The evolutionary inevitability of obesity in modern society: implications for behavioral solutions to weight control in the general population

Humans have evolved during periods of relative food scarcity and occasional abundance. Until very recently food intake was limited by availability within the environment and this played the key role in limiting weight gain. Evolution has selected our behavior and physiological systems to “bank� surplus energy during times of abundance. We have now adapted our environment to ensure that, for the vast majority of us, food is of a high quality (energy or protein rich) and readily available, to the point that the health consequences of over-consumption now exceed those of under-consumption. That we have not had time to evolve adaptations to this new abundance of food makes obesity at a population level a near inevitable outcome.