October Show '11: Obesity Report

Overweight and obesity are caused by a complex array of genetic, metabolic, and behavioral interactions across a number of relevant social, environmental and policy contexts that influence eating and physical activity. The general consensus of obesity experts and researchers is that humans evolved to live in a very different environment than that in which they find themselves today. For hundreds of thousands of years, food was scarce and humans needed to work hard physically to survive. Because famine was not uncommon, there was biological pressure and survival advantage to be able to store energy as fat for the lean times. Unfortunately, there are parts of the world where famine still is commonplace. But for most of the Western world, food is now abundant, cheap and very available, while very little physical activity is required in the typical course of daily living. Are you obese? Check out this clip and think twice!