The Modern Food System and the Roots of Obesity

October 11 2012

By Dr. Mercola

If you've ever felt that you're overweight, it's your own fault because you are not smart enough to eat the right foods and you're too lazy to exercise... that's exactly what the government and food industry would like you to believe.

But in reality, government and industry share the blame for your ever-expanding waistline, as a new BBC documentary explores in detail. In this revealing film airing on BBC Two, investigative reporter Jacques Peretti explores the obesity epidemic and the roles government and industry have played. Although his focus is on the obesity problem in the UK, his findings are also appropriate for the US as well.

Please understand that I am not suggesting you are completely absolved of any responsibility for your size and health status. However, there are factors beyond your control, and the only way to avoid those "booby-traps" is to educate yourself so that you will be able to recognize and avoid these deceptive obesity landmines.

As with American adults, two-thirds of our British counterparts are overweight, and one in four is obese. Obesity is a problem of epic proportions because it increases your risk for a number of other serious diseases. This societal problem has emerged in just the past four decades, in spite of (and because of) misguided dietary guidelines.

What's happened over the last 40 years that would explain the widening girth of Americans and Brits alike? Our entire system of food production has changed.

Humans are Genetically Programmed to Seek Energy Dense Foods

In Paleolithic times (until about 12,000 years ago), the human diet consisted of primarily meats, non-starchy vegetables, seafood, nuts, seeds, and occasionally fruit. There was no processed food or refined sugar – not even bread, cereal, potatoes, or pasteurized dairy – a far cry from the standard American (and British) diet.

Food was much harder to come by, so humans developed a taste for foods that were nutritionally and calorically dense, which helped prevent starvation. It was literally feast or famine, as we had to "load up" when food was available. The craving for high-energy foods was programmed into our very genes, where it remains today.

However, what's different today is the constant accessibility of high-energy, calorie-packed foods that provide us with far more energy than we require. One of the most thorough looks into "Stone Age" nutrition was done by Dr. Loren Cordain, author of The Paleo Diet and considered to be one of the world's leading experts on Paleolithic nutrition.

Dr. Cordain states:

"The nutritional qualities of modern processed foods and foods introduced during the Neolithic period are discordant with our ancient and conservative genome. This genetic discordance ultimately manifests itself as various chronic illnesses, which have been dubbed 'diseases of civilization.'

By severely reducing or eliminating these foods and replacing them with a more healthful cuisine, possessing nutrient qualities more in line with the foods our ancestors consumed, it is possible to improve health and reduce the risk of chronic disease."

Our Stone-Age ancestors not only ate an incredibly wide variety of natural foods. Dr. Mark Berry, who is involved in Paleolithic nutrition research, explained that Paleolithic humans ate 20 to 25 different plant foods each day. Today, many Americans struggle to fit in five.The truth is, the typical American diet is incredibly monotonous and does not include the variety of nutritious foods upon which our body was designed to thrive.

Not only are we eating less of what we should be eating, but we're also consuming a lot of things we shouldn't be. And we're expending less energy from physical activity than our Stone-Age predecessors, who probably burned between 800 and 1,200 calories per day just hunting buffalo and dodging tigers – many times more than the modern city dweller inhabiting his "computer cave." Professor Jimmy Bell, obesity specialist at Imperial College in London, states:¹

"Genetically, human beings haven't changed, but our environment, our access to cheap food has."

When you combine insufficient exercise, supersized junk food, uncontrolled stress, inadequate sleep, genetically engineered "frankenfoods," lack of sunshine and the resulting vitamin D deficiency, is it really any surprise we've gotten weaker and sicker? Next, let's take a look at some of the most significant underlying factors driving obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Thin on the Outside, Fat on the Inside?

Could you be thin on the outside but fat on the inside? A surprising number of people are; so many that the phenomenon has been given a name: TOFI, which stands for "thin outside fat inside." MRI scans, which allows body fat distribution to be visualized, are revealing a disturbing trend. People are becoming fatter on the inside, around their internal organs (visceral fat), even when they are thin on the outside.

Why is this a concern?

Studies prove that increased visceral fat is linked to a higher risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Jacques Peretti, who you can see in the film to be a reasonably lean person, volunteered himself for an MRI body fat assessment. They discovered Peretti had twice the amount of visceral fat as what is considered safe. According to the MRI physician, his kidneys are "swimming in a sea of fat." So, although being able to fit into those skinny jeans is a great start, it does not necessarily mean you're healthy and low risk – your insides might reveal a completely different picture. Subcutaneous fat may be more visible, but visceral fat is far more dangerous to your health.

Visceral fat, together with elevated blood pressure, unstable blood sugar and unhealthy lipid levels make up what we call "metabolic syndrome," which in turn increases your risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Like all body fat, diet and exercise will help keep your visceral fat levels to a minimum, however there appear to be other factors involved as well, including dietary choices and the health of your digestive tract.

One of the most nefarious villains in the Western diet is sugar, particularly fructose in the form of high fructose corn syrup, as endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig explains in the following lecture.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/11/food-system-which-causes-obesity.aspx?e_cid=20121011_DNL_art_2