Thrifty Phenotype Hypothesis: Curing Poverty Leads To Obesity And Diabetes
Monday, August 5, 2013 - 16:00
in Health & Medicine
There is a "thrifty phenotype" hypothesis which suggests that economic conditions present during fetal development that then improve dramatically during a person's childhood lead to poorer health in adulthood. In other words, if people are poor, it might be healthier if they stay poor. The evidence: the strikingly high prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in the American South, which the author of a new paper suggests can be partially traced to rapid economic growth between 1950 and 1980. read more