Study Reveals 800,000-year-old Carbohydrate Digestion Genes

A new study published in the journal Science reveals that the salivary amylase gene (AMY1) may have duplicated as far back as 800,000 years ago, predating farming and suggesting an early adaptation to starchy diets.

Co-author Kwondo Kim from The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine noted that this finding pushes back the timeline of AMY1’s evolution, indicating it emerged well before humans diverged from Neanderthals.

The research highlights the impact of agriculture on AMY1 variation, showing that early hunter-gatherers had multiple gene copies, while European farmers experienced an increase in AMY1 copies over the last 4,000 years due to starch-rich diets.

Co-author Omer Gokcumen from the University of Buffalo explained that more amylase genes lead to better starch digestion. The study opens avenues for future research into how genetic variations influence metabolic health and glucose metabolism, potentially offering insights into nutrition and health.