Paleolithic to Bronze Age Siberians Reveal Connections with First Americans and across Eurasia.

Modern humans have inhabited the Lake Baikal region since the Upper Paleolithic, though the precise history of its peoples over this long time span is still largely unknown. Here, we report genome-wide data from 19 Upper Paleolithic to Early Bronze Age individuals from this Siberian region. An Upper Paleolithic genome shows a direct link with the First Americans by sharing the admixed ancestry that gave rise to all non-Arctic Native Americans. We also demonstrate the formation of Early Neolithic and Bronze Age Baikal populations as the result of prolonged admixture throughout the eighth to sixth millennium BP. Moreover, we detect genetic interactions with western Eurasian steppe populations and reconstruct Yersinia pestis genomes from two Early Bronze Age individuals without western Eurasian ancestry. Overall, our study demonstrates the most deeply divergent connection between Upper Paleolithic Siberians and the First Americans and reveals human and pathogen mobility across Eurasia during the Bronze Age.

Demographic models predict end-Pleistocene arrival and rapid expansion of pre-agropastoralist humans in Cyprus.

The antiquity of human dispersal into Mediterranean islands and ensuing coastal adaptation have remained largely unexplored due to the prevailing assumption that the sea was a barrier to movement and that islands were hostile environments to early hunter-gatherers [J. F. Cherry, T. P. Leppard, J. Isl. Coast. Archaeol. 13, 191-205 (2018), 10.1080/15564894.2016.1276489]. Using the latest archaeological data, hindcasted climate projections, and age-structured demographic models, we demonstrate evidence for early arrival (14,257 to 13,182 calendar years ago) to Cyprus and predicted that large groups of people (~1,000 to 1,375) arrived in 2 to 3 main events occurring within <100 y to ensure low extinction risk. These results indicate that the postglacial settlement of Cyprus involved only a few large-scale, organized events requiring advanced watercraft technology. Our spatially debiased and Signor-Lipps-corrected estimates indicate rapid settlement of the island within <200 y, and expansion to a median of 4,000 to 5,000 people (0.36 to 0.46 km-2) in <11 human generations (<300 y). Our results do not support the hypothesis of inaccessible and inhospitable islands in the Mediterranean for pre-agropastoralists, agreeing with analogous conclusions for other parts of the world [M. I. Bird et al., Sci. Rep. 9, 8220 (2019), 10.1038/s41598-019-42946-9]. Our results also highlight the need to revisit these questions in the Mediterranean and test their validity with new technologies, field methods, and data. By applying stochastic models to the Mediterranean region, we can place Cyprus and large islands in general as attractive and favorable destinations for paleolithic peoples.

Hidden signatures of early fire at Evron Quarry (1.0 to 0.8 Mya).

Pyrotechnology is a key element of hominin evolution. The identification of fire in early hominin sites relies primarily on an initial visual assessment of artifacts' physical alterations, resulting in potential underestimation of the prevalence of fire in the archaeological record. Here, we used a suite of spectroscopic techniques to counter the absence of visual signatures for fire and demonstrate the presence of burnt fauna and lithics at the Lower Paleolithic (LP) open-air site of Evron Quarry (Israel), dated between 1.0 and 0.8 Mya and roughly contemporaneous to Gesher Benot Ya'aqov where early pyrotechnology has been documented. We propose reexamining finds from other LP sites lacking visual clues of pyrotechnology to yield a renewed perspective on the origin, evolution, and spatiotemporal dispersal of the relationship between early hominin behavior and fire use.

A Neandertal dietary conundrum: Insights provided by tooth enamel Zn isotopes from Gabasa, Spain.

The characterization of Neandertals' diets has mostly relied on nitrogen isotope analyses of bone and tooth collagen. However, few nitrogen isotope data have been recovered from bones or teeth from Iberia due to poor collagen preservation at Paleolithic sites in the region. Zinc isotopes have been shown to be a reliable method for reconstructing trophic levels in the absence of organic matter preservation. Here, we present the results of zinc (Zn), strontium (Sr), carbon (C), and oxygen (O) isotope and trace element ratio analysis measured in dental enamel on a Pleistocene food web in Gabasa, Spain, to characterize the diet and ecology of a Middle Paleolithic Neandertal individual. Based on the extremely low δ66Zn value observed in the Neandertal's tooth enamel, our results support the interpretation of Neandertals as carnivores as already suggested by δ15N isotope values of specimens from other regions. Further work could help identify if such isotopic peculiarities (lowest δ66Zn and highest δ15N of the food web) are due to a metabolic and/or dietary specificity of the Neandertals.

