporosis and rickets. Anyone beginning this diet may want to consult their physician about whether taking a vitamin or supplement might help them reduce this risk. Also such a low starchy carbohydrate intake could cause health problems such as lethargy and fatigue due to low energy.

Versions of the caveman diet that allow and encourage large quantities of high fat red meat being eaten have their own risks. High-fat diets, especially diets high in animal fats, have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Versions of the diet that encourage the consumption mainly of lean meats probably do not have this increased risk.