Obesity and Metabolism — Where We Went Wrong

The human genome dates back more than 50,000 years, to a time when man was a “hunter-gatherer,” consumed a diet consisting of about 90% plant-derived foods, and engaged in constant physical activity to survive. In the modern, post-industrial era, our level of physical activity is dramatically reduced and our diet has increasingly shifted toward a meat-based diet: the average adult in the United States consumes close to 200 pounds of meat, poultry, and fish per year, an increase of 50 pounds per person from 50 years ago. Compared with plant-based protein sources, animal-based protein sources are higher in saturated fat, lower in fiber, and poorer in micronutrients, especially antioxidants.

More than 50% of adults in the United States do not eat a single piece of fruit per day and more than 80% do not meet the recommended intake of five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. In fact, if one eliminates potatoes (and French fries), the average American eats fewer than two servings of fruits and vegetables per day. At the same time, only about 20% of American adults meet the minimum exercise guidelines of at least 30 minutes per day, three times per week.

The modern Western diet has virtually eliminated malnutrition in the majority of the population. However, many of the food choices for individuals of limited means, or for those uneducated in the relationship between food and health, are of poor nutritional value and are lacking key vitamins and minerals. In fact, the least expensive foods available today provide fewer nutrients per calorie than do the more expensive foods.

Thus, in the process of solving the problem of malnutrition through industrialization, we’ve created a low-cost food supply that promotes a global epidemic of obesity. In addition, the largely sedentary lifestyle indicative of an “advanced” society effectively means that we now have to pay for exercise — with money, time, or both — because exercise in the form of hard physical work, as part of daily living, is scarce.

Multiple studies in the past decade have shown an increased incidence of obesity, chronic diseases of aging, heart disease, and cancer in populations eating a Western diet and having a sedentary lifestyle, versus populations that are physically active and eat fewer calories, less refined carbohydrates, less meat, and more fruits, vegetables, cereals, and whole grains. To understand why this lifestyle shift would have such a profound effect on human health, investigators have begun to look more closely at the true effects of the metabolic syndrome and its co-conspirators, excess body fat and muscle loss, on the human body.

The Metabolic Syndrome

Effects of Excess Body Fat

 Effects of Muscle Loss