Exploring the lack of articular ends at the Middle Pleistocene site of Qesem Cave, Israel.

Biased skeletal part representation is a key element for making inferences about transport decisions, carcass procurement, and use patterns in anthropogenic accumulations. In the absence of destructive taphonomic processes, it is often assumed that the abundance of different anatomical portions represents selective transport and discard patterns of human groups. Because body parts may be transported for specific products such as meat, marrow or grease, a pattern that usually attracts attention in many archaeological sites is the low proportions of appendicular epiphyses. Here we present the case of faunal assemblages from the lower stratigraphic sequence of Qesem Cave, Israel, dated to ca. 430 to 300 ka. All bone accumulations are characterized by a biased skeletal profile including mainly long-limb bones and a virtual absence of epiphyses. The assemblages also show density-mediated attrition not linked to fossil-diagenetic processes, a targeted specific destruction to the most greasy articular ends and an almost total absence of carnivore intervention. Our goal here is to explore the processes that entail the destruction of appendicular epiphyses at Qesem Cave, as well as propose viable hypotheses to explain their underrepresentation on-site. Our results shed light on the domestic activities linked to the processing of bones at the site and support the importance of animal grease in the caloric intake of Middle Pleistocene humans.

Inverse association between Paleolithic Diet Fraction and mortality and incidence of cardiometabolic disease in the prospective Malmö Diet and Cancer Study.

PURPOSE: Paleolithic Diet Fraction (PDF) estimates how large a portion of the absolute dietary intake stems from food groups included in the Paleolithic diet. In randomized controlled trials higher PDFs have been associated with healthier levels of cardiometabolic risk markers. Our aim was to build upon these findings by examining associations between PDF and mortality and incidence of cardiometabolic disease in the prospective Malmö Diet and Cancer Study. METHODS: PDF was calculated from an interview-based, modified diet history method, and associations were estimated by using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. The examined cohort consisted of 24,104 individuals (44-74 years, 63% women) without previous coronary events, diabetes, or stroke at baseline (1992-1996). A total of 10,092 individuals died during a median follow-up of 18 years. RESULTS: Median PDF was 40% (0-90%). The adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for PDF as a continuous variable (from 0 to 100%) were for risk of death from all causes 0.55 [95% CI 0.45, 0.66], tumor 0.68 [95% CI 0.49, 0.93], cardiovascular 0.55 [95% CI 0.39, 0.78], respiratory 0.44 [95% CI 0.21, 0.90], neurological 0.26 [95% CI 0.11, 0.60], digestive, 0.10 [95% CI 0.03, 0.30], and other diseases 0.64 [95% CI 0.41, 1.00]. The corresponding HR for risk of coronary event was 0.61 [95% 0.43, 0.86], for ischemic stroke it was 0.73 [95% 0.48, 1.09] and for type 2 diabetes it was 0.82 [95% 0.61, 1.10]. CONCLUSION: Observational data suggest an inverse association between PDF and all-cause as well as cause-specific mortality and incidence of cardiometabolic disease.

The association between paleolithic diet pattern scores and psychological disorders in Iranian adults.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence indicating that the transition from traditional Paleolithic lifestyle to contemporary lifestyle plays a significant impact in the occurrence and widespread of psychological problems. This study aimed to examine the associations between the Paleolithic diet (PD) and the Paleolithic-like lifestyle and the likelihood of psychological issues in adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 7165 participants who were enrolled in the Yazd Health Study (YaHS) and Yazd Nutrition Study (TAMYZ). To evaluate the participants' food intake, a reliable 178-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was utilized. The PD score was computed using the food intakes of subjects received from FFQ. The study utilized the authorized Iranian version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS 21) to evaluate psychological illnesses and stress levels. RESULTS: The mean ± SD of PD and Paleolithic-like lifestyle scores were 38.93 ± 5.27 and 48.48 ± 5.61, respectively. Based on the findings of the present study, after adjusting for potential confounders, it seems that increasing adherence to PD alone or in combination with lifestyle factors significantly reduces the risk of anxiety (OR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.49-0.96; P-trend = 0.044 and OR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.48-0.96; P-trend = 0.047, respectively). However, significant effects on the risk of depression and stress were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our research indicates that adhering to a Paleolithic diet, either alone or in conjunction with lifestyle factors, significantly reduces the risk of anxiety in the general population.

