Western Diseases: An Evolutionary Perspective

✍ Scribed by Tessa M. Pollard

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 237
• Series: Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology 54
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

As a group, western diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, allergies and mental health problems constitute one of the major problems facing humans at the beginning of the 21st century, particularly as they extend into poorer countries. An evolutionary perspective has much to offer standard biomedical understandings of western diseases. At the heart of this approach is the notion that human evolution occurred in circumstances very different from the modern affluent western environment and that, as a consequence, human biology is not adapted to the contemporary western environment. Written with an anthropological perspective and aimed at advanced undergraduates and graduates taking courses in the ecology and evolution of disease, Tessa Pollard applies and extends this evolutionary perspective by analysing trends in rates of western diseases and providing a new synthesis of current understandings of evolutionary processes, and of the biology and epidemiology of disease.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 5
Title......Page 7
Copyright......Page 8
Dedication......Page 9
Contents......Page 11
Preface......Page 13
Western diseases......Page 15
An evolutionary perspective......Page 16
Outline of the book......Page 20
Summary......Page 21
Human ecology and health in the Palaeolithic......Page 23
The impact of early agriculture......Page 27
Urban societies......Page 30
The epidemiologic transition......Page 32
The rise of western diseases......Page 35
Summary......Page 36
Diet, physical activity and body composition in humans before agriculture......Page 37
Diet......Page 38
Energy expenditure......Page 42
Body fat and pathologies associated with obesity......Page 44
The rise in obesity......Page 46
Type 2 diabetes......Page 49
Explaining recent increases in obesity and type 2 diabetes......Page 51
Diet......Page 52
Energy expenditure......Page 54
Sleep......Page 56
Cardiovascular disease......Page 57
Risk factors for cardiovascular disease......Page 58
Trends in mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular disease......Page 59
Other related diseases......Page 62
Summary......Page 63
The problem: populations identified as having unusually high rates of type 2 diabetes/cardiovascular disease......Page 64
Neel’s thrifty genotype theory......Page 69
Modifications of the thrifty genotype theory......Page 70
Attempts to identify genes conferring population-level susceptibility to type 2 diabetes......Page 75
Genes for hypertension in populations of African descent?......Page 77
Why have genetic explanations proved so appealing?......Page 79
Developmental origins of adult disease......Page 80
Implications for rapidly westernising populations......Page 82
Exposure to infectious disease......Page 85
Poverty......Page 86
Summary......Page 87
END NOTES......Page 88
What are reproductive cancers?......Page 89
Geographical and temporal trends in the incidence of reproductive cancers......Page 90
Known risk factors for reproductive cancers......Page 92
Women......Page 93
Men......Page 96
Obesity......Page 97
Exogenous oestrogens......Page 98
Ovarian hormone levels in western women......Page 99
Determinants of ovarian hormone levels......Page 102
Lifetime experience of menstrual cycles in western women......Page 107
Testosterone levels in western men......Page 108
Determinants of testosterone levels in men......Page 110
Late first birth and nulliparity in affluent western societies......Page 111
Summary......Page 112
Obesity, hyperinsulinaemia and impaired reproductive function1......Page 113
Other features of a western lifestyle associated with impaired reproductive function......Page 116
Breastfeeding in evolutionary and historical perspective......Page 117
Health consequences of little or no breastfeeding for the mother......Page 119
Health consequences of little or no breastfeeding for the child......Page 120
The evolution of menopause in humans......Page 124
The menopausal transition in the affluent west......Page 125
Post-menopause in the affluent west......Page 127
Evolutionary perspectives on the biology of menopause......Page 129
Ageing and gonadal hormones in men......Page 131
Summary......Page 132
END NOTES......Page 133
What is asthma?......Page 134
Geographical and temporal trends in the prevalence of asthma and allergic disease......Page 135
Exposure to allergens......Page 137
The role of air pollution......Page 138
The original hygiene hypothesis: the effect of childhood infections......Page 139
The updated hygiene hypothesis: exposure to ‘old friends’......Page 140
A link with autoimmune diseases......Page 143
Infant feeding......Page 144
A role for obesity......Page 145
Are some groups genetically vulnerable to the development of allergy?......Page 146
Summary......Page 148
8 Depression and stress......Page 150
The influence of culture......Page 151
Why do humans have the capacity to feel depressed and stressed? Evolutionary perspectives......Page 153
A mismatch between Palaeolithic minds and the contemporary western world?......Page 154
The physiology of stress and depression......Page 157
How physiological changes associated with stress and depression may affect other aspects of health......Page 161
How stress and depression can affect health-related behaviour......Page 163
Psychosocial factors as potential mediators of the effects of social inequality......Page 164
Summary......Page 166
Human vulnerability to western diseases......Page 167
Affluent countries......Page 170
Other areas of the world......Page 171
Prevention of western diseases: an evolutionary perspective......Page 177
Obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease......Page 178
Reproductive cancers......Page 182
Allergy and autoimmune disease......Page 184
Mental health and associated disease outcomes......Page 185
Summary......Page 186
References......Page 187
Index......Page 231