Obesity from a Primal Health Research Perspective

Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States, threatening the health
of millions of Americans. President Clinton has been a major supporter of addressing the problem of obesity,
especially in children. To date this condition has been challenging to both understand its origins and to treat.
This article reviews the pre- and perinatal literature and related medical literature and suggests that intrauterine
undernutrition (famine-like) conditions during the first trimester shows a promising area for further research to
explore childhood and adult obesity. KEY WORDS: Obesity, famine, pre- and perinatal period, insulin
resistance, type 2 diabetes.