scholarly journals Cultural selection and human food preferences

2019 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ani Bajrami
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Positive Selection ◽  
Genetic Drift ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Cultural Selection ◽  
Selection For

Genes and culture co-evolve to determine variations in dietary habits. Our evolutionary heritage regarding food choice and food preferences is responsible for the mismatch with the food environments we have created, which leads to problems such as overweight and obesity. Several hypotheses have attempted to explain the high rate of obesity present in today’s world. The thrifty genotype hypothesis suggested that obesity today is a throwback to our ancestors having undergone positive selection for genes that favored energy storage. The drifty genotype hypothesis contends that the prevalence of thrifty genes is not a result of positive selection for energy-storage genes but, rather, is attributable to genetic drift resulting from the removal of predatory selection pressures. Both hypotheses focus on environmental changes over time, positive selection and genetic drift. While genetics plays a significant role, we believe that cultural selection is also responsible for the spread of obesogenic phenomena in Albania. The high rates of overweight and obesity among Albanians today can be explained as a mismatch between our evolutionary past and maladaptive behaviors.

scholarly journals Establishing good dietary habits – capturing the minds of children

2001 ◽  
Vol 4 (1a) ◽  
pp. 125-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Westenhoefer
Keyword(s):  
Weight Control ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Eating Behaviour ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Social Meaning ◽  
The Social

AbstractObjective:To review the psycho-social research with respect to relevance for the development of nutritional education strategies.Results:The eating behaviour of the newborn baby is controlled by innate preferences and dislikes, and by biological self-regulation. These innate control-systems are modified by learning processes, most importantly by the mere exposure to unknown food, by social influences, and by associating the physiological consequences of food intake with taste cues. The last decades have witnessed a change of the social meaning of food and eating, and the social context of eating is subject to dramatic changes. While on the one hand, prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing, even young children deliberately practise weight control measures ranging from selective food choice to self-induced vomiting thus including behaviours which are clearly symptomatic of eating disorders. Such behaviour is motivated by unrealistic conceptions of a healthy body weight and shape. Children are interested in a range of nutrition topics. However, these topics have to be related to direct perceivable benefits from nutrition.Conclusions:Educational strategies should: firstly, focus on providing a variety of foods, including a range of nutrient-dense ‘healthy’ food and encouraging children to taste it; secondly, provide a stable and predictive pattern of social eating occasions to promote the social meaning and importance of eating and to enable social learning of food preferences; and finally, encourage a positive body image by providing advice and reassurance regarding the range of healthy and acceptable body weights and shapes.

scholarly journals On the Evolutionary Origins of Obesity: A New Hypothesis

Endocrinology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 155 (5) ◽  
pp. 1573-1588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dyan Sellayah ◽  
Felino R. Cagampang ◽  
Roger D. Cox
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Positive Selection ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Industrialized Countries ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Selection Pressures ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
The Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Selection For ◽  
The Impact

Obesity is an escalating threat of pandemic proportions, currently affecting billions of people worldwide and exerting a devastating socioeconomic influence in industrialized countries. Despite intensive efforts to curtail obesity, results have proved disappointing. Although it is well recognized that obesity is a result of gene-environment interactions and that predisposition to obesity lies predominantly in our evolutionary past, there is much debate as to the precise nature of how our evolutionary past contributed to obesity. The “thrifty genotype” hypothesis suggests that obesity in industrialized countries is a throwback to our ancestors having undergone positive selection for genes that favored energy storage as a consequence of the cyclical episodes of famine and surplus after the advent of farming 10 000 years ago. Conversely, the “drifty genotype” hypothesis contends that the prevalence of thrifty genes is not a result of positive selection for energy-storage genes but attributable to genetic drift resulting from the removal of predative selection pressures. Both theories, however, assume that selection pressures the ancestors of modern humans living in western societies faced were the same. Moreover, neither theory adequately explains the impact of globalization and changing population demographics on the genetic basis for obesity in developed countries, despite clear evidence for ethnic variation in obesity susceptibility and related metabolic disorders. In this article, we propose that the modern obesity pandemic in industrialized countries is a result of the differential exposure of the ancestors of modern humans to environmental factors that began when modern humans left Africa around 70 000 years ago and migrated through the globe, reaching the Americas around 20 000 years ago. This article serves to elucidate how an understanding of ethnic differences in genetic susceptibility to obesity and the metabolic syndrome, in the context of historic human population redistribution, could be used in the treatment of obesity in industrialized countries.

