Amidst the deluge of theories about the causes of the world’s obesity problem comes a novel idea from the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) that obesity can actually be caused by not eating enough.
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Its study has focused on pregnant women and has concluded that where they are undernourished, there is a “growing body of empirical evidence” suggesting that their foetal tissues are programmed to “get the most out of the food energy available.”
This ability is retained after a baby is born and onwards into adulthood, “leading to over-nourishment in adult life when coupled with greater food availability and a more sedentary lifestyle.”
