The evolutionary biology of human body fatness

Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 4
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Preface......Page 11
1 Introduction......Page 15
2 Human fatness in broad context......Page 30
2.1 Body composition techniques......Page 31
2.2 Cross-species comparisons......Page 34
2.3 Comparisons within humans: Body mass index......Page 39
2.4 The limitations of percentage fat......Page 43
2.5 Between-populations comparisons based on skinfolds......Page 50
2.6 Sexual dimorphism......Page 51
2.7 Population variability in shape......Page 57
Summary......Page 61
3.1 The energy balance equation......Page 63
Heritability......Page 69
Body fatness as a polygenic trait......Page 72
Imprinted genes......Page 73
Epigenetic effects......Page 74
Extra-somatic contributions......Page 75
3.3 Neurobiology of appetite......Page 76
3.4 Endocrine and paracrine factors......Page 78
Insulin and other pancreatic hormones......Page 79
Cortisol......Page 81
Leptin......Page 82
Sex hormones......Page 83
Paracrine regulation......Page 84
3.5 Inflammation......Page 86
3.6 Dietary composition......Page 87
3.7 Physical activity level......Page 91
3.8 Eating style......Page 96
3.9 Parenting behaviour......Page 97
3.10 Psychological stress......Page 101
3.11 Fat deposition in a toxic environment......Page 102
Summary......Page 105
4 The ontogenetic development of adiposity......Page 106
4.1 Fetal life......Page 107
4.2 Body composition at birth......Page 109
4.3 Body composition during infancy......Page 113
4.4 Body composition during childhood and adolescence......Page 117
4.5 Adulthood......Page 122
4.6 Pregnancy......Page 127
4.7 Lactation......Page 129
Summary......Page 130
5 The life-course induction of adiposity......Page 132
5.1 Phenotypic induction and tracking......Page 133
5.2 The limitation of outcomes......Page 137
5.3 Induction of body size......Page 140
5.4 Induction of neonatal body composition during fetal life......Page 141
5.5 Induction of later body composition by fetal experience......Page 145
5.6 Induction of body composition by post-natal growth......Page 151
5.7 Induction of body composition during childhood......Page 156
5.9 Induction of the rate of maturation......Page 162
Summary......Page 165
6.1 Buffering famine and malnutrition......Page 167
6.2 Accommodating fluctuations in energy supply......Page 175
Summary......Page 182
6.4 Adaptation to cold......Page 183
Conception......Page 186
Pregnancy......Page 189
Lactation......Page 190
Summary......Page 192
6.6 Regulation of offspring growth......Page 193
6.7 Buffering of the offspring brain......Page 194
6.8 Immune function......Page 197
6.9 Sexual selection......Page 201
Summary......Page 207
7.1 Evolution of the adipocyte and adipose tissue......Page 209
7.2 Fat stores as adaptive strategy......Page 212
7.3 Adipose tissue in mammalian evolution......Page 213
7.4 The thrifty-genotype hypothesis......Page 217
7.5 The thrifty-phenotype hypothesis......Page 218
7.6 Integrating two models of thrift......Page 222
7.7 A game-theory model of fat stores......Page 223
7.8 Summary......Page 227
8 Adiposity in hominin evolution......Page 229
8.1 Trends in seasonality......Page 230
8.2 Trends in body size......Page 233
8.3 Trends in encephalisation......Page 239
8.4 Trends in growth patterns......Page 245
8.5 Trends in diet, metabolism and appetite......Page 246
8.6 The evolution of a colonising reproductive strategy......Page 249
8.7 Trends in disease load......Page 252
8.8 Trends in social stress......Page 254
Summary......Page 256
9 Adiposity in human evolution......Page 258
9.1 Genetic diversification and physical environments......Page 259
9.2 Genetic diversification through niche construction......Page 261
9.3 The origins of farming and famines......Page 263
9.4 The emergence of social stratification......Page 267
9.5 Re-evaluating the thrifty-genotype hypothesis......Page 270
9.6 Variable disease load......Page 274
9.7 Genetic variability and bet-hedging......Page 278
9.8 The thrifty-phenotype hypothesis and population-metabolic variability......Page 279
Summary......Page 282
10 The evolution of human obesity......Page 284
10.1 The evolutionary history of obesity......Page 285
10.2 The creation of the obesogenic niche......Page 289
10.3 Secular trends in diet......Page 290
10.4 Secular trends in physical activity......Page 294
10.5 Changes in circadian rhythms......Page 298
10.6 Secular trends in social stress......Page 299
10.7 Secular trends in reproductive behaviour......Page 301
10.8 Secular trends in exposure to pharmacological agents, toxins and disease......Page 303
10.9 The global obesity epidemic......Page 304
10.10 Obesity and capitalism......Page 306
10.11 The future of obesity......Page 312
References......Page 316
Index......Page 377