Paleoanthropologist Daniel Lieberman, author of the book ‘Fed Up,’ says human evolution often works against weight-loss attempts. In a recent discussion, he described various diets he has personally tested and addressed the confusing and sometimes contradictory advice people receive about healthy eating.
Lieberman explained that the human body evolved over millennia to store fat for survival, which makes losing weight difficult in today’s food-rich environment. He noted that many popular diets rely on oversimplified ideas about nutrition, but evolutionary biology can explain why the body resists sustained fat loss. His observations highlight the gap between widespread dietary recommendations and what the human body was naturally built to handle.