The Study
Investigating human paleodiet at Mesolithic Yuzhniy Oleniy Ostrov, Karelia using a multi-proxy stable isotope approach
This study looked at the chemical fingerprints in ancient bones to guess what people ate thousands of years ago. It can tell us what kinds of food were probably common, like fish or plants, but it can't prove that eating fish made people's bones look a certain way — it just shows they usually ate similar things.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Scientists studied bones and teeth from an ancient cemetery to find out what people ate long ago.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 542 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This is surprising because people in cold forests usually eat more meat and less plants—but here, plants made up more than half the diet, even though they were hard to find.
- 2People ate mostly fish from Lake Onega (like zander), with some plants (55%) and very little meat (5%).
- 3Their bones showed they ate a lot of protein, and everyone ate almost the same food.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
PLOS One
Year
2026
Authors
Rebekka Eckelmann, Laura Arppe, Rick J. Schulting, Sambit Ghosh, Jakub Trubač, A. Kuchařová, Matthew J Wooller, D. Gerasimov, V. Moiseyev, K. Mannermaa
Related Content
Claims (6)
Isotopic data from human remains at Yuzhniy Oleniy Ostrov show no chemical signatures of seal or marine food consumption, and there is no archaeological evidence that seals were present in the area, so the high nitrogen isotope levels must have another source.
The bones of ancient humans from Yuzhniy Oleniy Ostrov in Russia show isotopic signatures that reflect a diet primarily composed of freshwater fish and other aquatic animals, with little to no meat from land animals.
Isotopic analysis of human collagen from Yuzhniy Oleniy Ostrov shows carbon signatures matching those of freshwater fish like zander and vendace, indicating that these fish were the main source of dietary protein, not plants or land animals, even though models suggest high plant consumption.
Isotopic analysis of ancient human remains from Yuzhniy Oleniy Ostrov suggests that 55% of their diet came from terrestrial plants, a higher proportion than historical accounts indicate, and this difference may result from the model assuming low fat intake and high protein requirements.
Isotopic analysis of human remains from Yuzhniy Oleniy Ostrov shows no meaningful differences based on sex or burial position, indicating that all individuals consumed the same types of food during the site’s 100–300 year occupation.
Human metabolism evolved over 2.5 million years to rely primarily on animal-based foods for energy and essential nutrients.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.