Ch. 21 Nutrition and Digestion

Taylor - Campbell Biology: Concepts & Connections 10th Edition

Taylor, Simon, Dickey, Hogan10th EditionCampbell Biology: Concepts & ConnectionsISBN: 9780136538783Not the one you use?Change textbook

Taylor, Simon, Dickey, Hogan 10th Edition

Ch. 21 Nutrition and Digestion

Problem 10

Chapter 21, Problem 10

How might our craving for fatty foods, which is helping to fuel the obesity crisis, have evolved through natural selection?

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Understand the concept of natural selection: Natural selection is a process where organisms that are better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. This concept was introduced by Charles Darwin and is a key mechanism of evolution.

Consider the historical context of food availability: In the past, food was not always abundant or guaranteed. Fatty foods are calorie-dense and were crucial for survival because they provided the necessary energy reserves during times of food scarcity.

Relate high-energy foods to survival and reproduction: Individuals who had a preference for fatty foods would have had a better chance of surviving during periods of famine. This preference for high-energy foods would be passed on to their offspring, perpetuating these traits.

Examine the shift in modern environment: In contemporary times, the availability of food, particularly high-calorie foods, has dramatically increased. However, our genetic predispositions that evolved over millennia still influence our food choices.

Reflect on the consequences of these evolutionary traits in today's society: The natural inclination towards fatty foods, which once provided survival advantages, now contributes to health issues such as obesity, given the constant and easy access to high-calorie foods.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Natural Selection

Natural selection is a fundamental mechanism of evolution, where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more successfully. This process leads to the gradual evolution of species as advantageous traits become more common in a population. In the context of food cravings, individuals who preferred high-energy foods, like fats, may have had a survival advantage in environments where food was scarce.

Energy Storage and Survival

The human body has evolved to store energy efficiently, particularly in the form of fat, which is a dense energy source. This adaptation was crucial for survival in ancestral environments where food availability was unpredictable. Cravings for fatty foods can be understood as an evolutionary response to ensure that individuals could accumulate enough energy reserves to survive periods of scarcity, thus enhancing reproductive success.

Modern Environment vs. Ancestral Environment

The mismatch between our evolved preferences and the modern food environment contributes to the obesity crisis. While our ancestors faced food scarcity, today's environment offers an abundance of high-calorie, fatty foods. This discrepancy can lead to overconsumption, as our cravings for energy-dense foods, which were once advantageous, now contribute to health issues like obesity and related diseases.

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Related Practice

Textbook Question

Use the Nutrition Facts label to the right to answer these questions: What percentage of the recommended daily value of fat is found in a 1-cup serving?

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Textbook Question

Use the Nutrition Facts label to the right to answer these questions: Is this product a good source of vitamin D and calcium? Explain.

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Textbook Question

Use the Nutrition Facts label to the right to answer these questions: Each gram of fat supplies 9 Calories. Based on the grams of saturated fat and its % Daily Value, calculate the upper limit of saturated fat (in grams and Calories) that an individual on a 2,000-Calorie/day diet should consume.

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Textbook Question

One common piece of dieting advice is to replace energy-dense food with nutrient-dense food. What does this mean?

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Textbook Question

The media report numerous claims and counterclaims about the benefits and dangers of certain foods, dietary supplements, and diets. Have you modified your eating habits on the basis of nutritional information disseminated by the media? Why or why not? How should we evaluate whether such nutritional claims are valid?

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Textbook Question

It is estimated that 15% of Americans do not always have access to enough food. Worldwide, more than 1 billion people go to bed hungry most nights, and millions of people have starved to death in recent decades. In some cases, war, poor crop yields, and disease epidemics strip people of food. Many say instead that it is not inadequate food production but unequal food distribution that causes food shortages. What responsibility do nations have for feeding their citizens? For feeding the people of other countries? What do you think you can do to lessen world hunger?

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