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BiologicalThe biological approach of medical anthropology takes into consideration the environment, individual approach, and genetics. The hypothesis many researchers have come up with is that a long time ago humans evolved, adapting to food shortages. Similar to what we learned in lecture how humans can adapt to obtaining a larger lung capacity in high altitudes, and being able to withstand higher UV radiation in warmer parts of the world. Furthermore, back in the day it wasn’t as easy as just running to the store or stopping at a gas station or fast food restaurant. It was common then for there to be food shortages quite frequently. Therefore, the human body evolved, packing on more fat and storing it for when food shortages came around. Plus, most people were active and hard-working then too which compared to today’s society, there are many unemployed, lazy, and not active people. Thus, the way our bodies over time have adapted don’t go hand-in-hand with today’s culture. Additionally, it is obvious that individual choices also influence the rising obesity rate. To allow our bodies to adapt back to not storing as much fat or just maintaining a healthy body mass, humans have to start taking care of their bodies, monitoring what they put into their vessel.
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