ABSTRACT
Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine,” recognized more than 2,500 years ago that obesity was unhealthy, and he treated obesity with diet and exercise as did other Greeks and Romans. Artifacts from the Paleolithic Age some 40,000 years ago indicate the presence of obesity among hunter-gatherers. The agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago introduced new dietary patterns and indicated that obesity can occur on any food plan. Most knowledge about obesity developed during the Scientific Revolution beginning around 1500 AD. In the 17th century, a balance beam was used to weigh food intake eaten by human beings in real time. Oxygen was discovered in the 18th century and metabolism was shown to be similar to a burning candle. In the 19th century came the formulation of the laws of thermodynamics and their application to human beings, the introduction of the body mass index, and the publication of the first popular diet book, written by William Banting. The 20th century differentiated types of obesity; unraveled feeding controls; introduced behavioral, pharmacological, and surgical therapy; and saw the discovery of leptin. Journals with obesity as their theme and societies focused on obesity developed in the latter 20th century. The 21st century saw new guidelines for obesity, better use of technology, and drugs that rival the success of bariatric–metabolic surgery.
