Prehistory to Present: The Evolution of Human Diets and Nutritional Ecology

Human diets have evolved through a complex interplay of biological, environmental, and cultural factors from the Pleistocene era to the present day. This evolution is particularly noticeable during periods of significant transition, such as the shift from foraging to farming, and the rise of global-scale, industrialized food production. These changes have had profound impacts on human health, ecological sustainability, and cultural identity. The current state of knowledge shows how dietary adaptations have served as both a response to and a driver of environmental and cultural shifts, yet gaps remain in fully understanding these dynamics, particularly the mechanisms of how dietary practices affect human and ecological health across different epochs.

This Research Topic aims to delve deeper into the multifaceted influences on human diets over time and their consequences today. Recent advances in nutritional anthropology, zoo-archaeology, archaeogenomics, human-animal/human-plant relationships and interactions and food system modelling provide tools to help us better understand these complex relationships. We seek to answer questions about how dietary changes have affected human physiology, ecosystems, and cultural frameworks; the extent of early human adaptation to their environments; the interplay between diets and societal appreciation of fauna and flora in ancient and indigenous communities; and the lessons we can learn from traditional food systems. These questions are crucial in understanding the long-term impacts of dietary evolution and in formulating future strategies for nutrition that are healthy and ecologically sustainable.

To gather further insights into this complex relationship, we welcome articles that focus on but are not limited to the following themes: 

- Dietary patterns among early hominins and their survival strategies.
- Nutritional ecology of hunter-gatherer societies.
- Exploration of under-studied traditional foodstuffs and their nutritional impacts.
- Effects of early farming practices and the agricultural revolution on human diets.
- The role of industrialization and globalization in shaping modern food systems.
- Cultural and ecological disruptions caused by significant historical events like warfare and pandemics.

We invite contributions in the form of original research, reviews, perspectives, and meta-analyses that use approaches from disciplines including anthropology, nutrition science, and food ecology. These studies will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of how past dietary practices can inform future food systems.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Diet, Nutrition, Prehistory, Indigenous Societies, Health, Culture

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.