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From:	K.D. (85.180.79.139)
Subject:	Re: Chimp diet high fat, moderate protein, low carb.
Date:	March 11, 2013 at 5:52 am PST

In Reply to: Re: Chimp diet high fat, moderate protein, low carb. posted by DK on March 10, 2013 at 3:50 pm:

Fruit that chimps would typically eat is different to that what humans would typically eat.
It is low in sugars and (comparatively) high in fiber; net it contains more fiber than sugar. Therefore chimps, and especially gorillas, can "digest" fiber on the behalf of specialised gut bacteria (a.k.a. fermentation). This process yields short-chain fatty acids, so that the animal's fuel (calories) would net up to (estimated) ~60% fat.

The same process would occur in humans, too, albeit to a lesser degree, and is estimated to be able to deliver ~10% of calories needed. Meaning, a high fiber diet is likely up to 10% more fat than evident from any nutrient database.
As I understand it, this extra energy would mainly be utilised by the digestive system.

Anyway, the "what-we-are-meant-to-eat" paradigm seems quite irrelevant, as can be evidenced based on the example of the great panda (ailuropoda melanoleuca): The giant panda "taxonomically is classified as a carnivoran, yet its diet is primarily herbivorous, consisting almost exclusively of bamboo. However, the giant panda still has the digestive system of a carnivore, as well as carnivore-specific genes".
As always nature is much more flexible than human bias allows for..

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