Effects of Diets on Adipose Tissue

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (19) ◽  
pp. 3593-3612
Author(s):  
Silvia Ezquerro ◽  
Amaia Rodríguez ◽  
Piero Portincasa ◽  
Gema Frühbeck
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Present Review ◽  
Calorie Intake ◽  
Dietary Interventions ◽  
Major Health Problem ◽  
Global Epidemic ◽  
Excess Adiposity

Background: Obesity is a major health problem that has become a global epidemic. Overweight and obesity are commonly associated with the development of several pathologies, such as insulin resistance, cardiovascular diseases, sleep apnea and several types of cancer, which can lead to further morbidity and mortality. An increased abdominal adiposity renders overweight and obese individuals more prone to metabolic and cardiovascular problems. Objective: This Review aims to describe the dietary strategies to deal with excess adiposity given the medical, social and economic consequences of obesity. Methods: One hundred and eighty-five papers were included in the present Review. Results: Excess adiposity leads to several changes in the biology, morphology and function of the adipose tissue, such as adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia, adipose tissue inflammation and fibrosis and an impaired secretion of adipokines, contributing to the onset of obesity- related comorbidities. The first approach for obesity management and prevention is the implementation of a diet combined with physical activity. The present review summarizes the compelling evidence showing body composition changes, impact on cardiometabolism and potential adverse effects of very-low calorie, low- and high-carbohydrate, high-protein or low-fat diets. The use of macronutrients during the preprandial and postprandial state has been also reviewed to better understand the metabolic changes induced by different dietary interventions. Conclusion: Dietary changes should be individualised, tailored to food preferences and allow for flexible approaches to reducing calorie intake in order to increase the motivation and compliance of overweight and obese patients.

scholarly journals A Study on the Characteristics of Academic Topics Related to Renewable Energy Using the Structural Topic Modeling and the Weak Signal Concept

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1497
Author(s):  
Chankook Park ◽  
Minkyu Kim
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Topic Modeling ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Weak Signals ◽  
Energy Potential ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Probabilistic Topic Modeling ◽  
To Receive

It is important to examine in detail how the distribution of academic research topics related to renewable energy is structured and which topics are likely to receive new attention in the future in order for scientists to contribute to the development of renewable energy. This study uses an advanced probabilistic topic modeling to statistically examine the temporal changes of renewable energy topics by using academic abstracts from 2010–2019 and explores the properties of the topics from the perspective of future signs such as weak signals. As a result, in strong signals, methods for optimally integrating renewable energy into the power grid are paid great attention. In weak signals, interest in large-capacity energy storage systems such as hydrogen, supercapacitors, and compressed air energy storage showed a high rate of increase. In not-strong-but-well-known signals, comprehensive topics have been included, such as renewable energy potential, barriers, and policies. The approach of this study is applicable not only to renewable energy but also to other subjects.

scholarly journals Population turnover facilitates cultural selection for efficiency in birds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Chimento ◽  
Gustavo Alarcón-Nieto ◽  
Lucy M. Aplin
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Selection ◽  
Population Turnover ◽  
Selection For

scholarly journals Environmental Changes and Cultural Transitions in SW Iberia during the Early-Mid Holocene

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 3580
Author(s):  
Cristina Val-Peón ◽  
Juan I. Santisteban ◽  
José A. López-Sáez ◽  
Gerd-Christian Weniger ◽  
Klaus Reicherter
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Source Area ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Early Neolithic ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
Local Resources ◽  
Climate Events ◽  
The Impact

