Why African Brains Got Better at Making Healthy Fats from Plants
Adaptive Evolution of the FADS Gene Cluster within Africa
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The strongest genetic signal of positive selection was found in Africans—not in populations with marine diets.
Many assumed coastal diets rich in fish drove brain evolution, but this suggests inland African populations adapted genetically to make their own brain fats when seafood wasn’t available.
Practical Takeaways
If you have African ancestry, you may be genetically more efficient at making brain-healthy fats from plant sources like flaxseeds or walnuts.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The strongest genetic signal of positive selection was found in Africans—not in populations with marine diets.
Many assumed coastal diets rich in fish drove brain evolution, but this suggests inland African populations adapted genetically to make their own brain fats when seafood wasn’t available.
Practical Takeaways
If you have African ancestry, you may be genetically more efficient at making brain-healthy fats from plant sources like flaxseeds or walnuts.
Publication
Journal
PLoS ONE
Year
2012
Authors
R. Mathias, Wenqing Fu, J. Akey, H. Ainsworth, D. Torgerson, I. Ruczinski, S. Sergeant, K. Barnes, F. Chilton
Related Content
Claims (6)
Your brain needs certain fats that are mostly found in animal foods, and your body isn’t very good at making them from plant fats.
Scientists think a helpful gene variant in African populations started spreading about 85,000 years ago—before humans began their big move across Africa—because it gave people a survival edge.
A specific gene variant is super common in people of African descent but only somewhat common in others, showing a big genetic difference in how different groups process fats.
People of African ancestry almost all have a specific chunk of DNA near a gene called FADS1, and this chunk seems to help control how that gene works.
People of African ancestry tend to have a specific version of a gene that helps their bodies turn plant-based fats into important brain and body fats more efficiently — and scientists think this helpful gene became super common in Africa long ago because it gave people a survival advantage.