Diet of ancient Andes hunter-gatherers was 80% plant-based, study finds

The belief that ancient humans were predominantly meat-eaters has led to approaches such as the paleo diet – which seeks to mimic the eating habits of ancestors who lived during the Paleolithic era, from about 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago

Researchers looked at the isotopic composition of the remains found in the burial site, Wilamaya Patjxa(Randy Haas/University of Wyoming/PA)

Hunter-gatherers living in South America around 9,000 years ago had a predominantly plant-based diet – challenging the widely held view that these societies were made up of mainly meat eaters, scientists have said.

Archaeologists at the University of Wyoming in the US analysed remains of 24 individuals from two burial sites in the Andes Mountains in Peru.