BMJ 1995;311:1569 (9 December)

Letters

Rising trend may be due to "pathoenvironment"

EDITOR,--The prevalence of obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and many European countries. Andrew M Prentice and Susan A Jebb provide convincing evidence that "simple gluttony" cannot account for this increased prevalence since over the past 20 years food intake has decreased whereas body mass index has continued to increase in Britain.1 The authors conclude that physical activity has decreased even faster over the same period and so obesity can be blamed on "sloth." Many readers may incorrectly conclude from this study that obesity is simply the result of a lack of the willpower to control eating and exercise.

Epidemiological and genetic studies suggest, however, that obesity in a given population is largely determined by the environment, whereas the variability among individuals within a given environment is largely determined by the individual genetic responses to that environment.2 3 I therefore propose that the high prevalence of obesity in . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Obesity in Britain: gluttony or sloth?
Andrew M Prentice and Susan A Jebb
BMJ 1995 311: 437-439. [Extract] [Full Text]

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