Obesity in ancient Egypt
Ten or twelve years ago we wrote in Protein Power about the data contained in the vast amount of ancient Egyptian mummies. We pointed out that several thousand years ago when the future mummies roamed the earth their diet was a nutritionist’s nirvana. At least a nirvana for all the so-called nutritional experts of today who are recommending a diet filled with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and little meat, especially red meat. Follow such a diet, we’re told, and we will enjoy abundant health.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work that way for the Egyptians. They followed such a diet simply because that’s all there was. There was no sugar - it wouldn’t be produced for another thousand or more years. The only sweet was honey, which was consumed in limited amounts. The primary staple was a coarse bread made of stone-ground, whole wheat. Animals were used as beasts of burden and were valued much more for the work they could do than for the meat they could provide. The banks of the Nile provided fertile soil for growing all kinds of fruits and vegetables, all of which were a part the low-fat, high-carbohydrate Egyptian diet. And there were no artificial sweeteners, artificial coloring, artificial flavors, preservatives, or any of the other substances that are part of all the manufactured foods we eat today.
Were the nutritionists of today right about their ideas of the ideal diet, the ancient Egyptians should have had abundant health. But they didn’t. In fact, they suffered pretty miserable health. Many had heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity - all the same disorders that we experience today in the ‘civilized’ Western world. Diseases that Paleolithic man, our really ancient ancestors, appeared to escape.
The press has been filled with reports of the recent discovery - thanks to DNA analysis - of the mummy of Queen Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt for around 15 years 3500 years ago.
According to the New York Times, Hatshepsut’s mummy is that of an obese, diabetic 50 year old woman with bad teeth. All the conditions that nutritionists today would have us believe would be prevented by Hatshepsut’s diet. It certainly didn’t work for her. And she is not a special case - most Egyptian mummies show the same disorders, especially the bad teeth. The skeletal remains of Paleolithic man, who consumed a meat-based diet, showed strong, perfect teeth. Bad teeth are the hallmark of carbohydrate consumption.
Here is an X-ray of Hatshepsut’s mouth. You can see cavities, lost teeth, and evidence of severe tooth abscesses, which had to have been miserably painful.
Hatshepsut’s statue pictured to the right shows her in her idealized form. I’m sure most of the Egyptian graphics and statuary of the time represented people in a thin, healthy state instead of the shape they were really in. Based on the mummy data many ancient Egyptians were obese, which is clearly not represented in their contemporary artistic renditions. If one were to look through on issue of Cosmopolitan or GQ or virtually any magazine to day and look at the people in all the ads, one would think no one is obese now. Which clearly isn’t the case. I suspect that the ancient Egyptians intuitively figured that thin and trim people were more attractive than obese ones and created their pictures accordingly.
One other interesting aspect of Hatshepsut’s mummy is that it appears that she died from metastatic cancer. Cancer has been tough to find in mummified and skeletal remains, leading most researchers to assume that the rates of cancer today are driven by environmental contaminants that weren’t present in ancient times.
The moral of this tale of ancient poor health is that a whopping load of carbs - even non-refined carbs - didn’t do Hatshepsut a whole lot of good, and they don’t do us much good either irrespective of the bleatings to the contrary by today’s nutritionists, who are woefully unaware of the history of the high-carb diet.
You are completely wrong: the state of Hatshepsut was obviously caused by a statin deficiency.
Yet she doesn’t look too bad for a 3500 years old girl.
Hi Max–
A statin deficiency, eh? I hadn’t thought of that.
She may not look bad for 3500 years old, but looking at that mouth X-ray, I imagine she’s got pretty bad breath.
Cheers–
MRE
Dean Ornish should look so good.
Indeed!
I once asked a friend who is an amateur Egyptologist what the Egyptians ate, and she distinguished between ordinary people and the rich. The ordinary people ate bread, onions, and beer, the latter of which “was not a meagre addition to the diet. It was made by fermenting barley bread in vats and was apparently
served minimally strained and rather thick, so it was more of a meal than a beverage.”
Of the rich she said, “For the upper classes cattle, sheep, ducks and geese, cranes, and pigeons provided protein, as well as a variety of wild game hunted in the desert, including oryx and gazelle. There were both wild and domesticated goats, and they did have pigs, although they have appeared most often in the context of trampling the grain into the sown fields, and they were clearly used for food in Ptolemaic and Roman times.”
“In their gardens they grew green beans, lentils, chickpeas, fenugreek, radishes, cucumber, lettuces, and herbs. Fruits included figs, dates, grapes, and pomegranates. Honey was used both as a sweetener, and as an anti-bacterial in poultices.”
Oddly fish, which was abundant, was avoided because “to eat fish made one ritually impure.”
