Science

Make an informed decision about your health by exploring the science behind nutrition and a Paleolithic diet.

Explore the Science

Browse a variety of topics that explain the science behind The Paleo Diet.

28 Day Paleo Reset

You Are What You Eat: The Science Behind Our Food

The Dangers of High Salt Diet: Impact on Autoimmunity

Our Paleo ancestors survived on a low salt diet. Today, it’s everywhere and nearly impossible to avoid. Discover the dangers of a high salt diet.

By Dr. Marc Bubbs

Dairy: Milking it for all it's worth

Dr. Cordain discusses dairy’s unfavorable effect on health and how milk proteins and peptides can promote allergies, inflammation, and autoimmune disease.

By Loren Cordain, Ph.D.

Fruits and Sugars

In general, fresh fruits are healthy, nutritious foods that are good sources of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber. However, the common fruits we eat today bear little resemblance to their wild ancestors.

By The Paleo Diet® Team

The Wheat Series Part 1: Wheat and the Immune System

A healthy gut exposed to wheat isn’t fine in anyone. Find out how the relationship between wheat and the immune system causes inflammation in our guts.

By Trevor Connor, M.S.

Evolution and High Protein Diets Part 1

By examining the environment under which our genome arose, we are able to determine if high protein diets are helpful or detrimental to our health.

By Loren Cordain, Ph.D.

Addressing the Science of the Paleo Diet

A Brief History of the Contemporary Paleo Diet Movement

By Loren Cordain, Ph.D.

Forget the Macronutrient Ratios - You Are What You Were Designed to Eat

By Trevor Connor, M.S.

Artificial Sweeteners: Agents of Insulin Resistance, Obesity and Disease

By Loren Cordain, Ph.D.

Big Brains Do Not Need Carbs

Eliminating Non-Paleo Foods Improves Nutrient Density

We compare the nutrient density of Paleo foods to non-Paleo foods to show the health benefits of eating natural foods.

Can The Paleo Diet Protect Against Chronic Diseases?

Chronic diseases have surpassed infectious diseases as the primary threat to human health. See how Paleo can prevent CNCDs.

By Dr. Marc Bubbs

New from our Experts

Reversing Alzheimer’s: An Interview with Neuroscientist Dr. Dale Bredesen (part I)

The Paleo Diet interviews Dr Dale Bredesen, the creator of the ReCODE formula – a lifestyle and dietary approach to reversing Alzheimer’s disease.

By Trevor Connor, M.S.

How to Start an Autoimmune Protocol Diet

If you have an autoimmune disease, here’s how to start an elimination diet of AIP diet to help you identify triggers, manage symptoms, and improve the quality of your life.

By Kimberly Tessmer, RDN, LD

How Much Linoleic Acid Do You Need?

We review the impact that different dietary fats, including polyunsaturated fats like linoleic acid, have on your health.

By Raphael Sirtoli, M.Sc.

Your Hypothyroid Diet Shouldn’t Cut Calories. Here’s What To Do Instead

Here’s how to tell if you have hypothyroidism, and what to do about it.

Looking to Lose Weight? Pay Attention to the Thermic Effect of Foods

If you’re looking to lose weight, consider the thermic effect of macronutrients for efficient calorie burn.

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Dive Deeper Into The Science

Key Nutrients

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The Importance of the Calcium-to-Magnesium Ratio

By Trevor Connor, M.S.

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The Importance of the Omega-6/Omega-3 Ratio to Human Health

By Mark J. Smith, Ph.D.

Salt vs Potassium Foods

The Sodium/Potassium Ratio and its Importance in Human Health

By Mark J. Smith, Ph.D.

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Battle of the Proteins: Comparing Plant and Animal Sources

By Mark J. Smith, Ph.D.

Omega 3

Why We Should Not Exclude Fat from Our Diets

By The Paleo Diet® Team

Disease Prevention

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Healthy Aging: Study Shows High-Carbohydrate Diets Promote Dementia

By David Whiteside

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Physiological Mechanisms: Underlying High Salt Diets and Cancer

By Loren Cordain, Ph.D.

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Can Paleo Improve Low Mood & Depression?

By Dr. Marc Bubbs

Blood pressure and diet

The effects of salt substitute on community-wide blood pressure and hypertension

By Dr. Marc Bubbs

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Obesity: The Pandemic Where You Can't Afford to Capsize the Boat

By Casey Thaler

Hot Topics

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Last Look Back Project: Hunt with the Amazonian Waorani Tribe

By The Paleo Diet® Team

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Diet Wins a Battle With Alzheimer’s

By David Whiteside

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Paleo vs. The Growing Shortage of Nurses

By David Whiteside

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Obesity, Hyperglycemia, Pro-inflammatory Immune Function, and COVID-19

By David Seaman, D.C., M.S.

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Is a carnivore-type diet the "real" Paleo diet? Dr. Paul Saladino interviews The Paleo Diet® Team

By The Paleo Diet® Team

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Paleo Leadership

Trevor Connor

Trevor Connor

Dr. Loren Cordain’s final graduate student, Trevor Connor, M.S., brings more than a decade of nutrition and physiology expertise to spearhead the new Paleo Diet team.

Mark J Smith

Dr. Mark J. Smith

One of the original members of the Paleo movement, Mark J. Smith, Ph.D., has spent nearly 30 years advocating for the benefits of Paleo nutrition.

Nell Stephenson

Nell Stephenson

Ironman athlete, mom, author, and nutrition blogger Nell Stephenson has been an influential member of the Paleo movement for over a decade.

Loren Cordain

Dr. Loren Cordain

As a professor at Colorado State University, Dr. Loren Cordain developed The Paleo Diet® through decades of research and collaboration with fellow scientists around the world.

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