The absolute chronology of Boker Tachtit (Israel) and implications for the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in the Levant.

The Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) is a crucial lithic assemblage type in the archaeology of southwest Asia because it marks a dramatic shift in hominin populations accompanied by technological changes in material culture. This phase is conventionally divided into two chronocultural phases based on the Boker Tachtit site, central Negev, Israel. While lithic technologies at Boker Tachtit are well defined, showing continuity from one phase to another, the absolute chronology is poorly resolved because the radiocarbon method used had a large uncertainty. Nevertheless, Boker Tachtit is considered to be the origin of the succeeding Early Upper Paleolithic Ahmarian tradition that dates in the Negev to ∼42,000 y ago (42 ka). Here, we provide 14C and optically stimulated luminescence dates obtained from a recent excavation of Boker Tachtit. The new dates show that the early phase at Boker Tachtit, the Emirian, dates to 50 through 49 ka, while the late phase dates to 47.3 ka and ends by 44.3 ka. These results show that the IUP started in the Levant during the final stages of the Late Middle Paleolithic some 50,000 y ago. The later IUP phase in the Negev chronologically overlaps with the Early Upper Paleolithic Ahmarian of the Mediterranean woodland region between 47 and 44 ka. We conclude that Boker Tachtit is the earliest manifestation of the IUP in Eurasia. The study shows that distinguishing the chronology of the IUP from the Late Middle Paleolithic, as well as from the Early Upper Paleolithic, is much more complex than previously thought.

Middle Pleistocene fire use: The first signal of widespread cultural diffusion in human evolution.

Control of fire is one of the most important technological innovations within the evolution of humankind. The archaeological signal of fire use becomes very visible from around 400,000 y ago onward. Interestingly, this occurs at a geologically similar time over major parts of the Old World, in Africa, as well as in western Eurasia, and in different subpopulations of the wider hominin metapopulation. We interpret this spatiotemporal pattern as the result of cultural diffusion, and as representing the earliest clear-cut case of widespread cultural change resulting from diffusion in human evolution. This fire-use pattern is followed slightly later by a similar spatiotemporal distribution of Levallois technology, at the beginning of the African Middle Stone Age and the western Eurasian Middle Paleolithic. These archaeological data, as well as studies of ancient genomes, lead us to hypothesize that at the latest by 400,000 y ago, hominin subpopulations encountered one another often enough and were sufficiently tolerant toward one another to transmit ideas and techniques over large regions within relatively short time periods. Furthermore, it is likely that the large-scale social networks necessary to transmit complicated skills were also in place. Most importantly, this suggests a form of cultural behavior significantly more similar to that of extant Homo sapiens than to our great ape relatives.

Adherence to the Paleolithic diet and Paleolithic-like lifestyle reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in the United States: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The plant-based paleolithic diet (PD) and the paleolithic-like lifestyle (PLL) may reduce the risk of chronic diseases, including colorectal adenomas. These dietary and lifestyle approaches are proposed to exert their effects through mechanisms such as reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin levels. However, whether PD and PLL is associated with the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been determined. METHODS: A cohort of 74,721 individuals who participated in the PLCO study were included in this analysis. Adherence to the PD and PLL was assessed using PD and PLL scores, where higher scores indicated greater adherence. Multivariable Cox models were utilized to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of CRC and its subsites (proximal colon cancer and distal CRC). Subgroup analyses were conducted to identify potential effect modifiers. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 9.2 years, a total of 694 CRC cases were identified. Participants in the highest compared with the lowest quartiles of PD score had a lower risk of CRC (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.61-0.95, Ptrend = 0.009) and proximal colon cancer (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.55-0.97, Ptrend = 0.02). A stronger inverse association was observed for PLL score with the risk of CRC (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.51-0.81, Ptrend < 0.001), proximal colon (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.46-0.83, Ptrend = 0.001) and distal CRC (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.48-0.98, Ptrend = 0.03). Subgroup analyses revealed the inverse association of PD score with the risk of CRC was more pronounced in participants with BMI < 30 (Q4 vs Q1: HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.53-0.87) than in those with BMI ≥ 30 (Q4 vs Q1: HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.68-1.67) (Pinteraction = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that adhering to the PD and PLL could be a new option to reduce CRC risk.