I think overeating of any kind, even “paleolithic overeating” can trigger diabetes in people with a genetic susceptibility. And of course the upper classes with access to all this meat PLUS sweet fruits and honey and bread as well would also have done very little labor.
Hi Gretchen–
I consider myself something of an amateur Egyptologist, having read widely in the literature of professional Egyptologists. Most seem to think that the largest amount of calories in all walks of life came from carbohydrates, many of which your friend described. Meat - even for the rich - was not an everyday food. The rich just got a whole lot more carbohydrates than the poor. Most of the mummies that have been preserved were from well-to-do people because they were the only ones who could afford it. (The poor were basically laid out to dessicate.) And most of the mummies show these well-to-do people with horrible dental problems (the hallmark of excess carb consumption), obesity, and even arteriosclerosis and heart disease. Paleolithic remains are typically skeletal remains, but they show good, strong teeth and healthy bones with few signs of infection and/or malnutrition (all of which can be determined in skeletal remains). We know that Paleolithic man ate a meat-based diet. And we know that the health of the average man took a turn for the worse when large quantities of carb became available after the agricultural revolution took place.
The logical conclusion is that the lousy health found in Egyptian mummies was more than likely a function of their extremely high-carb diet. Had the rich people eaten a meat-based diet without the carbs, they would have had perfect teeth just like their Paleolithic ancestors.
And I disagree about overeating a Paleolithic diet. It’s very difficult to do because meat is satiating. No one binge eats on steak and eggs. They binge eat on high-carb foods because those foods override the shutoff response in the hypothalamus.
Cheers–
MRE
This subject fascinates me. I believe the last chapter of “Protein Power” touched on this.
It was an early chapter in the hardcover edition. When PP went to paperback the idiotic new editor we had at that time insisted that it be put in the back. She actually wanted to get rid of the entire chapter because she didn’t think it was particularly interesting. We prevailed on her to keep it, but she insisted it be in the back of the book as an epilogue.
Cheers–
MRE
Dr. Mike:
1. In case you haven’t seen this one from the UK Times about the findings of some Swedish researchers, here’s the link, the headline and a short excerpt:
>>>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/healthy_eating/article2013461.ece
July 2, 2007
Stone-age diet ‘could prevent diabetes’
Diabetes could be avoided if people ate a “Stone-age” diet consisting of fruit, nuts, vegetables and lean meat or fish, a study suggests. Scientists found that patients with poor glucose control improved their ability to handle sugar vastly after switching to prehistoric eating habits. The “Palaeolithic” diet given to volunteers was similar to what early modern humans were eating when they first migrated from Africa 70,000 years ago.>>>>
It looks like maybe the word about carb restriction really is starting to get out there.
2. Max’s comment about “statin deficiency” was droll and funny. Maybe if the diet/cholesterol hypothesis finally crashes and burns, even Dr. Reckless will change his mind.
3. Dr. Mike, don’t know if you have ever addressed the question of carb intake and inflammation. What is your take? Can a restricted carb diet reduce or even reverse that risk?
W
LOL John! Thanks for a good laugh when I needed one.
Hi Mike–this raises an interesting question. Are you aware of studies showing any correlation, in various countries, between carb consumption and conditions like obestiy, diabetes, and heart disease? My guess is that (like studies comparing fat consumption and heart diesease) the results would be all over the map because diet is only one of a multitude of factors affecting these conditions. That said, what are your thoughts regarding countries where grain consumption is high but obesity is low (e.g. Japan)?
Hi Paul–
You’re right. The studies are all over the map, and few conclusions - if any -can be drawn from them. In fact, I would go so far as to say that no conclusions could be drawn from them whatsoever. Epidemiologic studies are good for forming hypotheses, not for proving causality.
As to the Japanese and grains…
First, you’ve got to remember that there is more than the respective amounts of macronutrients that make up a diet: there are calories as well. If I eat 4000 calories, 30 percent of which are carbs, then I’ve eaten 300 grams of carbs providing 1200 calories. If you eat 2000 calories, 50 percent of which are carbs, you’ve eaten 250 grams of carbs providing 1000 calories. I’ve eaten more carbs than you even though you’ve eaten a larger percentage of carbs compared to your total diet than have I.
Americans - especially less affluent ones -tend to eat until they’re stuffed whereas the Japanese (and all Asians in general) tend to eat more for flavor and enjoyment of eating. Those that do stuff in the carbs - Sumo wrestlers, for example - become obese. Those who eat sanely don’t.
Cheers–
MRE
Makes you wonder why these findings aren’t getting any press, doesn’t it? NOT that I have become cynical.
Thank again Dr. Mike, for really USEFUL research.
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn–
It got press; just not the right kind.
Cheers–
MRE
[...] Original post by mreades Written by - Visit Website [...]