The SW coast of the Iberian Peninsula experiences a lack of palaeoenvironmental and archaeological data. With the aim to fill this gap, we contribute with a new palynological and geochemical dataset obtained from a sediment core drilled in the continental shelf of the Algarve coast. Archaeological data have been correlated with our multi-proxy dataset to understand how human groups adapted to environmental changes during the Early-Mid Holocene, with special focus on the Mesolithic to Neolithic transition. Vegetation trends indicate warm conditions at the onset of the Holocene followed by increased moisture and forest development ca. 10–7 ka BP, after which woodlands are progressively replaced by heaths. Peaks of aridity were identified at 8.2 and 7. 5 ka BP. Compositional, textural, redox state, and weathering of source area geochemical proxies indicates abrupt palaeoceanographic modifications and gradual terrestrial changes at 8.2 ka BP, while the 7.5 ka BP event mirrors a decrease in land moisture availability. Mesolithic sites are mainly composed of seasonal camps with direct access to the coast for the exploitation of local resources. This pattern extends into the Early Neolithic, when these sites coexist with seasonal and permanent occupations located in inland areas near rivers. Changes in settlement patterns and dietary habits may be influenced by changes in coastal environments caused by the sea-level rise and the impact of the 8.2 and 7.5 ka BP climate events.

scholarly journals Promoting healthy foods among urban school children in Bangladesh: a qualitative inquiry of the challenges and opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Rumayan Hasan ◽  
George Smith ◽  
Md Harunor Rashid ◽  
Mohammad Abdus Selim ◽  
Sabrina Rasheed
Keyword(s):  
School Children ◽  
Food System ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Food Culture ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Raw Foods

Abstract Background In Bangladesh overweight and obesity among urban school children are on the rise. Urban school children tend to consume foods dense in calories and few fruits and vegetables which is associated with overweight and obesity. The current study explored the barriers and opportunities for promoting healthy diets among school children from the perspective of teachers and parents in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Methods We conducted 14 key informant interviews with teachers and principals, six focus group discussions with 31 mothers of school children (5 to 15 year old) and 14 structured observations of the school food environment. Inductive thematic analysis was performed manually. Results Schools were important for development of food preferences of children, however, most school cafeterias provided foods based on profit rather than health considerations. A shift in food culture resulted in making eating out acquire many meanings beyond convenience. Mothers, especially those who were employed, struggled to prepare healthy foods due to time pressure. Mothers were generally concerned about chemicals added to raw foods in markets which led to limited fruit and vegetable consumption. Conclusions There were many challenges to promoting healthy foods to school children within and outside the school. It is important to formulate policies and guidance to create a supportive environment for healthy foods in and in the proximity of schools. It is also important to educate consumers about identifying and choosing healthy foods. Laws related to food safety should be adequately implemented to boost the population’s confidence in safety of available healthy foods in the food system.

Prevalence of obesity and its risk factors among school children in Karachi, Pakistan

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 266-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveed Mansoori ◽  
Nighat Nisar ◽  
Naveen Shahid ◽  
Syed Muhammad Mubeen ◽  
Shahid Ahsan
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
School Children ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Growth Chart ◽  
Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Prevalence Of Obesity

A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted during 2012 in private and public-sector schools of Karachi to determine the prevalence and factors influencing overweight and obesity among school children (aged 11–15 years). Sociodemographic characteristics and dietary habits were explored. The CDC Growth Chart was used to record height and weight. Of a total of 887 children, being overweight and frankly obese was found in 169 (19.1%) and 96 (10.8%), respectively. Of these, 176 (66.4%) were from private schools, and significant associations were found in 202 (76.2%) who were spending > 2 h/day watching television and 139 (52.5%) sleeping > 8 h/day.

Facile synthesis of graphitic porous carbons with three-dimensional nanonetwork for high-rate supercapacitive energy storage

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 5676-5684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenghui Li ◽  
Haiyan Zhang ◽  
Haiping Zhu ◽  
Liuqing Li ◽  
Haiyang Liao
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Porous Carbons ◽  
Facile Synthesis
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