Historical Trends
Obesity has been recognized as a medical disorder at least since the time of Hippocrates when he stated that "Corpulence is not only a disease itself, but the harbinger of others". It was known to the Indian surgeon Sushruta (6th century BCE), who related obesity to diabetes and heart disorder. He recommended physical work to help cure it and its side effects. For most of human history mankind struggled with food scarcity. With the onset of the industrial revolution it was realized that the military and economic might of nations were dependent on both the body size and strength of their soldiers and workers.
Increasing the average body mass index from underweight to the normal range playied a significant role in the development of industrialized societies. Height and weight thus both increased though the 19th century in the developed world. During the 20th century, as populations reached their genetic potential for height, weight began increasing much more than height, resulting in obesity. In the 1950s increasing wealth in the developed world decreased child mortality, but as body weight increased heart and kidney disease became more common. During this time period insurance companies realized the connection between weight and life expectancy and increased premiums for the obese.
Many cultures throughout history have viewed obesity as a flaw. The obesus or fat character in Greek comedy was a glutton and figure of mockery. During Christian times food was viewed as a gateway to the sins of sloth and lust. In modern Western culture, excess weight is often regarded as unattractive, and obesity is commonly associated with various negative stereotypes. All ages can face social stigmatization and may be targeted by bullies or shunned by their peers. In Western culture obesity is once again seen as a sign off a low socio-economic status. Obese people are less likely to be hired for a job and are less likely to be promoted. Obese people are also paid less than their non-obese counterparts for an equivalent job. Obese women on average make 6% less and obese men make 3% less.
The weight that is generally viewed as an ideal has become lower since the 1920s. The average height of Miss America pageant winners increased by 2% from 1922 to 1999, while their average weight decreased by 12%.
Weight loss drugs
The first described attempts at producing weight loss are those of Soranus of Ephesus, a Greek physician, in the second century AD. He prescribed elixirs of laxatives and purgatives, as well as heat, massage, and exercise. This remained the mainstay of treatment for well over a thousand years. It was not until the 1920s and 1930s that new treatments began to appear. Based on its effectiveness for hypothyroidism, thyroid hormone became a popular treatment for obesity in otherwise healthy people. It had a modest effect but produced the symptoms of hyperthyroidism as a side effect, such as palpitations and difficulty sleeping. Dinitrophenol (DNP) was introduced in 1933; this worked by uncoupling the biological process of oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria, causing them to produce heat instead of ATP. The most significant side effect was a dramatic rise in body temperature, frequently causing death. By the end of the 1930s DNP had fallen out of use.
Slimming Drug
Amphetamines (marketed as Benzedrine) became popular for weight loss during the late 1930s. They worked primarily by suppressing appetite, and had other beneficial effects such as increased alertness. Use of amphetamines increased over the subsequent decades, culminating in the "rainbow pill" regime. This was a combination of multiple pills, all thought to help with weight loss, taken throughout the day. Typical regimens included stimulants, such as amphetamines and thyroid hormone, diuretics, digitalis, laxatives, and often a barbiturate to suppress the side effects of the stimulants. In 1967/1968 a number of deaths attributed to diet pills triggered a Senate investigation and the gradual implementation of greater restrictions on the market. This culminating in 1979 with the FDA banning the use of amphetamines, then the most effective of the diet drugs, in diet pills.
Meanwhile, phentermine had been FDA approved in 1959 and fenfluramine in 1973. The two were no more popular then other drugs until in 1992 a researcher reported that the two caused a 10% weight loss which was maintained for over two years. Fen-phen was born and rapidly became the most commonly prescribed diet medication. Dexfenfluramine (Redux) was developed in the mid-1990s as an alternative to fenfluramine with less side-effects, and received regulatory approval in 1996. However, this coincided with mounting evidence that the combination could cause valvular heart disease in up to 30% of those who had taken it, leading to withdrawal of Fen-phen and dexfenfluramine from the market in September 1997.
Ephedra was removed from the US market in 2004 over concerns that it raises blood pressure and could lead to strokes and death.
The arts
The first sculptural representations of the human body 20,000–35,000 years ago depict obese females. Some attribute the Venus figurines to the tendency to emphasize characteristics that portray fertility while others feel these could be actual representations of the people at the time. Corpulence is, however, absent in both Greek and Roman art, probably fitting with their ideals of moderation. This continued through much of Christian European history, with only those of low socioeconomic status being depicted as obese. During the Renaissance some of the upper class began flaunting their large size. This can be seen in portraits of Henry the VIII and Alessandro del Borro. Rubens (1577–1640) regularly depicted full-bodied women in his pictures, from which derives the term Rubenesque. These women, however, still maintained the "hourglass" shape with its relationship to fertility. During the 19th century, views on obesity changed in the Western world. After centuries of obesity being synonymous with wealth and social status, slimness began to be seen as the desirable standard.
Fat acceptance and the obesity controversy
The main effort of the fat acceptance movement is to decrease discrimination against people who are overweight. However some in the movement are also attempting to challenge the established relationship between obesity and negative health outcomes. The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) was formed in 1969 and describes itself as a civil rights organization dedicated to ending size discrimination. Multiple books such as The Diet Myth by Paul Campos argue that the health risks of obesity are a conspiracy and the real problem is the social stigma facing the obese. Similarly, The Obesity Epidemic by Michael Gard argues that obesity is a moral and ideological construct. Other groups are also trying to challenge obesity's connection to poor health. The Center for Consumer Freedom, a organization partly supported by the restaurant and food industry, has run ads saying that obesity is not an epidemic but "hype".
Some people are attracted to the obese. Chubby culture and fat admirers have become recognized subcultures.
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