THE STORY OF THE HUMAN BODY: Evolution, Health & Disease
By Daniel Liberman
Many of the diseases we’re plagued with today–e.g. cancer, osteoporosis, depression, allergies–are actually preventable. To effectively address the causes of these diseases, and develop preventive strategies, we need to understand our bodies from an evolutionary perspective. This book helps us to understand how our bodies have evolved over millions of years, how our modern lifestyle has transformed the way we use our Paleolithic bodies, and how to deal with the diseases and issues that have emerged from these “mismatches”.
In this summary, you’ll learn:
• The 5 key transitions in our biological evolution from apes to Homo Sapiens, over millions of years, and why our bodies are the way they are today;
• How our cultural evolution (including the Agricultural Revolution and Industrial Revolution) have changed the way we live, eat, and use our bodies, and why these conflict with what our bodies were designed for;
• What are mismatched diseases, dysevolution, and the 3 key types of mismatches (excess, dis-use and novelty). Learn how you can prevent or remedy diseases like Type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, reproductive tissue cancer, osteoporosis, allergies, etc.
Who should read this:
• Professionals or leaders in healthcare, medicine, education, and government
• Anyone interested to improve your health and prevent diseases
Karl –
Many details of the theme are repeated, but that points to the simplicity of the core idea. Many of us are not living as our bodies are evolved to be lived in. [Review extracted from Goodreads]
Elspeth –
Fascinating book! Daniel Lieberman, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, is not only an expert on this topic, but this book was a pleasure to read..his aim at the end of the book is to address the question: How did the evolutionary pressures of our ancestors influence the form and function of our bodies in contemporary society? …. Lieberman’s solution to this “dysevolution” is not to return to our primitive past, but rather to universalize healthcare, improve medicine, and reform education about health….To his credit, Lieberman doesn’t suggest that we become cavepeople again, or celebrate returning to a Paleolithic lifestyle, but he argues that we need to take steps to reduce these “mismatch” maladies. An interesting book! [Review extracted from Goodreads]
Jenn –
Wonderful exploration of man physical and cultural evolution. A must read for anyone who owns a body. [Review from Goodreads]