Indigenous Peruvians evolved extra copies of a starch-digesting gene the moment they began farming the potato.
Salivary amylase is the enzyme that allows humans to break down complex carbs as soon as food hits the mouth. While most humans have a few copies of the gene, Andean populations have the highest concentration on the planet. This genetic explosion happened in direct response to the specific diet of the region thousands of years ago. It shows that human evolution is not just a slow, ancient process but something that can be triggered by a single crop. Our bodies are literally shaped by the specific foods our ancestors chose to farm.
Adaptive Increase of Amylase Gene Copy Number in Peruvians Driven by Potato-rich Diets
research_square · rs-6115566
Abstract The salivary amylase gene (AMY1) exhibits remarkable copy number variation linked to dietary shifts in human evolution. While global studies highlight its structural complexity and association with starch-rich diets, localized selection patterns remain under explored. Here, we analyzed AMY1 copy number in 3,723 individuals from 84 populations, revealing that Indigenous Peruvian Andean populations possess the highest AMY1 copy number globally. A genome-wide analysis showed significantly