Not a cogent argument, but a few observations that bear on this discussion:

1. Average Life Expectancy is exactly that: average. The biggest factor in lowering that average is high infant mortality. It does seem likely that this fell drastically during the neolithic agricultural revolution. As a suggestion, this may be because on of the effects of NAR was almost certainly larger communities, more free time and less travel. Nomadic lifestyles can be hard on babies!

2.Re the dairy thing: evolution doesn't stop. Europeans now rarely switch off their ability to digest milk after the weaning period. Milk is the best possible food for young humans - having it available and digestable through all the lifespan is just a little useful!

3. I've read some similar books, but why did he have to call it Neanderthin - Neanderthals aren't our ancestors!

4. Nobody actually knows the make-up of the diet of our ancestors in the 10,000 to 150,000 timespan. How important was gathering roots (about 60%to 90% of diet for modern hunter-gatherers!)? How about only eating nuts and fruits for the month or so a year they are in season? Did gathering handfuls of wild grain contribute significantly to early diet, long befoe agrarianism?

5. I really worry about the quality of the protein available now - ther is a huge difference in HDL/LDL balance between wild and domestic animals.

What do people think?

Ian in London and Ketosis