Early evidence for bear exploitation during MIS 9 from the site of Schöningen 12 (Germany).

A cutmarked bear metatarsal and phalanx from the German open-air sites of Schöningen 12 II-1 and 12 B, respectively, correlated with the interglacial optimum of MIS 9 (ca. 320 ka), provide early evidence for the exploitation of bear skins. Archaeological sites with evidence of bear exploitation from the Lower Paleolithic are rare, with only Boxgrove (United Kingdom) and Bilzingsleben (Germany) yielding cutmarked bear bones indicating skinning. We interpret these finds as evidence for bear hunting and primary access since bear skins are best extracted shortly after the animal's death. The very thin cutmarks found on the Schöningen specimens indicate delicate butchering and show similarities in butchery patterns to bears from other Paleolithic sites. The Eurasian Lower Paleolithic record does not show any evidence for the exploitation of bear meat; only Middle Paleolithic sites, such as Biache-Saint-Vaast (France; ca. 175 ka) and Taubach (Germany; ca. 120 ka), yield evidence for the exploitation of both skin and meat from bear carcasses. Bear skins have high insulating properties and might have played a role in the adaptations of Middle Pleistocene hominins to the cold and harsh winter conditions of Northwestern Europe.

A cranial injury from the earliest Gravettian at the Cro-Magnon rock shelter (Vézère Valley, Dordogne, southwest France).

Discovered over 150 years ago, the early Upper Paleolithic human remains from the Cro-Magnon rock shelter have an iconic status, but because of skeletal commingling after discovery, their bio-profiles remain incomplete and contentious. The defect on the frontal bone of the cranium known as Cro-Magnon 2 has been interpreted as both an antemortem injury and a postmortem (i.e., taphonomic) artifact previously. This contribution considers the cranium in order to clarify the status of the defect on the frontal bone and to situate these remains among others of Pleistocene date with similar types of lesions. The diagnostic criteria used to assess the cranium are drawn from recent publications of actualistic experimental studies of cranial trauma and from those associated with cranial trauma due to violence in forensic anthropological and bioarchaeological contexts. The appearance of the defect and comparison with more recent documented cases from the preantibiotic era suggest that the defect is a result of antemortem trauma with survival for a short period. The location of the lesion on the cranium provides growing evidence for interpersonal aggression in these early modern human groups, and the place of burial also provides insight into related mortuary behavior.

Multi-isotope zooarchaeological investigations at Abri du Maras: The paleoecological and paleoenvironmental context of Neanderthal subsistence strategies in the Rhône Valley during MIS 3.

The exploitation of mid- and large-sized herbivores (ungulates) was central to hominin subsistence across Late Pleistocene Europe. Reconstructing the paleoecology of prey-taxa is key to better understanding procurement strategies, decisions and behaviors, and the isotope analysis of faunal bones and teeth found at archaeological sites represent a powerful means of accessing information about past faunal behaviors. These isotope zooarchaeological approaches also have a near-unique ability to reveal environmental conditions contemporary to the human activities that produced these remains. Here, we present the results of a multi-isotope, multitissue study of ungulate remains from the Middle Paleolithic site of Abri du Maras, southern France, providing new insights into the living landscapes of the Rhône Valley during MIS 3 (level 4.2 = 55 ± 2 to 42 ± 3 ka; level 4.1 = 46 ± 3 to 40 ± 3 ka). Isotope data (carbon, nitrogen) reveal the dietary niches of different ungulate taxa, including the now-extinct giant deer (Megaloceros). Oxygen isotope data are consistent with a mild seasonal climate during level 4.2, where horse (Equus), bison (Bison), and red deer (Cervus elaphus) were exploited year-round. Strontium and sulfur isotope analyses provide new evidence for behavioral plasticity in Late Pleistocene European reindeer (Rangifer) between level 4.2 and level 4.1, indicating a change from the migratory to the sedentary ecotype. In level 4.1, the strong seasonal nature of reindeer exploitation, combined with their nonmigratory behavior, is consistent with a seasonally restricted use of the site by Neanderthals at that time or the preferential hunting of reindeer when in peak physical condition during the autumn.

