Mind & Matter
Whether food, drugs or ideas, what you consume influences who you become. Learn directly from the best scientists & thinkers alive today about how your mind-body reacts to what you feed it.
The weekly M&M podcast features conversations with the most interesting scientists, thinkers, and technology entrepreneurs alive today.
Not medical advice.
At M&M, we are interested in trying to figure out how things work, not affirming our existing beliefs. We prefer consulting primary rather than secondary sources and independent rather than institutional voices. If we encounter uncomfortable truths or the evidence suggests unfashionable ideas may be valid, so be it.
As the host, my aim is to help you better understand how the body & mind work by curating & synthesizing information in a way that yields science-based insights that you can choose to use or disregard in your own life. Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
I am motivated to connect the dots and distill general principles from what I learn, preferring to ask questions and play devil’s advocate to debating or incessantly pushing my own viewpoint.
My beliefs:
- Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.
- All knowledge is provisional and we must work hard to prevent ourselves from becoming attached to our favorite ideas & preferred conclusions.
- Wisdom comes from an iterative, trial-and-error process of learning and unlearning. Letting go of pre-conceived notions can be painful, but pain is information.
Sometimes modern discoveries teach us we must unlearn received wisdom. Other times, modern information overload & historical chauvinism cause us to forget ancient wisdom which stills applies. The framework for learning that I embody is inspired by three Ancient Greek maxims inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi:
- “Γνῶθι σεαυτόν” (Know thyself)
- “Μηδὲν ἄγαν” (Nothing in excess)
- “Ἐγγύα πάρα δ Ἄτα” (Certainty brings insanity)
Mind & Matter
Evolution & Variation in Human Diet, Energy Expenditure & Metabolism | Herman Pontzer | 243
Human metabolism, primate evolution, and modern health challenges with evolutionary anthropologist Herman Pontzer.
Episode Summary: Anthropologist Dr. Herman Pontzer discusses human evolution and metabolism, comparing humans to primates like chimps and gorillas to explain our higher energy use, bigger brains, and longer lives despite trade-offs in reproduction and activity; they discuss dietary shifts from plant-based to hunting-gathering, metabolic adaptations, and modern issues like obesity, where exercise aids health but diet drives weight loss, emphasizing ultra-processed foods' role in overeating and the promise of new drugs like GLP-1 agonists.
About the guest: Herman Pontzer, PhD is a professor of evolutionary anthropology and global health at Duke University. He is the author of books like "Burn" and "Adaptable," which explore how bodies adapt to diets, activity, and environments.
Discussion Points:
- Humans burn 20% more daily energy than other primates (controlling for body size), enabling big brains, more babies, and longer lives, but requiring efficient food strategies like hunting and gathering.
- Unlike apes, humans evolved smaller guts, higher body fat (15-30% vs. apes' <10%), and mixed diets of animal and plant foods.
- Hunter-gatherers like the Hadza are far more active than sedentary Westerners but burn similar calories, as bodies adapt by reducing basal metabolism, inflammation, and hormones.
- Obesity stems more from increased calorie intake via ultra-processed foods than it does from reduced activity; exercise boosts health but rarely causes major weight loss on its own.
- Early humans likely scavenged rancid meat, evidenced by low stomach pH similar to vultures, aiding digestion of risky foods.
- Ketosis isn't unique to high-meat diets; even Inuit on low-carb diets resist it, and other carnivores don't stay in ketosis constantly.
- Across global populations, richer countries have higher BMI and slightly higher total energy expenditure due to larger bodies, but basal rates drop with lower pathogen loads.
- For weight loss, Dr. Pontzer points to diets high in fiber/protein for satiety; intermittent fasting works by cutting calories, not magic; GLP-1 drugs mimic hormones to curb hunger, although we stay mindful of potential long-term effects.
Related episode:
- M&M 160: Diet, Hunting, Culture and Evolution of Paleolithic Humans & Hunter Gatherers | Eugene Morin
*Not medical advice.
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