Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Debate
  • Published:

Thrifty vs Drifty Gene Theory of Obesity

Evolutionary origins of the obesity epidemic: natural selection of thrifty genes or genetic drift following predation release?

International Journal of Obesity volume 32, pages 1607–1610 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

This article challenges Speakman's hypothesis that the modern genetic predisposition to obesity has arisen through random genetic drift in the two million years following predation release. We present evidence in support of the hypothesis that a mixture of famines and seasonal food shortages in the post-agricultural era have exerted natural selection in favour of fat storage; an effect most likely mediated through fertility, rather than viability, selection. We conclude that, far from being time to call off the search, recently developed genetic and bio-informatic methods will soon provide a definitive resolution to this long-standing ‘thrifty gene’ controversy.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

References

  1. Neel JV . Diabetes mellitus: a ‘thrifty; genotype rendered detrimental by ‘progress’. Am J Hum Genet 1962; 14: 353–362.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Neel JV . Update to ‘The Study of Natural Selection in Primitive and Civilized Human Populations’. Human Biol 1989; 61: 811–823.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Prentice AM, Rayco-Solon P, Moore SE . Insights from the developing world: thrifty genotypes and thrifty phenotypes. Proc Nutr Soc 2005; 64: 153–161.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Prentice AM . Starvation in humans: evolutionary background and contemporary implications. Mech Ageing Dev 2005; 126: 976–981.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Prentice AM . Surviving famine. In: Shuckburgh E (ed). Survival: Survival of the Human Race. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2007. pp 146–177.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Speakman JR . Thrifty genes for obesity and the metabolic syndrome—time to call off the search? Diab Vasc Dis Res 2006; 3: 7–11.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Speakman JR . A nonadaptive scenario explaining the genetic predisposition to obesity: the ‘predation release’ hypothesis. Cell Metab 2007; 6: 5–12.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Speakman JR . Thrifty genes for obesity, an attractive but flawed idea, and an alternative perspective: the ‘drifty gene’ hypothesis. Int J Obes 2008; advance online 14 October 2008, doi:10.1038/ijo.2008.161.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Joffe B, Zimmet P . The thrifty genotype in type 2 diabetes: an unfinished symphony moving to its finale? Endocrine 1998; 9: 139–141.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Fisher RA . Genetical Theory of Natural Selection. Clarendon Press: Oxford, 1930.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  11. Ellison PT . On Fertile Ground: A Natural History of Reproduction. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Sabeti PC, Reich DE, Higgins JM, Levine HZ, Richter DJ, Schaffner SF et al. Detecting recent positive selection in the human genome from haplotype structure. Nature 2002; 419: 832–837.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Bersaglieri T, Sabeti PC, Patterson N, Vanderploeg T, Schaffner SF, Drake JA et al. Genetic signatures of strong recent positive selection at the lactase gene. Am J Hum Genet 2004; 74: 1111–1120.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Prentice AM . The emerging epidemic of obesity in developing countries. Int J Epidemiol 2006; 35: 93–99.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Diamond J . The double puzzle of diabetes. Nature 2003; 423: 599–602.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Wright S . The roles of mutation, inbreeding, crossbreeding and selection in evolution. Proc 6th Int. Cong Genet 1932; 1: 356–366.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Frayling TM . Genome-wide association studies provide new insights into type 2 diabetes aetiology. Nat Rev Genet 2007; 8: 657–662.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Frayling T, Timpson NJ, Weedon MN, Zeggini E, Freathy RM, Lindgren CM et al. A common variant in the FTO gene is associated with body mass index and predisposes to childhood and adult obesity. Science 2007; 316: 889–894.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Loos RJ, Lindgren CM, Li S, Wheeler E, Zhao JH, Prokopenko I et al. Common variants near MC4R are associated with fat mass, weight and risk of obesity. Nat Genet 2008; 40: 768–775.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Sabeti PC, Schaffner SF, Fry B, Lohmueller J, Varilly P, Shamovsky O et al. Positive natural selection in the human lineage. Science 2006; 312: 1614–1620.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Tang K, Thornton KR, Stoneking M . A new approach for using genome scans to detect recent positive selection in the human genome. PLoS Biol 2007; 5: e171.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Voight BF, Kudaravalli S, Wen X, Pritchard JK . A map of recent positive selection in the human genome. PLoS Biol 2006; 4: e72.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Zhang C, Bailey DK, Awad T, Liu G, Xing G, Cao M et al. A whole genome long-range haplotype (WGLRH) test for detecting imprints of positive selection in human populations. Bioinformatics 2006; 22: 2122–2128.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC International Nutrition Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    A M Prentice, B J Hennig & A J Fulford

  2. MRC Keneba, The Gambia

    A M Prentice, B J Hennig & A J Fulford

Authors
  1. A M Prentice
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. B J Hennig
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A J Fulford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Prentice, A., Hennig, B. & Fulford, A. Evolutionary origins of the obesity epidemic: natural selection of thrifty genes or genetic drift following predation release?. Int J Obes 32, 1607–1610 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2008.147

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2008.147

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links