IN EXTREMES – AN OUTLOOK ON HUMAN ADAPTIVITY

BAT ubiquity upon birth is progressively lessened throughout natural development as the human body adjusts to its surroundings by accumulating increasing amounts of white adipose tissue (WAT), which is critical for energy storage in the form of lipids, endocrine communication, and insulin sensitivity [5]. Nonetheless, overexpressed WAT in the body leads to serious health complications and harbors life-threatening risks, interfering with regular metabolism and promoting cardiovascular diseases, chronic inflammation, type 2 diabetes, and even some types of cancer. [6]

By understanding how evolution has favored the lifelong permanence of a considerable BAT percentage in reindeer herders’ bodies, we could be looking at a breakthrough in the management of the obesity crisis currently afflicting billions of people worldwide.

In fact, according to estimates in the fifth World Obesity Atlas published by the World Obesity Federation on March 2023, on current trends, overweight and obesity will cost the global economy over US$4 trillion of potential income in 2035, nearly 3% of current global gross domestic product (GDP) [7]. The enormous costs on global healthcare systems attributed to cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes have obesity jostling with armed conflict as one of pact on the global economy [8]. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Ocobock’s work has earned the interest and funding of the National Science Foundation and the American-Scandinavian Foundation [1], among other entities invested in bringing human biology research closer to the heart of current global healthcare concerns.

This emergency proves especially dire following a period marked by extensive restrictions and lockdowns in most countries in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although well-rounded studies are still lacking given the recent nature of these issues, it is known that the curtailment of movements outside the home exacerbated dietary and sedentary behaviors linked to weight gain while concomitantly reducing access to primary healthcare. The consensus is that a side-effect of managing the COVID-19 pandemic has been the worsening of the obesity epidemic, especially among children [7].

Cara Ocobock’s research is widely recognized as one of the most promising anthropological outlooks on human adaptivity to extreme climates and how those adaptations could lead to more robust healthy lifestyles. We are pleased to welcome her to the AIMS Meeting 2023 and hear her thoughts on these matters – and many more –in her own words.

[3] Sjölander, P. (2011, October 14). What is known about the health and living conditions of the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia, the Sami? National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3195409/ [4] Brown Adipose Tissue - an overview. ScienceDirect Topics. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/brown-adipose-tissue [5] Richard, A.J.; White, U.; Elks, C.M.; Stephens, J.M. (2020, April 4). Adipose Tissue: Physiology to Metabolic Dysfunction. National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555602/ [6] Chait A and den Hartigh LJ (2020) Adipose Tissue Distribution, Inflammation and Its Metabolic Consequences, Including Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. Front. Cardiovasc. Med. 7:22. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2020.00022 [7] World Obesity Federation, World Obesity Atlas 2023. https://data.worldobesity.org/publications/?cat=19 [8] Dobbs, R, & Manyika; (2015, July obesity

McKinsey Global Institute. Available from: https://www. mckinsey.com/mgi/overview/in-the-news/the-obesity-crisis