Ancient DNA suggests our love for carbs goes back 800,000+ years

October 19, 2024

Our craving for bread, pasta, and potatoes may be more than just a cultural preference – it could be encoded in our DNA. Research reveals that our ability to digest starchy foods has much deeper roots than previously thought, potentially explaining why so many of us find carbohydrates irresistible.

By examining ancient DNA from Neanderthals, Denisovans, and early modern humans, researchers found evidence of AMY1 gene duplications that push back the origin of our starch-digesting prowess to over 800,000 years ago. Study Finds