 This condition was widely accepted as a result of anemia, which is typically due to an iron deficient diet, but several lines of evidence suggest that the accelerated loss and compensatory over-production of red blood cells seen in hemolytic and megaloblastic anemia are the most likely proximate causes of porotic hyperostosis.In anthropology, the presence of the condition has been considered evidence that a past population suffered chronic or episodic malnutrition.Anthropologists examine bones of past populations to learn about their lifestyles.