Why is food insecurity linked to a greater risk of obesity?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-09-05 09:01

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Food insecurity - when someone does not always have access to enough food due to their financial situation or difficulty obtaining food - increases the risk of obesity for reasons we don't yet fully understand, according to an international review of research on the topic. The researchers say the association between obesity and food insecurity is strong, and a likely explanation for this is that humans have evolved both physical and mental strategies to increase our fat storage when access to food is unpredictable. They say people experiencing food insecurity may eat more energy-dense foods when they do eat, move less and possibly metabolise food differently.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

Food insecurity as a cause of adiposity: evolutionary and mechanistic hypotheses

Unpredictable access to food may contribute to obesity, increase the risk of disease, and reduce lifespan. The insurance hypothesis, presented here, suggests that food insecurity leads to obesity as the body stores fat to protect against future food scarcity. This hypothesis could have implications for public health interventions designed to mitigate the negative

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Journal/
conference: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Newcastle University, UK

Funder: No funding declared.

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