A new chronological framework for Chuandong Cave and its implications for the appearance of modern humans in southern China.

Chuandong Cave is an important Late Paleolithic site because it documents the early appearance of bone tools in southern China. We used the single-aliquot regenerative-dose protocol for optically stimulated luminescence dating to improve the precision of the chronology for the Chuandong Cave sedimentary sequence. The age of each layer was determined using a Bayesian modeling approach which combined optically stimulated luminescence ages with published AMS 14C dates. The results showed that Layer 10 began accumulating since 56 ± 14 ka and provides the upper age limit for all artifacts from the sequence. Bone awl tools from Layer 8, the earliest grinding bone tools in this site, were recovered within sediments between 40 ± 7 ka and 30 ± 4 ka. Layer 8 also indicates the appearance of modern humans in the Chuandong Cave sequence. Layers 4-2, ranging from 15 ± 3 ka until 11 ± 1 ka and including the Younger Dryas period, contain a few bone awls and an eyed bone needle. The shift from bone awls to eyed bone needles in the Chuandong Cave sequence indicates that modern humans adapted to the changing climate of southern China. We conclude that modern human behavior in bone tools appeared in southern China as early as 40 ± 7 ka, became more sophisticated during the Last Glacial Maximum, and spread more widely across southern China during the Younger Dryas.

Hunter-gatherer diets and activity as a model for health promotion: Challenges, responses, and confirmations.

Beginning in 1985, we and others presented estimates of hunter-gatherer (and ultimately ancestral) diet and physical activity, hoping to provide a model for health promotion. The Hunter-Gatherer Model was designed to offset the apparent mismatch between our genes and the current Western-type lifestyle, a mismatch that arguably affects prevalence of many chronic degenerative diseases. The effort has always been controversial and subject to both scientific and popular critiques. The present article (1) addresses eight such challenges, presenting for each how the model has been modified in response, or how the criticism can be rebutted; (2) reviews new epidemiological and experimental evidence (including especially randomized controlled clinical trials); and (3) shows how official recommendations put forth by governments and health authorities have converged toward the model. Such convergence suggests that evolutionary anthropology can make significant contributions to human health.

The early Aurignacian dispersal of modern humans into westernmost Eurasia.

Documenting the first appearance of modern humans in a given region is key to understanding the dispersal process and the replacement or assimilation of indigenous human populations such as the Neanderthals. The Iberian Peninsula was the last refuge of Neanderthal populations as modern humans advanced across Eurasia. Here we present evidence of an early Aurignacian occupation at Lapa do Picareiro in central Portugal. Diagnostic artifacts were found in a sealed stratigraphic layer dated 41.1 to 38.1 ka cal BP, documenting a modern human presence on the western margin of Iberia ∼5,000 years earlier than previously known. The data indicate a rapid modern human dispersal across southern Europe, reaching the westernmost edge where Neanderthals were thought to persist. The results support the notion of a mosaic process of modern human dispersal and replacement of indigenous Neanderthal populations.

Complex mortuary dynamics in the Upper Paleolithic of the decorated Grotte de Cussac, France.

The Mid-Upper Paleolithic (Gravettian) karstic Grotte de Cussac (France) contains two areas of human remains in the context of abundant (and spectacular) parietal engravings. The first area (loci 1 and 2) includes the skeleton of a young adult male in a bear nest, rearranged by postdecomposition inundation, and the variably fragmentary remains of at least two individuals distributed across two bear nests, sorted anatomically and with most of the elements constrained to one side of one nest. The second area (locus 3) retains remains of two adults and an adolescent, in upper hollows and variably distributed down the slope, largely segregated into upper versus lower body groups. The only decoration associated with the human remains is red pigment on some of the bones or underlying sediment. The human remains indicate variable nonnatural deposition and manipulation of human bodies, body portions, and skeletal elements of at least six individuals. Moreover, Cussac is unusual in the association of these remains with exceptional parietal art. The complex Cussac mortuary pattern joins growing evidence from other Gravettian sites of variable treatment of individuals after death, within and across sites, in terms of formal deposition of the body versus postmortem manipulation versus surface abandonment. It provides a window onto the social diversity and the complex interactions of the living and the dead among these successful Late Pleistocene foragers.

