Historical records from developed countries indicate
that height and weight increased progressively, particularly
during the 19th century. During the 20th century, as populations
from better-off countries began to approach their
genetic potential for longitudinal growth, they began to
gain proportionally more weight than height, with the resulting
increase in average BMI. By the year 2000, the
human race reached a sort of historical landmark, when
for the first time in human evolution the number of adults
with excess weight surpassed the number of those who were
underweight (2). Excess adiposity/body weight is now
widely recognized as one of today’s leading health threats
in most countries around the world and as a major risk factor
for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension
(3).
This overview provides an introduction to this issue of
Epidemiologic Reviews, highlighting, in historical perspective,
key scientific aspects of obesity that are addressed by
the 11 articles that follow. This compilation of reviews
underscores the multidisciplinary nature of obesity research
and the need to expand even further our scope to fully understand
and confront the obesity epidemic.