A new study shows your love of carbohydrates is a choice bread and pasta can be traced back ancient dnaResearchers at the University at Buffalo (UB) and Jackson Laboratory (JAX) in the US have found evidence that humans may have developed the ability to digest starchy foods much earlier than previously thought – possibly before farming began or even before Neanderthal humans. Even before separation.

The study focused on the starch-digesting salivary amylase gene (AMY1), which plays a key role in breaking down carbohydrates. This gene helps convert starch into glucose, which is the primary source of energy for the body. The more copies of AMY1 gene The better a person is, the better he or she will be able to digest starchy foods like bread, pasta, potatoes and rice.

According to the study, duplication of the AMY1 gene, which is a type of mutation that results in extra copies of a gene, may have occurred 800,000 years ago. This discovery shows that humans were consuming starchy diets long before the advent of agriculture.

“The idea is that the more amylase genes you have, the more amylase you can produce, and the more starch you can effectively digest,” explains study co-author Omar Gokkumen, a professor in the department of biological sciences at UB. The study found that gene duplication is responsible for starch. digestion This may have occurred much earlier than thought, laying the foundation for modern humans’ ability to advance carbohydrate rich diet,

Researchers analyzed the genomes of 68 ancient humans, including a 45,000-year-old specimen from Siberia. Their findings showed that even pre-agricultural hunter-gatherers had multiple copies of the AMY1 gene, which enabled them to effectively digest starchy foods. This means that humans were roaming Eurasia with the ability to digest carbohydrates long before they began farming and eating large amounts of starch.

Interestingly, the study also found that Neanderthals and Denisovans – ancient human relatives – had the same duplication of the AMY1 gene. This suggests that the ability to digest starch was already present in human ancestors, long before the split between modern humans and these ancient relatives. Researchers believe the first duplication of the AMY1 gene may have occurred 800,000 years ago, much earlier than previously thought.

“Early duplications in our genome laid the groundwork for important variation in the amylase region, allowing humans to adapt to changing diets as starch consumption increased,” said Kwondo Kim, one of the study’s lead authors from the Lee lab at JX. had increased dramatically.” The advent of new technologies and lifestyles.”

The study also sheds light on how the number of AMY1 gene copies increased in European farmers over the past 4,000 years, possibly in response to increased consumption of starchy foods in their diets. These findings highlight the important role of ancient DNA in shaping modern human diets and how our genetic makeup has allowed us to adapt to new food sources over millennia.

Using genome mapping and sequencing, researchers were able to detail the evolution of the AMY1 gene and how it has affected our ability to digest carbohydrates. The study, published in the journal Science, provides new insight into how ancient genetic adaptations are still influencing our dietary preferences today.

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