Einstein (São Paulo) (Mar 2006)
Environmental mechanisms involved in weight gain and opportunities to prevent obesity
Abstract
New societies, specially those that are transitioning towesternized lifestyles, are experiencing substantial increases inprevalence of obesity that is showing epidemic characteristicsin several communities. Besides it is well accepted that geneticfactors have an important role in weight control, the observedexplosion of obesity seen in the last century can not be explainedexclusively by alterations in genes that occurred in this shortperiod of time but it is much more suitable to be the result ofenvironmental changes related to the contemporaryindustrialization and technological advances. The primaryenvironmental determinants of obesity are those related to theincrease in caloric intake and low levels of activity thatgenetically susceptible subjects to the weight gain are exposedby the modern style of living. Stimulated by the cheaper andgreater availability of food, the increase in automation andmechanization facilitating the physical inactivity and thecontinuous psychological stress the modern man is actually moreexposed to behavior changes favoring the weight gain. Sinceobesity is widely recognized to be an important cardiovascularand diabetes risk factor, prevention of obesity must be recognizedby policy-makers as an important public health actions to protecthealth. To combat the epidemic of obesity we must cure the“toxic environmental” changing our behavior and promoting newfood technologies.
