@SusannaLHarris S’mores are an example of how humans are endlessly combining and re-combining different foodstuffs in order to increase the diversity of nutrients in their diet, thereby conferring an adaptive edge
@SusannaLHarris In the case of chocolate, cookies, and marshmallow, we are mostly talking about sugars combined with other compounds. It’s not the sugars that are sweet, though, it’s the way their OH groups so readily interact with the sugar receptors on our tongues
@SusannaLHarris These sugar receptors would have conferred an advantage to our primate ancestors who would have derived a dense source of energy from fruits—as long as they also developed the ability to see in color in order to tell they were ripe, which they did.
@SusannaLHarris True story: My professor’s professor was out in the field studying great apes (I forget what species) and every day his wife put a Hershey kiss in his lunch. One day he spotted an individual watching him and unwrapped the Hershey kiss and set it out between them...
@SusannaLHarris The ape picked it up and looked at it and looked back at him like ¿dafuq?? Am I supposed to eat this or...??
And then he put it in his mouth
And then he put it in his mouth
@SusannaLHarris The professor said he saw fireworks go off in his friggin face. And everywhere he went for the remainder of his expedition, that individual was RIGHT by his side.
@SusannaLHarris This is a great example of 1. how powerfully sugar acts on the brain and 2. The effect it has on memory.
@SusannaLHarris The monkeys remember to come back to the place with the berries next season at the same time. In us, that manifests as positive memories associated with roasting s’mores at camp, and the desire to repeat those experiences
@SusannaLHarris BUT...
In our lives today, it’s not so advantageous. Our biology evolved under conditions where sugars were rare and often seasonal. We cannot adjust our metabolism and appetite to compensate for the amount of sugar that is available to us in the West.
In our lives today, it’s not so advantageous. Our biology evolved under conditions where sugars were rare and often seasonal. We cannot adjust our metabolism and appetite to compensate for the amount of sugar that is available to us in the West.
@SusannaLHarris This “metabolic mismatch” results in excess storage of adipose tissue which increases insulin resistance → diabetes II, and heart disease. Also evidence is increasing that there is a relationship to neurodegenerative disorders of old age like Alzheimer’s & rheumatoid arthritis
@SusannaLHarris Now, cooking is known to have conferred an advantage to humans by making the nutrients in tubers and eventually meat more bioavailable. But it came with trade-offs, particularly in the form of increased risk of diseases of old age.
@SusannaLHarris Meat cooked over an open flame contains high levels of eterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), linked to cancer
@SusannaLHarris Wood smoke, which a lot of people think of as “healthy” or “natural,” is actually really bad for you. It has tiny particles which, inhaled, can become lodged in your lungs and increase inflammation and loads of compounds that increase risk of cancer and other bad stuff
@SusannaLHarris Same for candles. SUPER BAD FOR YOU
@SusannaLHarris Back to s’mores: Roasting, toasting, frying starchy foods like bread or potatoes is known to create a carcinogenic compound called asparagine. It’s associated with that brown color—or black, if you burn your toast. The darker it is the more it has in it.
@SusannaLHarris Not sure if it’s in s’mores too but prolly a good idea to go lightly toast your s’mores, not set them on fire!