I agree it’s difficult to overeat on a “paleolithic diet,” which is one reason I prefer it. I’m not hungry all the time as I was on a low-fat diet. But I’m sure it’s possible in a royal household where people lounged around all day and ate for amusement—if any royal households followed paleolithic diets, which they probably didn’t because all humans love fruits and honey.
Also, I didn’t mean to suggest that upper-class Egyptians followed a paleolithic diet and ate almost no carbs. Just that they did seem to have access to meat, at least sometimes, which the lower classes probably didn’t.
Re moving the chapter on Egyptian diets to the end of the paperback, I noticed that and always wondered why it was done, as I found it one of the more interesting chapters in my hardcover copy of PP.
Wasn’t it PP that said when upper-class Egyptians got diabetes they sent them to live with the peasants? I assume they had to work like peasants as well as having fewer calories.
Hi Gretchen–
Nope, it wasn’t PP that had the bit about the upper classes going to live with the peasants. Your mentioning it was the first I’ve heard of it.
Cheers–
MRE
Obesity in ancient Egypt…
Tom Furman points to a very interesting discussion over on Protein Power - just how healthy were the diets of ancient Egyptians?……
Thanks for this discussion Mike. I just taught a topic this summer not directly related to nutrition but dental bacteria. Although I teach Microbiology I always, somehow, relate the topics to nutrition and the students seem to enjoy that, perhaps because it’s never been taught that way to them. For example, talking about bacteria in the digestive track, we saw how an increase in sugar consumption favors the development of dental bacteria, which when cooperating with other bacteria, they form plaque. These bacteria grow better in sucrose than glucose, which then makes the point of sugar and sugary foods and their connection with tooth decay (if not taken care of). Then I made the connection to fossils such as the one in the pictures you offered to make the point that tooth decay is not found in fossils from hunter-gatherers while abundant in fossils from agricultural groups. We even isolated a few of those from volunteer students. It’s always enjoyable the ‘ahá’ moment when they make the important connections!
When I read your comment about calories and the amount of carbohydrate in different caloric intake situations, I can’t help but react a bit. Assuming that protein, the cornerstone of the cornerstone of the PP plan is really adequate while keeping fat intake moderate and limiting carbohydrates, then calories are not the star of the equation, in my opinion that is. We can’t even apply the standard calorie rule to a typical PP menu, unless we correct for the now smaller contribution of carbohydrates. The whole picture changes and we could overestimate calories a great deal. When you wrote that calories take care of themselves in PP, I did have one of those ‘ahá’ moments myself.
So, because is virtually impossible to overeat when protein is the main component of the diet (for the reasons you explained above), then it’s not the same to talk about a large amount of calories from a diet with little carbohydrate than a standard, say FDA-like diet. Even if the number of calories is seemingly large, if enough protein is included, then the effect is not weight gain. Several studies, mainly from Margriet Westerterp-Plantenga, suggest that after weight loss on a low-carbohydrate diet (with more protein than normally recommended), weight gain did happen but it came from fat-free mass and it didn’t exceed 1-2 kg; no caloric restriction and not trying to aim for a caloric level either.
I guess the point is that we still dwell too much in the calorie issue and that takes a lot from the actual effect of protein-rich food as people think that, regardless of where they come from, a lot of calories will necessarily end up in weight gain.
A final comment, and perhaps you would like to blog on that at some point, is about the proposal for including nutritional information on the menu of fast-food restaurants (right now I’m not sure if that also includes regular restaurants as well).
Perhaps the idea is sound, but what exactly is going to show up as ‘nutritional information’? Some AMA geniuses suggest the amount of fat and calories, as well as cholesterol, sodium and fiber. Thus people will be ‘well informed’ about their nutritional choices… You’ve blogged about fiber, sodium, of course fat and cholesterol, all of them not adding much to an already misinformed body of knowledge about obesity and its co-morbidities. Who knows, maybe in some 2000 years somebody will find mummified 21st century champ with bad teeth, signs of obesity, proud of having made the best choices based on what he/she read on the menu at the local McDonald’s.
Hi Gabe–
I agree with you 100 percent on the protein/calories issue. It has the making of a full post.
Best–
Mike
I do not agree with your opinion about binging on meat and eggs. It might be rare, but it is possible. Unfortunately, I am one of the people who never got significant appetite suppression on lowcarb (even when I was just eating meat and eggs). I read about people who can eat 1000-1200 kcal a day of lowcarb food and I wonder why I do not get that benefit. I have been lowcarbing for 4 years and I can easily it 3000-4000 kcal of just meat and eggs a day. I am female, 5′5″, 150-155lbs, I have PCOS, hypothyroidism and gluten sensitivity. I am optimised on my thyroid medication. Please tell me what is wrong with me and how to fix it.
