In their book “Die Steinzeit steckt uns in den Knochen”, the authors D. Ganten et al. conclude that we still carry the genes of the Stone Age man from 100,000 years ago.
In biological terms, humans have ultimately remained unchanged since the Stone Age, while our lifestyle has changed dramatically, i.e. we often behave unnaturally towards our bodies due to the many benefits of civilization. Evolutionary medicine considers the gap between our biological equipment and our civilizational behavior to be the cause of many diseases of civilization.
The lack of movement
In the Stone Age, our ancestors moved an average of 20 km per day to collect food, hunt animals and ensure their survival. Genetically, we are still endurance runners. But what has become of us? By using the car and elevator, as well as cell phones and remote controls, we only move around minimally. The excessive loss of movement chronically underchallenges our body. This leads to muscle and bone loss, poor body posture, painful joints and herniated discs. In addition, a lack of movement causes blood sugar to spike due to a lack of carbohydrate burning, which boosts insulin secretion. Chronically high insulin levels lead to insulin resistance and, in a vicious circle, to diabetes.
The underchallenged immune system
Our high standards of hygiene cause an underchallenge of the immune system. In the absence of a defense against external pathogens, the undertrained immune system turns against the body's own tissue, which can lead to allergies and autoimmune diseases.
Overburdening in rapidly changing times
Our times are characterized by a hustle and bustle, constant innovations, multitasking and a permanent flood of information. The psychological burden in private and professional life is constantly increasing, especially for children. Rest periods are regarded as unproductive. In addition, there is the increasing individualization, which tends to hinder reflection on the overload. Our ancestors, who were completely free of our stressors, behaved differently. Periods of exertion were followed by seasonally determined periods of relaxation, e.g. rest phases followed the activities of a hunt. This biphasic rhythm has now been replaced by a state of permanent pressure. Efficient marketing methods encourage permanent consumption with the accumulation of material goods.
Health consequences
The consequences of this unnatural behavior are lifestyle diseases such as high blood pressure, atherosclerosis with heart attack and stroke, obesity, diabetes mellitus, depression, autoimmune 
diseases and many more. The “new” diseases are the result of an inadequate adaptation of the civilizational lifestyle to human biology, and thus a biological underregulating of the civilized human being due to his unnatural behaviors.
The consequences are clear: we cannot change our genes and biology, but we can change our behaviors towards our body, provided we are aware of the consequences.
