Eating and obesity--the new world disorder

Area of Science:

• Paleoanthropology
• Evolutionary Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Obesity is a long-standing human condition, not solely a modern epidemic.
• Paleolithic artifacts suggest obesity was present even in early human societies.
• The modern increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including obesity, is linked to dietary shifts away from ancestral patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the historical prevalence of obesity using Paleolithic evidence.
• To examine the hypothesis that modern NCDs are linked to a mismatch between ancestral and modern diets.
• To contextualize the current obesity epidemic within a long-term evolutionary perspective.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of Paleolithic artifacts (e.g., Venus figurines) depicting the human form.
• Review of anthropological and genetic evidence regarding ancestral human diets and metabolism.
• Examination of arguments linking modern NCDs to evolutionary discordance.

Main Results:

• Evidence suggests obesity, particularly in women, was depicted in Paleolithic art, indicating it was not a rare occurrence.
• The prevalence of these depictions across time and geography implies a potential significance of obesity in early societies.
• Arguments propose that modern humans, genetically programmed for ancestral diets, are susceptible to NCDs when consuming modern diets.

Conclusions:

• Obesity has deep historical roots, challenging the notion of it being exclusively a modern disease.
• The divergence from ancestral diets may be a significant factor in the contemporary epidemic of obesity and NCDs.
• Understanding our evolutionary heritage is crucial for addressing modern health challenges like obesity.