I read your blog entry about leptin and I wonder if I am somewhat resistant to leptin. Is it possible in non-obese folks?
Thank you.
P.S. I do believe lowcarb and unprocessed foods are healthy. I will never return to eating grains and other high carb junk.
P.P.S. Your blog is great!
Hi julia–
Of course you are right. One of the things we learn in medical school is that there are no absolutes. There is always someone, somewhere for whom a particular medicine, diet or other therapy doesn’t work. Unfortunately, you happen to be the one here.
Cheers–
MRE
Dr. Mike - When you say low carbs are bad for dental health, what types of finding are you referring to? Aren’t the teeth largely formed in utero and during early childhood? Did you intend to imply that low carb can lead to straight teeth? If so, what is the mechanism that causes this?
Hi Brian–
I’m not referring to the straightness of teeth, but the condition of the teeth. Carbs cause dental decay, i.e., cavities. And they cause periodontal disease. I can’t tell you how many patients I’ve had who, after being on a low-carb diet for a while, told me that their dentists told them their gums were so much healthier.
MRE
A lot of things that are not considered here..
most importantly inbreeding/genetics and stone cooked into the already very hard bread (stone from the mill ) that wore the teeth down.
I’m glad to see you’ve made a serious study of the issue.
Hi, Dr. Eades. I think you are spot on with the hypothesis regarding dental caries discovered in mummies. Your comments in this article reminded me of Price’s observations of the oral health of primitive peoples who had not been introduced to a Western diet. Thanks for your insight.
[...] the entire blog piece by Eades here. (Photo from the People’s Daily Online.) Michael Eades, obesity, Queen [...]
Hi Doc,
First I wish to say thank for your writing the wonderful Protein Power book. I have read many volumes of information on diet and exercise. I was one of those people that would work out to the extreme but would never lose the weight like I thought I should. At one point I was running 7 to 8 miles a day. And I am a martial arts instructor as well. So I do get a good amount of exercise.
It wasn’t until I removed the carbs from my diet that I really lost significant weight. I have tried many different things over the years. But I find that low carb is the one thing that works. I have found that with myself I tend to have to eat lower carb than a lot of people do. Many times I find myself eating meals and snacks that have no carbs at all.
Odly enough, I tend to have to remind myself to eat. I try to make sure that I eat 3 meals and then eat a couple of snacks along the way as well. After going from a 46 inch waist to a 36 inch waist I find that all I have to do to motivate myself is to look down at my stomach and think what it used to look like.
Now what I didn’t expect was that I would actually get to where I really don’t like sugar. Now it tastes bad to me. It is just too sweet.
Oh, and here is something very interesting. I have fought with psoriasis my entire life. And now that my carbs are very very low my skin has cleared up. I wasn’t really expecting that but am very glad of it.
I also used to have some tooth pain. My family never knew because there was no need to bother anyone with it. But now that the sugar is gone so is the tooth pain. I would almost swear that my teeth are getting stronger.
To top it all off, I sleep better than ever and have as much energy as I need. Also, I don’t seem to catch colds like I used to.
Now, when I went to school I studied chemistry. And I understand a good bit of what is going on. I find it very frustrating, though, to try and share this information with others. So many of them have been brain washed by the current medical wisdom that they are unwilling to accept that there may be a better way.
I can’t say that this diet is the perfect one. But it is the one that I have found that works. And I plan to stay on it for the rest of my life.
Thanks so much for what you have done to help all of us out here that will listen.
Geo
Hi George–
What a testimonial! I’m delighted to learn that you have done so well.
Thanks very much for writing. Missives like yours make my day.
Cheers–
MRE
HOW CAN EGYPTIANS BE FAT WHEN ALL THEY ATE WERE MEAT,BREAD,AND PLANTS…….IDK HOW BUT I WOULD LYK TO SEE A PIC OF THESE FAT MUMMIES IF THERE IS ANY TO SHARE BUT YEA KOOL ARTICLE
Maybe because of the bread and plants… Glad you liked the article.
Cheers–
MRE
This is an interesting report by the BBC:
Health Hazards and Cures in Ancient Egypt
By Joyce M Filer
“Anaemia, often a consequence of iron deficiency during childhood, leaves markers on the roofs of the eye sockets or on the top of skulls in the form of small holes … In ancient Egypt, iron deficiency could have been caused by infestation of bloodsucking parasites… or by people living on a largely cereal diet, with relatively little iron content…”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/health_03.shtml
Hi David–
I’ve got some great slides in a paleopathology presentation I give showing these striking signs of iron-deficiency anemia in the roofs of the eye sockets. These findings are almost non-existent in pre-agricultural humans (many of whom would have been infested with parasites) and extremely common in post-agricultural humans.
Thanks for the link.
Cheers–
MRE
wow
thats scary