Neanderthals have been commonly depicted as top predators who met their nutritional needs by focusing entirely on meat. This information mostly derives from faunal assemblage analyses and stable isotope studies: methods that tend to underestimate plant consumption and overestimate the intake of animal proteins. Several studies in fact demonstrate that there is a physiological limit to the amount of animal proteins that can be consumed: exceeding these values causes protein toxicity that can be particularly dangerous to pregnant women and newborns. Consequently, to avoid food poisoning from meat-based diets, Neanderthals must have incorporated alternative food sources in their daily diets, including plant materials as well.
CITATION STYLE
L., F., S., B., A.G., H., D.C., S.-G., R., B., A., P., … O., K. (2015). To meat or not to meat? New perspectives on neanderthal ecology. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 156(S59), 43–71. Retrieved from http://www.embase.com/search/results?subaction=viewrecord&from=export&id=L602013975 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22659
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