A new study suggests the rise of potato consumption in the Andes thousands of years ago led to a significant increase in a starch-digestion gene among Indigenous Peruvians. This genetic adaptation likely provided an evolutionary advantage to those who could more efficiently process the starchy vegetable.
The research indicates that people with higher numbers of the starch-digestion gene were better equipped to thrive on a potato-rich diet, leading to its prevalence in the population over time. The change predates European contact by thousands of years, offering compelling evidence that dietary habits can directly influence human evolution.
According to Science Daily, Indigenous Peruvians carry an exceptionally high number of copies of this gene. This suggests natural selection favored individuals who could more effectively digest potatoes once they became a staple food source in the Andes region. The study highlights how a specific food—the potato—may have shaped the genetic makeup of a population over generations.
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