Archaeological evidence for two separate dispersals of Neanderthals into southern Siberia.

Neanderthals were once widespread across Europe and western Asia. They also penetrated into the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia, but the geographical origin of these populations and the timing of their dispersal have remained elusive. Here we describe an archaeological assemblage from Chagyrskaya Cave, situated in the Altai foothills, where around 90,000 Middle Paleolithic artifacts and 74 Neanderthal remains have been recovered from deposits dating to between 59 and 49 thousand years ago (age range at 95.4% probability). Environmental reconstructions suggest that the Chagyrskaya hominins were adapted to the dry steppe and hunted bison. Their distinctive toolkit closely resembles Micoquian assemblages from central and eastern Europe, including the northern Caucasus, more than 3,000 kilometers to the west of Chagyrskaya Cave. At other Altai sites, evidence of earlier Neanderthal populations lacking associated Micoquian-like artifacts implies two or more Neanderthal incursions into this region. We identify eastern Europe as the most probable ancestral source region for the Chagyrskaya toolmakers, supported by DNA results linking the Neanderthal remains with populations in northern Croatia and the northern Caucasus, and providing a rare example of a long-distance, intercontinental population movement associated with a distinctive Paleolithic toolkit.

The Impact of Westernization on the Insulin/IGF-I Signaling Pathway and the Metabolic Syndrome: It Is Time for Change.

The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of overlapping conditions resulting in an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In the last few decades, prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in the Western world has reached epidemic proportions and this is likely due to alterations in diet and the environment as well as decreased physical activity. This review discusses how the Western diet and lifestyle (Westernization) has played an important etiological role in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome and its consequences by exerting negative effects on activity of the insulin-insulin-like growth factor-I (insulin-IGF-I) system. It is further proposed that interventions that normalize/reduce activity of the insulin-IGF-I system may play a key role in the prevention and treatment of the metabolic syndrome. For successful prevention, limitation, and treatment of the metabolic syndrome, the focus should be primarily on changing our diets and lifestyle in accordance with our genetic make-up, formed in adaptation to Paleolithic diets and lifestyles during a period of several million years of human evolution. Translating this insight into clinical practice, however, requires not only individual changes in our food and lifestyle, starting in pediatric populations at a very young age, but also requires fundamental changes in our current health systems and food industry. Change is needed: primary prevention of the metabolic syndrome should be made a political priority. New strategies and policies should be developed to stimulate and implement behaviors encouraging the sustainable use of healthy diets and lifestyles to prevent the metabolic syndrome before it develops.

Does the Paleo diet affect an athlete's health and sport performance?

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of an eight-week Paleo diet on the health status (body composition, haematology and biochemistry of blood and urine) and the level of physical capacity (aerobic and anaerobic) of professional handball players. Fifteen athletes were assigned to two groups: 9 in the experimental group (PD) and 6 in the control group (CD). Significant decreases in body mass (BM), body mass index (BMI), and fat mass (FM) as well as an increase in the fat-free mass (FFM) (%) in both groups were observed. There were no significant differences between groups in particular series during the experiment in all haematological and biochemical indicators of blood and urine. Only HDL-C was significantly higher in the last series in the PD compared to the CD (1.63 mmol/l vs. 1.23 mmol/l). In the Wingate test, there were only single intragroup changes, consisting of a significant decrease in the Wt, MAP and Pmean in the experimental group. There were no significant differences between the groups in individual series or intragroup differences during the experiment, determined by the VO2max, VEmax, VE ∙ VCO2 -1, RER, and the time of the test with a gradually increasing load on a treadmill, except for a significant decrease of maximum tidal volume (TVmax) in the PD. No adverse effect of the Paleo diet on the health status was found. The use of the Paleo diet slightly adversely affects anaerobic capacity and does not affect the level of aerobic capacity.