The thrifty gene hypothesis, or Gianfranco's hypothesis[citation needed] is an attempt by geneticist James V. Neel to explain why certain populations and subpopulations in the modern day are prone to diabetes mellitus type 2. He proposed the hypothesis in 1962 to resolve a fundamental problem: diabetes is clearly a very harmful medical condition, yet it is quite common, and it was already evident to Neel that it likely had a strong genetic basis. The problem is to understand how disease with a likely genetic component and with such negative effects may have been favoured by the process of natural selection. Neel suggested the resolution to this problem is that genes which predispose to diabetes (called 'thrifty genes') were historically advantageous, but they became detrimental in the modern world. In his words they were "rendered detrimental by 'progress'". Neel's primary interest was in diabetes, but the idea was soon expanded to encompass obesity as well. Thrifty genes are genes which enable individuals to efficiently collect and process food to deposit fat during periods of food abundance in order to provide for periods of food shortage (feast and famine).[citation needed]
According to the hypothesis, the 'thrifty' genotype would have been advantageous for hunter-gatherer populations, especially child-bearing women, because it would allow them to fatten more quickly during times of abundance. Fatter individuals carrying the thrifty genes would thus better survive times of food scarcity. However, in modern societies with a constant abundance of food, this genotype effectively prepares individuals for a famine that never comes. The result of this mismatch between the environment in which the brain evolved and the environment of today is widespread chronic obesity and related health problems like diabetes.
The hypothesis has received various criticisms and several modified or alternative hypotheses have been proposed.
and 23 Related for: Thrifty gene hypothesis information
Metabolic syndrome Native American health Obesity in the Pacific Thriftygenehypothesis Gracey, Michael (1995). "New World syndrome in Western Australian...
that influence beige adipocyte development. The thriftygenehypothesis (also called the famine hypothesis) states that in some populations the body would...
evolutionarily-based theories such as the drifty genehypothesis and the thrifty phenotype hypothesis have also been proposed.[medical citation needed]...
resistance can be an evolutionary adaptation include the thriftygenehypothesis. This hypothesis raises the point that if there is a genetic component to...
investigation. The thrifty phenotype hypothesis was proposed by C. Nicholas Hales and David Barker in a study published in 1992. This hypothesis suggested that...
storing energy as fat. This trait serves as the main basis for the "thriftygenehypothesis", the idea that "feast-or-famine conditions during human evolutionary...
explain PAR are the "thrifty phenotype" hypothesis and the developmental plasticity hypothesis. The thrifty phenotype hypothesis is the idea that if an...
economic, and/or environmental causes of obesity. According to the "thriftygenehypothesis, a genetic theory explaining rising obesity rates, certain individuals...
1056/NEJMra0906948. PMID 21142536. Ayub, Qasim (Feb 6, 2014). "Revisiting the ThriftyGeneHypothesis via 65 Loci Associated with Susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes"...
topic. The Barker Hypothesis, or Thrifty phenotype, forms the basis for much of the research conducted on fetal programming. This hypothesis states that if...
pregnancy to support the most ideal infant development. The "Barker Hypothesis", or Thrifty phenotype, states that conditions during pregnancy will have long-term...
secure continued strong backing. However, he was criticised for being thrifty and refusing to invest in cutting edge equipment, despite the Hall Institute's...
obesity as "syndromes of impaired genetic homeostasis": the "thrifty genotype" hypothesis enters the 21st century". Perspectives in Biology and Medicine...
birth-season/DRD4 gene interaction predicts weight gain and obesity in women with seasonal affective disorder: A seasonal thrifty phenotype hypothesis". Neuropsychopharmacology...
Physiology Physiology of dinosaurs Raymond B. Huey Theodore Garland, Jr. Thrifty phenotype Garland, T. Jr.; P. A. Carter (1994). "Evolutionary physiology"...
about eight feet high, very dense, showing nothing but foliage, like a thrifty arbor vitae, and remarkable, particularly in winter, for the star-like...
Global Information