Dietary, evolutionary, and modernizing influences on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes

An evolutionary perspective is used to elucidate the etiology of the current epidemic of type 2 diabetes estimated at 151 million people. Our primate legacy, fossil hominid, and hunting-gathering lifestyles selected for adaptive metabolically thrifty genotypes and phenotypes are rendered deleterious...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of nutrition 2003, Vol.23, p.345-377
Main Author: Lieberman, Leslie Sue
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adults
Animals
Biological Evolution
children
Developing countries
Diabetes Mellitus - epidemiology
Diabetes Mellitus - etiology
Diabetes Mellitus - genetics
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - etiology
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - genetics
Diet - trends
energy
Energy Metabolism - physiology
etiology
foods
fossils
genotype
Genotypes
Global Health
Globalization
Humans
LDCs
Life Style
Metabolic Syndrome - epidemiology
Metabolic Syndrome - etiology
Metabolic Syndrome - genetics
modernization
noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
Obesity
people
phenotype
Prevalence
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Summary:An evolutionary perspective is used to elucidate the etiology of the current epidemic of type 2 diabetes estimated at 151 million people. Our primate legacy, fossil hominid, and hunting-gathering lifestyles selected for adaptive metabolically thrifty genotypes and phenotypes are rendered deleterious through modern lifestyles that increase energy input and reduce output. The processes of modernization or globalization include the availability and abundance of calorically dense/low-fiber/high-glycemic foods and the adoption of sedentary Western lifestyles, leading to obesity among both children and adults in developed and developing countries. These trends are projected to continue for a number of decades.
ISSN:0199-9885
1545-4312
DOI:10.1146/annurev.nutr.23.011702.073212