Acorns linked to historic toothache
A junk food diet of acorns and pine nuts may have given our ancient ancestors toothache long before the arrival of fizzy drinks and sweets.
Teeth from 52 skeletons dating back between 13,700 and 15,000 years showed evidence of widespread decay, with only three showing no sign of cavities.
The hunter gatherers pre-dated the rise of farming, previously been blamed for dental problems linked to carbohydrate-rich foods.
Scientists from London’s Natural History Museum believe the cause was a diet heavy in wild acorns and pine nuts according to findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.