Sugary Foods May Have Fueled Early Human Brain Expansion, Study Suggests

A recent synthesis of fossil, tooth and physiological records proposes that simple carbohydrates from fruits and honey were a primary energy source for early hominins, helping drive the five-fold increase in brain mass over four million years. The analysis indicates that chimp-like ancestors derived more than two-thirds of their dietary energy from fruit, a pattern that persisted as brains grew larger. Although the advent of animal protein and fat around 2.5 million years ago is acknowledged as important, the authors contend that sugary foods provided an essential, parallel source of calories. Nutrition scientist Jennie Brand-Miller and archaeologist Julie Lee-Thorp note that modern bias toward meat may have obscured this role, while anthropologist Brian Wood emphasizes the broader ability of early humans to harvest high-quality foods, including foraged sugars, nuts and underground plant parts.