Obesity is a fascinating and destructive thing. It’s fascinating in that it’s uniquely human or human caused. It doesn’t exist in nature because the slow or fat are killed (if they’re prey) or die of hunger (if they’re unfit predators).<\/p>\n
Obesity is cascadingly destructive as this timeline will show. It’s a modern phenomenon with only a few pockets showing up during the Renaissance. The costs to health, environmental devastation, and money are staggering.<\/p>\n
Origin of Obesity:<\/strong> Obesity<\/em> is from the Latin<\/a> obesitas<\/em>, which means “stout, fat, or plump.” ?sus<\/em> is the past participle of edere<\/em> (to eat), with ob<\/em> (over) added to it. The Oxford English Dictionary<\/em><\/a> documents its first usage in 1611 by Randle Cotgrave<\/a>.<\/p>\n ~33,000 B.C.:<\/strong> The first sculptural representations of the human body 20,000\u201335,000 years ago depict obese females.<\/p>\n ~450 B.C.:<\/strong> The Greeks<\/a> were the first to recognize obesity as a medical disorder. Hippocrates<\/a> wrote that “Corpulence is not only a disease itself, but the harbinger of others”.<\/p>\n ~600 B.C.:<\/strong> Many cultures throughout history have viewed obesity as the result of a character flaw. The obesus<\/em> or fat character in Greek comedy<\/a> was a glutton and figure of mockery. wikipedia – Obesity<\/a><\/p>\n ~550 B.C.:<\/strong> The Indian surgeon Sushruta<\/a> (6th century BCE) related obesity to diabetes and heart disorders. wikipedia – Obesity<\/a><\/p>\n 200 A.D.:<\/strong> During Christian times food was viewed as a gateway to the sins of sloth<\/a> and lust<\/a>. wikipedia – Obesity<\/a><\/p>\n 1300 A.D. to 1700 A.D.: \u00a0<\/strong>During the Renaissance<\/a> some of the upper class began flaunting their large size, as can be seen in portraits of Henry the VIII and Alessandro del Borro. Rubens<\/a> (1577\u20131640) regularly depicted full-bodied women in his pictures, from which derives the term Rubenesque<\/a>. wikipedia – Obesity<\/a><\/p>\n 1909 A.D.:<\/strong> Average American ate 4 pounds of cheese. By 2000 cheese consumption soared 8 fold to 32 pounds of cheese per year! Wikipedia.org – Obesity_in_the_United_States<\/a><\/p>\n 1962 A.D.:<\/strong> – U.S. has 13% obesity rate. Wikipedia.org – Obesity_in_the_United_States<\/a> – 45% of adult Americans were overweight Wikipedia on Epidemiology of Obesity<\/a><\/p>\n 1971 A.D.:<\/strong> Average woman ate 1542 calories per day. By 2004 the average woman consumed more than 1871 calories per day a 335 calorie per day jump. Most of this 21.7% calorie consumption increase were empty carbohydrates and sodas. wikipedia – Obesity<\/a><\/p>\n 1995 A.D.:<\/strong> United States consumption of fast-food meals tripled and food energy intake from these meals quadrupled since 1977. wikipedia – Obesity<\/a><\/p>\n 1997 A.D.:<\/strong> U.S. obesity rate has climbed to 19.4% Wikipedia.org – Obesity_in_the_United_States<\/a><\/p>\n 2002 A.D.:\u00a0<\/strong>Obesity rates have doubled since 1980, reaching the current rate of 33% of the adult population Wikipedia on Epidemiology of Obesity<\/a><\/p>\n 2004 A.D.:<\/strong> U.S. obesity rate reaching critical levels at 24.5% Wikipedia.org – Obesity_in_the_United_States<\/a><\/p>\n 2005 A.D.:<\/strong> WHO estimates that at least 400 million adults (9.8%) are obese Wikipedia on Epidemiology of Obesity<\/a> Women obese at higher rates than men. Wikipedia on Epidemiology of Obesity<\/a><\/p>\n 2007 A.D.:<\/strong> U.S. obesity rates continue their march higher to 26.6% Wikipedia.org – Obesity_in_the_United_States<\/a> – Obesity rates are as high as 50% among African American women. Wikipedia on Epidemiology of Obesity<\/a><\/p>\n 2008 A.D.:<\/strong> – U.S obesity looks unstoppable ascending to 33.8% Wikipedia.org – Obesity_in_the_United_States<\/a> – The World Health Organization claimed that 1.5 billion adults, 20 and older, were overweight and of these over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese. Wikipedia on Epidemiology of Obesity<\/a><\/p>\n May 2009\u00a0A.D.: \u00a0<\/strong><\/strong>The case for reducing consumption of all types of sugar…especially fructose and High Fructose Corn Syrup: Research links sugar consumption to the rising obesity trend. \u00a0Dr. Robert Lustig<\/a>, esteemed medical doctor, pediatric hormone disorders specialist, and childhood obesity expert speaks out about sugar. On May 26, 2009 he lecturs on the Evils of Sugar. July 2010 this lengthy\u00a090 minute lecture posted to YouTube<\/a>\u00a0has over 3,100,000 views. \u00a0Dr. Robert Lustig crusades against sugar<\/a>\u00a0 SFGate, 2013.<\/p>\n Dr. Gary Taubes [author of\u00a0Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It<\/a>] talks about Sugar Toxicity and Dr Robert Lustig’s position: New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n