In 2010, the International Obesity Task Force reported that nearly 475 million adults worldwide were obese. Documentation of obesity didn't start to surface until the early 1600s, but physical evidence of its presence can be seen nearly 12,000 years ago seen in ivory statues of women appearing to have obese characteristics. When you delve into the history of obesity, it becomes clear that over the years it has gone from a symbol of beauty to a worldwide problem.
Neolithic Period: 8000 to 5500 B.C.
One of the first places that obesity can be seen is in the art of the Neolithic period. Scientists unearthed figurines of women appearing to have swollen bellies, sagging breasts and large buttocks. While only speculation, those figurines might be depictions of what the people living in this period looked like.
17th Century
Between 1614 and 1680, some important discoveries were made that helped scientists and anatomists of the era to understand the instances of obesity that were taking shape. In 1614, the first measurements of metabolism rates were taken using a beam balance. In 1679, the first dissection of an obese human cadaver was done. These historical events were the beginning of how the modern world views obesity because it made it a measurable condition.
18th Century
In 1727, the first monograph on obesity and the treatment of this condition was taken by a scholar named Thomas Short. Around 1760, Italian anatomist Giovanni Battista Morgagni recorded an instance of an obese elderly women and the first documented case of hardened arteries in an obese male cadaver.
19th Century
Obesity began to creep into the foreground of the 19th century with the publication of William Wadd's book, "Cursory Remarks on Corpulence of Obesity Considered as a Disease." It was with the introduction of this literature that obesity started to be a concern. Dieting became a huge to-do around this period in history when William Banting proclaimed his success with the first "low-carb" diet.
20th Century
Even more important discoveries were made between 1900 and 1990. A description of hypothalamic syndrome and its relationship to obesity was documented in 1901. Then, in 1912, scientists theorized a case of obesity caused by a basophil pituitary tumor. In 1921, other scientific research was done including the use of insulin isolated in the pancreas to treat diabetes. Later in the 20th century, the correlation of diabetes and cardiovascular disease to obesity was made. In 1968, the first gastric bypass surgery was preformed, and in 1988 syndrome X was named as an insulin resistant metabolic syndrome.
21st Century
In the 21st century, breakthroughs involving obesity are commonplace. Among them is the discovery of the relationship between weight loss and the reversal of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. There is also a lower morality rate with improvements made to weight-loss surgery techniques as well as a higher instance of weight-loss drugs being used. Throughout history, the way the world views obesity has changed and new information has become available on the importance of staying physically fit.
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