ABSTRACT
On the Arizona-Mexico border live two different communities of the same native tribe. The Pima share identical genetics and ancestral traditions, yet the two communities occupy land in very different countries with very different cultures. It is no surprise that differences have developed, including language, culture, and food, that set the two subpopulations apart from each other. What may be surprising is that the Arizona Pima have a higher incidence of obesity as well as type 2 diabetes rates that are ve times their Mexican Pima relatives.1 What is the cause of this? Can the physical environment have this much of a direct impact on weight and associated diseases or are other sociocultural and economic factors to blame?
