According to new research, our ability to digest starchy foods through gene variations likely began far earlier than the advent of agriculture, possibly 800,000 years ago.
The study provides evidence that the AMY1 gene, responsible for breaking down starch, was duplicated in ancient human genomes, enabling energy-efficient digestion.
Researchers discovered pre-agricultural hunter-gatherers had multiple copies of the AMY1 gene, suggesting that even early humans had a distinct advantage in digesting carbohydrates.
Gene mapping of AMY1 revealed that not only modern humans possess gene duplications for starch digestion, but even some Neanderthals show adaptations to starch intake.
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