Energy balance
Transitioning from a traditional lifestyle to a modernized environment (characterized by reduced physical labor and increased access to processed foods) causes significant increases in obesity and type 2 diabetes prevalence, regardless of genetic predisposition.
Your environment dictates your health more than your genes. If you move from a high-activity, whole-food lifestyle to a sedentary, processed-food lifestyle, your risk of obesity and diabetes will skyrocket, regardless of your ancestry. To prevent this, prioritize physical activity and whole foods, especially if your environment is becoming more sedentary.
These changes occurred concomitantly with an environmental transition from a traditional to a more modernized lifestyle.
Why this rating
Longitudinal comparison (15 years) of two distinct populations in the same environment, controlling for genetics, provides strong observational evidence.
Source
Environmentally Driven Increases in Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity in Pima Indians and Non-Pimas in Mexico Over a 15-Year Period: The Maycoba Project
Julián Esparza‐Romero et al. · Diabetes Care · 2015
DOI 10.2337/dc15-0089
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