India, Aug. 13 -- Recent research from the University of Sydney and the University of Glasgow has found that fruit, honey, and other naturally sweet foods may have played a key role in human brain evolution. In the study, published in the journal Science, researchers modeled the glucose needs of humans and their ancestors from 4 million years ago to recent times.

According to the study, over a period of 4 million years, human brain size increased from about 300 grams in early hominins to about 1,500 grams in modern humans. As brain size increased, so did the demand for glucose. Natural sugars may have helped provide the growing brain with the energy it needed. This was at a time when cooking began and starch-rich foods like tubers and gr...