ABSTRACT
It is widely held that the high incidence and prevalence of overweight/obesity represent recent trends. Discounting epigenetic effects (which may be an error), the trends are attributed to environmental inuences, as insufcient time has elapsed for genetic shifts to lead to greater body mass index (BMI). Much of the basis for the recent-onset hypothesis stems from data collected through national surveys in the United States, which reveal that the population BMI was relatively stable during the 1960s and 1970s but has since risen markedly. However, this view may suffer from the proverbial error of searching for answers only where the lights are brightest. Less representative and reliable data from older alternate sources suggest that increases of BMI are of much earlier origin. Data from France indicate a steady rise dating back to at least 1705.1 In the United States, records show that the BMI of Union Army Veterans increased over successive waves of measurement during the late 1800s and early 1900s.2 Such a trend has also been noted between 1865 and 1991 among 25to 64-year-old artisans, professionals, laborers, and farmers in the United States,3 suggesting the trend is not dependent on sedentary lifestyles or age-specic. Indeed, even the grave concern about rising BMI of children and adolescents may be of long standing. Data from Denmark reveal a continuous rise over the past 80-plus years in this age group.4
