During the last five years, we have come to know a lot about how we eat what we eat. Several research publications that have appeared during this time throw some light on our gastronomic patterns, preferences and adaptations. We look at three of these.
We started out as vegetarians!
Recall we humans are descendants of apes and chimpanzees. These primates are vegetarians, and thus, early humans, too, must have been vegetarians. But unlike primates which stay put in Africa, we moved and migrated all over the world, adapting over time to any kind of food that was available - plant, fish or meat. Over time, some of us chose to stay eating plants alone, while others were less finicky. Either way, we adapted to circumstances. This would be an example of selective pressure. This adaptation is reflected in the variations in the genes that code for proteins and enzymes in the body, which convert the food we eat into essential molecules required for our cells to function efficiently. A research group from Cornell University focussed on one such gene called FADS, which codes for making what are called omega 3 and 6 fatty acids needed in our cells. The plant oils and fats that vegetarians consume are converted by their FADS to omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, which are vital components of cell membranes, helping in regulating the entry and exit of molecules across our cells. Meat eaters, on the other hand, obtain these omegas directly from the animal meat they eat.
The scientists, led by Thomas Brenna and Kumar Kothapalli, then decided to study the variation in the genes for FADS in vegetarians on one hand (for which they chose a group of strict traditional vegetarian families from Pune, Maharashtra) and in meat eaters from the U.S. on the other. While the FADS genes in vegetarians had two copies of what is called I, an insertion element (22 alphabets inserted within the gene sequence), FADS in meat-eaters had this element deleted (D). Veggies have I/I while meat-eaters have D/D in their chromosomes. The scientists found this I/I version to be highest in South Asian population but lower in Europeans and East Asians. (Incidentally, the I/I version is found in the FADS genes of Neanderthals). You are what you eat!
The curry that Harappans ate
The second exciting discovery came from the study by Arunima Kashyap and Steve Weber of Washington State University. They analysed the remains of starch grains from human teeth (as well as in a cooking pot excavated from the site) found in the ancient town of Farmane in Haryana (a well-known Harappan site) and identified ginger and turmeric in it. It thus appears that the curry that we make and use today traces its ancestry back to over 4,000 years ago!. Besides ginger and turmeric, Harappan food included lentils and moong dal, rice, millet and bananas. It is interesting how spices such as ginger and turmeric were used as early as 4,000 years ago in the Indus Valley civilisation. We now know that ginger contains molecules that help against inflammation, control osteo-arthritis and modulate immunity. And we know largely from the excellent and exhaustive work done at the National Institute of Nutrition at Hyderabad (e.g., the book: “Turmeric - the Salt of the Orients is the Spice of Life,” Dr Kamala Krishnaswamy, Allied Publishers, 2007) how golden the herb, turmeric, is.
But did the Harappans know about or use hot chili pepper (mirchi) or black pepper? While whether black pepper is innate to India or imported is still in dispute, chili pepper is clearly an import, brought into India by sea-faring traders from the West. Dr K T Achaya and others point out that chili pepper, which owes its origin to Mexico and Central America, was brought into India and South Asia by the Portuguese In the sixteenth century. Prior to that, spicy food in India was largely made by the use of ginger, turmeric and other ingredients.
Hot chilli helps you live longer!
Chili pepper is used to spice up food in most of Asia, Africa and Latin America. And it entered the Indian cuisine in the 16th century with a bang. That it was held in high esteem can be seen by the fact that the devotional poet Purandaradasa (1480-1564) praised Lord Krishna as a ruby red chili! That it not only adds to the taste, but is also a great health aid has been reported by two recent cross-population studies. The first one is from China, which found that those who consumed red hot chilli pepper in their food lived longer than those who did not (see Jun et al <BMJ 2015; 351 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h3942>, free access on the web). About a year later, a similar population-comparison was done by Chopan and Littenberg from the US, who too concluded that ‘consumption of hot red chilli pepper was associated with reduced mortality’ (see <PLOS ONE/DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0169876>, also accessible free). Magic molecules such as capsaicin, and others that fight bacterial infection, oxidative damage and so on are rich in chilli, thus promoting its longevity-promoting property.
Personally, my wife is upset that I am not able to handle hot chilis, but then I make up for it with another health-promoting substance, red wine - and am hoping it will act equally well.
D. Balasubramanian
dbala@lvpei.org
