ABSTRACT
Obesity among signicant proportions of the population is a relatively new phenomenon. Although individual cases have existed throughout history, these were generally rare1 and conned to those with a specic genetic propensity, or the ability to access unlimited resources without physical exertion (i.e., royalty or the very rich). The beginnings of the modern epidemic can be pinpointed to the last quarter of the twentieth century in high-income countries, and because it affected many populations and all age groups simultaneously, this suggests an environmental etiology.
