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Abstract
From a genetic standpoint, humans living today are Stone Age huntergatherers displaced
through time to a world that differs from that for which our genetic constitution
was selected. Unlike evolutionary maladaptation, our current discordance has little
effect on reproductive success; rather it acts as a potent promoter of chronic illnesses:
atherosclerosis, essential hypertension, many cancers, diabetes mellitus, and obesity
among others. These diseases are the results of interaction between genetically controlled
biochemical processes and a myriad of biocultural influences—lifestyle factors—that
include nutrition, exercise, and exposure to noxious substances. Although our genes
have hardly changed, our culture has been transformed almost beyond recognition during
the past 10,000 years, especially since the industrial Revolution. There is increasing
evidence that the resulting mismatch fosters “diseases of civilization” that together
cause 75 percent of all deaths in Western nations, but that are rare among persons
whose lifeways reflect those of our preagricultural ancestors.
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
February 5,
1988
Received:
December 11,
1987
Identification
Copyright
© 1988 Published by Elsevier Inc.
