A new Swedish study showed that a group of overweight, post-menopausal women who followed the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations lost as much weight as those who ate a Stone Age-inspired diet.

A Swedish doctoral dissertation from Umeå University compared the effect of these two diet options for two years on 70 women. While those who followed the Stone Age diet initially lost more weight, the overall results were the same for both groups by the end of the study. All the participantslost weight, reduced their total body fat and shrunk their waistlines. Both groups also had lower levels of fat in their livers than before the study.

The women who adhered to the hunter-gatherer diet did have lower levels of fats (triglycerides) in their blood. High blood fats can contribute to diseases.

The Nordic guidelines call for diets rich in fish, vegetables, fruit and berries, tubers, nuts, seeds and low-fat dairy products. The hunter-gatherer ancestors of 21st century humans primarily ate meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, nuts, berries and fruits, but had no access to dairy products.