Uploaded November 2017 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
"Towns are not our natural habitat, since for 3m years, we evolved as un-urbanised hunter-gatherers. Culturally, society has rapidly changed: anatomically, however, we remain as we were long before towns were developed. Although there are benefits in city life, there are rising costs: eg obesity, coronary-related problems, diabetes and cancers. There is a therefore a profound mismatch between urban living and our ‘Palaeolithic Genome’, that part of our DNA supporting the ‘hunter-gatherer’ lifestyles we are genetically, metabolically, physiologically and psychologically better adapted for. Our lifestyles, buildings and townplans should therefore be reconfigured on evolutionary-concordant lines to better fit our biology."
Gustav talks about the dangers of a diet without variety, the importance of being out in nature and through an interesting study, how social interactions play a vital role on our health.
For more information about The Isbourne:
Website: isbourne.org
Facebook: facebook.com/isbourne
Instagram: @The_Isbourne
Twitter: @IsbourneCentre
"Towns are not our natural habitat, since for 3m years, we evolved as un-urbanised hunter-gatherers. Culturally, society has rapidly changed: anatomically, however, we remain as we were long before towns were developed. Although there are benefits in city life, there are rising costs: eg obesity, coronary-related problems, diabetes and cancers. There is a therefore a profound mismatch between urban living and our ‘Palaeolithic Genome’, that part of our DNA supporting the ‘hunter-gatherer’ lifestyles we are genetically, metabolically, physiologically and psychologically better adapted for. Our lifestyles, buildings and townplans should therefore be reconfigured on evolutionary-concordant lines to better fit our biology."
Gustav talks about the dangers of a diet without variety, the importance of being out in nature and through an interesting study, how social interactions play a vital role on our health.
For more information about The Isbourne:
Website: isbourne.org
Facebook: facebook.com/isbourne
Instagram: @The_Isbourne
Twitter: @IsbourneCentre
