Waubonsee Community College

The evolution of obesity, Michael L. Power and Jay Schulkin

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

no index present

non fiction

The evolution of obesity

820530785

Michael L. Power and Jay Schulkin

For most of the past few million years, our evolutionary ancestors' survival depended on being able to consume as much as possible when food was available and to store the excess energy for periods when it was scarce. In the developed world today, high-calorie foods are readily obtainable, yet the propensity to store fat is part of our species' heritage, leaving an increasing number of the world's people vulnerable to obesity. In an environment of abundant food, we are anatomically, physiologically, metabolically, and behaviorally programmed in a way that makes it difficult for us to avoid gaining weight

Introduction : human biology, evolution, and obseity -- Humanity is on the fat track -- Our early ancestors -- The evolution of meals -- Evolution, adaptation, and human obesity -- Evolution, adaptation, and the perils of modern life -- Energy, metabolism, and the thermodynamics of life -- Information molecules and the peptide revolution -- Appetite and satiety -- Getting ready to eat -- The paradox of feeding -- The biology of fat -- Fat and reproduction -- Genetic and epigenetic correlates of obesity -- Conclusion : surviving the perils of modern life