An anthropological perspective on obesity

Note

Whiting's (1958) cross-cultural survey found some form of food shortages for all of the societies (n=118) in the sample"(36). Because food shortages were so common, "selection favored individuals who could effectively store calories in times of surplus"(38). Additionally, whiting suggested that "females with greater energy reserves in fat have a selective advantage over their lean counterparts in withstanding the stress of food shortage, not only for themselves, but for their fetuses or nursing children"(38).