Published in Science · View the paper (DOI)
A four-million-year study modelled the glucose needs of humans and their ancestors, finding natural sugars supplied energy for growing brains before cooking made starch-rich foods easier to digest. The research suggests earliest hominins were highly reliant on carbohydrate-rich foods, particularly fruit.
Coverage from 2 institutions
- Sugars may have helped fuel the evolution of the human brain: new research University of Sydney · Aug 6, 2026 · first to report
- Sugary diets played a crucial role in early human evolution American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) · Aug 6, 2026