Obesity Epidemic in Humans and Strategies for Combating in the Anthropocene Introduction: A Global Challenge of Evolutionary Mismatch The obesity epidemic, recognized by the WHO as one of the key public health issues of the 21st century, is a vivid example of evolutionary mismatch (mismatch theory). The genotype of Homo sapiens, formed in the Pleistocene (about 2.6 million – 11.7 thousand years ago), has encountered a radically changed environment — an "abundance of scarcity" (obesogenic environment). This has led to a systemic failure in the regulation of energy balance. The fight against obesity today requires not just a call to willpower, but a comprehensive scientific approach, considering neurobiology, endocrinology, microbiology, sociology, and economics. Roots of the Problem: Why Does Our Body "Break Down" in Conditions of Abundance? The evolutionary mechanism of the "thrifty genotype": For millions of years, natural selection favored individuals who effectively stored energy as fat during periods of abundance (seasonal fruits, successful hunting) to survive inevitable periods of hunger. Genes promoting fat storage were adaptive. In today's world, where high-calorie food is available 24/7, these same genes have become pathogenic. Neuroendocrine disorder: The system of regulating hunger and satiety, with the hypothalamus as its center, is evolutionarily tuned to protect against scarcity, not abundance. Leptin ("satiety hormone"), produced by adipose tissue, stops being effective in suppressing appetite (developing leptin resistance) under conditions of obesity, similar to insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. Highly processed food "tricks" the ancient reward systems in the brain, leading to hyperphagia (overeating) without a sense of true satiety. Intestinal microbiome: Studies in recent years have shown that the composition of the intestinal microbiota in people with obesity differs from that in people with normal weight. The "obese" microbiota more effectiv ... Read more