We carry Stone Age genes in a high-tech world. Our genome was optimised over millions of years for life as hunters and gatherers – for physical movement, seasonal nutrition, natural light, and social community. The rapid cultural evolution of the last 200 years has fundamentally overwhelmed our biology. Prof. Dr. Jörg Spitz uses this evolutionary framework to explain modern civilisation diseases.
The mismatch concept is the key: chronic diseases arise when there is a fundamental contradiction between our biological programming (Stone Age genes) and our current environment (industrial society). Lack of movement in a species programmed for constant activity. Sugar-rich constant nutrition in a metabolism designed for seasonal scarcity. Artificial constant light for a nervous system dependent on true darkness.
Evolutionary medicine does not regard our ancestors as an ideal image to be copied – but as a reference framework for the biological basic needs of Homo sapiens. Our ancestors suffered from infectious diseases, injuries, and hunger – but barely from type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, Alzheimer's, depression, and the other civilisation diseases that are epidemic today.
Prof. Dr. Spitz derives concrete preventive medical recommendations from this evolutionary understanding: regular physical movement (which our ancestors had automatically), intermittent fasting (which mimics the natural food rhythm), sufficient sunlight (for Vitamin D production and circadian rhythm), and genuine community (which strengthens our social immune system).
The evolutionary perspective on health is not a romantic backward glance, but a scientifically sound method of understanding the requirements of our body and acting accordingly. In his online course "Master in the Art of Living", Prof. Dr. Spitz integrates this evolutionary perspective as a common thread through all health topics.