Slim Pickings: Finding Cost-Effective Obesity Solutions
NEW YORK, Jan. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, a full figure was a symbol of status, indicating one's wealth, fertility and power in an environment of food scarcity. Today, it has a negative connotation. Faced with antiquity's unreliable resources, humans were hardwired to prioritize calorie-dense, energy-rich foods. To reinforce this behavior, evolution gave a boost of dopamine to big eaters; those who failed to feast during times of plenty might starve when food ran out. While abundant calorie consumption was an advantage in early societies, the ingrained drive to stock up is now a liability as access to food has become more reliable.
- Obesity presents many health risks, and expensive GLP-1 agonists have grabbed the limelight, but there are affordable and effective ways to address it.
- While this behavior was a boon during times of food instability, constant consumption of energy dense nourishment now contributes to obesity.
- Obesity not only increases health risks and reduces quality of life and mobility; but also produces a significant economic impact.
- This requires alternative approaches and comprehensive efforts that combine cost-effective medications with diet and exercise to reduce excessive obesity rates.