<p>How Western Diet And Lifestyle Drive The Pandemic Of Obesity And Civilization Diseases</p>

Abstract

Westernized populations are plagued by a plethora of chronic non-infectious degenerative diseases, termed as “civilization diseases”, like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer's disease and many more, diseases which are rare or virtually absent in hunter-gatherers and other non-westernized populations. There is a growing awareness that the cause of this amazing discrepancy lies in the profound changes in diet and lifestyle during recent human history. This paper shows that the transition from Paleolithic nutrition to Western diets, along with lack of corresponding genetic adaptations, cause significant distortions of the fine-tuned metabolism that has evolved over millions of years of human evolution in adaptation to Paleolithic diets. With the increasing spread of Western diet and lifestyle worldwide, overweight and civilization diseases are also rapidly increasing in developing countries. It is suggested that the diet-related key changes in the developmental process include an increased production of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress, development of hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance, low-grade inflammation and an abnormal activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the renin-angiotensin system, all of which play pivotal roles in the development of diseases of civilization. In addition, diet-related epigenetic changes and fetal programming play an important role. The suggested pathomechanism is also able to explain the well-known but not completely understood close relationship between obesity and the wide range of comorbidities, like type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, etc., as diseases of the same etiopathology. Changing our lifestyle in accordance with our genetic makeup, including diet and physical activity, may help prevent or limit the development of these diseases.

The Effects of Low-Energy Moderate-Carbohydrate (MCD) and Mixed (MixD) Diets on Serum Lipid Profiles and Body Composition in Middle-Aged Men: A Randomized Controlled Parallel-Group Clinical Trial

“…Unhealthy adult lifestyles, especially improper dietary habits, are believed to play an important role in the development of contemporary-civilization diseases [1][2][3]. Numerous studies have investigated the association between diet and obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and many other diseases [3][4][5][6].…”

A Regionalized Genome-Based Mexican Diet Improves Anthropometric and Metabolic Parameters in Subjects at Risk for Obesity-Related Chronic Diseases

“…The physiopathological mechanisms underlying the metabolic diseases common in modern populations may rely on their particular evolutionary history that currently influences their patterns of disease risk [2]. Accordingly, populations presenting diet-related adaptive gene (DRAG) polymorphisms selected by their ancestral dietary contexts and currently exposed to the well-described Western dietary pattern and lifestyle are at increased risk of abnormal metabolic conditions and obesity-related CD [3][4][5]. Not more than 500 years ago the Mexican Native American (NA) populations, who relied on a pre-Hispanic diet since the emergence of plant domestication and agriculture (at least 5 kya), were subjected to a genetic and food-culture admixture with the arrival of Spaniards and the introduction of new ingredients from the Old World [6].…”

Gut microbiota: a promising target against cardiometabolic diseases

“…However, a Western diet has been shown to increase intestinal E. coli abundances in mice [25]. A Western diet is characterized by a highcaloric intake of fats, readily available carbohydrates and refined sugars, which contributes to the development of metabolic alterations such as insulin resistance, obesity, and T2DM [26,27]. Obesity has been associated with reduced GM diversity, altered relative abundances of the major phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes as well as low-grade inflammation in mice and humans [28][29][30].…”