The Evolution of Obesity: An Approach for Evolutionary Advantage to a Disease

Obesity is linked to several diseases and reduced life expectancy. The prevalence of this important public health issue is increasing worldwide.

Aim: This paper highlights the evolution of obesity from the Paleolithic era to the present period and promotes it as a disease rather than a survival advantage as it used to be perceived.

Methods: This is an overview of the evolution of obesity, including from a sociocultural perspective throughout history and linking it to metabolic disorders, based on a narrative review of the literature.

Results: Obesity has been in existence since the paleolithic area and was considered advantageous as it was associated with high social status and fertility. At the same time, physicians started to associate with diseases, but it was not until the 1920s that more focus was on it as associated with the disease.

Conclusions: Published literature on the history of obesity reveals that obesity has been present all along. There seems to be an acknowledgment of obesity as a disease recently, politically, and medically.