<PART1: Lifestyle of Hunter-Gatherers and History of Surrounding Farmers>Nutritional Status, Physical Activity and Dietary Intake of Pygmy Hunter-Gatherers in a Forest Camp in Cameroon: The Possibility of Healthy Survival on Wild Forest Food Resource

The nutritional status, physical activity, and nutrient intakes of eight huntergatherer couples in Cameroon were assessed during a forest camp. The aim of the study was to determine whether they could survive on forest food resources alone, and how life in the village camp differed from life in the forest camp. Individuals' physical activity levels were monitored throughout the day and daily energy expenditure (EE) was estimated using published EE values for specific tasks and field experiments for activities not reported in the literature (e.g., digging wild yams, cracking wild seeds). All food brought to camp by hunting and gathering was weighed to estimate nutrient intake. The mean BMI was 20.5 for males and 20.1 for females and fell between normal range 18.5 and 25.0 (WHO 2000), indicating that their nutritional status was generally good. In addition, average daily energy intake and expenditure were balanced. It was therefore demonstrated that healthy survival was possible for the participants for 20 days if they relied solely on forest food resources. These results, together with our previous study in the village camp, suggest that Pygmy hunter-gatherers adapt to their environment by adopting two contrasting lifestyles: a low energy intake/consumption lifestyle in sedentary village camps and a more energy-intensive lifestyle in nomadic forest camps.