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Article

Evolutionary origins of the obesity epidemic: natural selection of thrifty genes or genetic drift following predation release?

International journal of obesity (2005) - 1 Nov 2008

Prentice A M, Hennig B J, Fulford A J

Abstract excerpt

This article challenges Speakman's hypothesis that the modern genetic predisposition to obesity has arisen through random genetic drift in the two million years following predation release. We present evidence in support of the hypothesis that a mixture of famines and seasonal food shortages in the post-agricultural era have exerted natural selection in favour of fat storage; an effect most likely mediated...

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Source

Identifiers

PMID: 18852700
DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2008.147

Provenance

PubMed metadata and Literature Corpus relationships. Corpus snapshot updated 7 Sept 2026. Manifest publication-graph-cohort-2026-09-08.1.

Source receipt: pubmed, retrieved 7 Sept 2026.

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