Prebiotics in ancient diets

While modern studies continue to expand our knowledge of the health benefits of prebiotics, virtually nothing is known of their use among ancient populations. Drawing on select ethnographical and archaeological data, examples of prebiotic use in ancient diet is presented. By utilizing the well-documented facilities used to cook inulin-bearing plants that are found throughout the archaeological records of North America as a proxy, prebiotic consumption is documented in Europe and the Mediterranean possibly as early as 40 000 years ago. Data is further provided to suggest that early members of the genus Homo had ample ecological opportunity to include prebiotic underground storage organs found throughout the arid African savannah into the diet as early as 2.5 million years ago. This cursory view into the nutritional past of our ancestors reveals that prebiotics were likely to have been consumed in higher quantities than is the case among modern humans.