Obesity Epidemic A Sign of Prosperity

Over the last several posts I have discussed a few aspects of obesity that I think are important in understanding the condition.  There is no doubt that obesity is a multi-factorial issue in adults--I've always contended that.  But I do not feel that way when it comes to kids, because children often do not have the same mental factors, which I believe play such a strong role in chronic obesity (the factor most involved in the I-just-can't-seem-to-lose-weight-no-matter-what-I try-syndrome).  More on this in a future post.

But we already defined obesity--a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems--so the question should now be: How has obesity become epidemic?  How have so many people gained weight to such degree as to be detrimental to their health?  The numbers today are harrowing--in the U.S. no state has a prevalence of obesity less than 20%, with some states having 30% or more of their population obese.

This is a fairly new phenomenon, as the numbers in the U.S. have gone through their most dramatic increase only over the last twenty years.  This is one reason I do not buy into the genetic or hormonal-cause theories.  Gene pools don't change that quickly, especially not with regard to a trait that has neither survival nor reproductive advantages.

One major benefit we are experiencing as a result of the current obesity epidemic is that we have learned quite a bit about human physiology, particularly the changes in autonomic function.  What is particularly interesting for me is to see the body's response to an extreme change in condition--an excess weight gain.  It shows, once again, the incredible intelligence of the human body.  The body responds to to a perceived stress in a very predictable way, it tries to reestablish balance, and it does so through the autonomic nervous system (ANS).

These observations have some in the field excited that they have now found the real underlying cause of obesity.  ANS changes and their associated hormonal imbalances are not the cause of obesity.  Emotional or economic stressors are not the cause of obesity.  While these issues are likely factors in the long-term maintenance of obesity, the reason why "weight stays relatively constant," they are not in and of themselves what causes obesity.  Taking in more energy than what is used is the primary cause of obesity.  This phenomenon is predominantly due to one or more of the following factors: 

• Eating more than is needed (we've all done this at one time or another, so it shouldn't be too hard to conceptualize how it could happen repeatedly, leading to a form of conditioning)
• Eating nutritionally-poor foods (more than occasionally)
• Chronic inactivity (which includes constantly challenging oneself)

Yes, hormonal issues like hypothyroidism can cause weight gain, so can medication side-effects, and genetics probably leaves some people more susceptible than others.  But these factors are not responsible for 20-30% obesity rates in the U.S.  No way.

So, once again, how has obesity become epidemic in the U.S. and other western societies?  As far as I can see, obesity is a consequence of prosperity.  When food is abundant, when we do not have to grow, hunt, trap or kill our own food sources, when high-energy foods (not in vibrancy, but calories: think pizza) is just a phone call away, 24-7, what do you think is going to happen?  Poor nations don't have obesity epidemics.  Oh they may have obese people...but not an epidemic.  Think about it.  Obesity is mostly a condition of abundance.

Obesity is also a consequence of population growth.  The more mouths we have to feed in rich, industrialized nations, the more we have to manufacture foods that will preserve long-term storage, transport and shelf-life.  Simple as this: To feed millions of people, foods are tweaked to prevent their perishing, and as a result we get chemical- and preservative-laden foodstuff, as well as the now prevalent, yet highly controversial, genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).  Ingesting these food-like substances, as I like to call them, in large quantities or over long periods can lead to excessive weight gain.

Sorry to foolish skeptic, but sodas do cause weight gain, plain and simple. It's no surprise to me that obesity has run concurrently with both American power and prosperity in the world, but also with the explosion of the food industry, particularly processed  foods (and junk food, and fast food, and soda consumption...)

As I've hinted in a previous post, I also believe a very strong mental component is involved in the obesity epidemic.  No doubt the psychological makeup of society is contributing to this massive inflation.  The coddling of the obese by searching for an it's-something-outside-of-you cause is no small factor in making obesity an epidemic.  Next post, I will discuss weight loss and what I think is a better approach to decreasing the prevalence of obesity in modern society.

Ovulating Women Act Like Horny Men (Sort Of)

Everybody knows about PMS, but do women change their behavior during ovulation?  Current research says they do, sexually, and these changes may have evolutionary significance in spreading our genes.

Two new studies in the November issue of the journal Evolution and Human Behavior find that women get a little wilder during their most fertile days of the month.  One study found that ovulating women are more open to the idea of hooking up with a stranger or acquaintance, while the other study found that women with less masculine-looking partners are more likely to lust after men with "masculine" traits--like strong, square jaws--than women with partners already possessing those traits.

In the past, most research on the menstrual cycle focused on premenstrual syndrome (PMS), but these new studies are two of more than twenty focusing on behavioral changes brought about by ovulation.  Researchers in evolutionary biology have taken it for granted that ovulation is of slight significance since humans have deviated from the typical estrus cycle (heat) of mammals, and can be up for sex anytime of the month.

This, however, is just a theory, and a wrong one at that.  For instance, men can tell when a woman is ovulating, although they do so imperfectly.  Some experts believe it's through smell--of pheromones, excreted chemicals that triggers a social response in members of the same species--but this is just a hypothesis.  Several studies, however, have found that women report that their men become more attentive and jealous around fertile days. One study, in fact, found that when women were fertile, their male partners saw other men as a greater threat.

Further, women do have a sort-of "heat" phase, yet instead of simply being more receptive to sex, they want it for different reasons.  Consider this phase a lust-cycle, where women want sex for sex's sake and not for intimacy, which might be more the reason outside of the cycle.

The second study of the pair looked at womens' phenotypic preference for masculine traits during fertile periods.  Several previous studies had found that, when ovulating, women tended to go for more masculine-looking men.  Masculine traits fertile women prefer are strong-jawed faces, muscular bodies, dominant behaviors, deep voices and tallness.

(Example of test picture to the left--women, which face do you prefer?)

In the latest study, researchers found that if a woman is partnered with a man without a masculine face, her eye is more likely to wander during her fertile days. Now this doesn't mean she'll necessarily act on her wandering eye, but she'll likely look nonetheless.  And other studies have shown that the hormonal fluctuations surrounding ovulation do change women's attitudes and behavior.  For instance, fertile women seem to be more open than non-fertile women to the idea of taking "sexual pleasures where [they] find them."  According to the authors of the study, women in ovulation are more likely to express interest in sleeping with an attractive stranger or someone they don't care about.  Just sex.

Women in ovulation also tried harder to look nice for pictures, according to a 2006 study, showing that the hormonal changes may also affect female decision making.  An online shopping experiment reveals fertile women are also more likely to choose sexy clothes and accessories than women who weren't fertile, according to the study published online in the Journal of Consumer Research in August.  Finally, in a widely publicized study published in Evolution and Human Behavior in 2007, researchers found that ovulating strippers made an average of $30 more an hour than menstruating strippers and $15 more an hour than non-ovulating, non-menstruating strippers.

So to conclude, during fertile periods, women tend to be a bit friskier, make decisions about their attractiveness, look harder at masculine features, and be more likely to engage in casual sex.  Why?  To ensure the likelihood of fertilization and to increase the probability of finding successful genes, biologically speaking that is.  I don't know about you, but it sounds to me like the human female is as much a product of her biology as a man is.  Cool, huh?