Dietary patterns have varied over time due to changing agricultural practices and climatic, ecological, cultural and socioeconomic factors which determine the foods that are available to humans. This volume examines the metabolic consequences of recent dietary and other lifestyle changes in selected populations in Asia, Australia and Africa.

Scientific evidence suggests that human beings evolved on a diet that was higher in protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin C, calcium and nutrient density than the diet of developed and developing countries today. The hunter-gatherer diet was lower in simple carbohydrates, total fat, saturated fat and trans fatty acids, while also maintaining a balance between the [omega]-6 and [omega]-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The reviews in this volume describe the adverse metabolic effects now occurring in different populations undergoing rapid change and suggest how these detrimental effects on health can be prevented or modified. The information in this volume should be of interest to scientists studying the effects of changing dietary patterns on human health, and to policymakers involved in making dietary recommendations.

It is also rewarding reading for medical and social anthropologists, geneticists, physicians, nutritionists and dieticians, food technologists, public health specialists and agricultural scientists.