@article {308696, title = {To meat or not to meat? New perspectives on Neanderthal ecology.}, journal = {Am J Phys Anthropol}, volume = {156 Suppl 59}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Feb}, pages = {43-71}, abstract = {

Neanderthals have been commonly depicted as top predators who met their nutritional needs by focusing entirely on meat. This information mostly derives from faunal assemblage analyses and stable isotope studies: methods that tend to underestimate plant consumption and overestimate the intake of animal proteins. Several studies in fact demonstrate that there is a physiological limit to the amount of animal proteins that can be consumed: exceeding these values causes protein toxicity that can be particularly dangerous to pregnant women and newborns. Consequently, to avoid food poisoning from meat-based diets, Neanderthals must have incorporated alternative food sources in their daily diets, including plant materials as well.

}, keywords = {Animals, Dental Calculus, Europe, Food habits, Fossils, Isotopes, Meat, Neanderthals, Paleopathology, Technology, Tooth Wear}, issn = {1096-8644}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.22659}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25407444}, author = {Fiorenza, Luca and Benazzi, Stefano and Henry, Amanda G and Salazar-Garc{\'\i}a, Domingo C and Blasco, Ruth and Picin, Andrea and Wroe, Stephen and Kullmer, Ottmar} }