ArticlePloS one2018
Relaxed natural selection contributes to global obesity increase more in males than in females due to more environmental modifications in female body mass.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Medical progress, relaxed natural selection, and adolescent obesity: implications for global health.Future science OA · 2026Article
- Healthcare Development, Relaxed Natural Selection, and COVID-19 Infection Rates: An Evolutionary Population-Level Analysis.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Lower birth rate, greater female dementia risk: global and regional patterns and public health implications.Future science OA · 2025Article
- The Protective Role of Ambient Ultraviolet Radiation Against Dementia: An Ecological Analysis of Global Data.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Decomposition and forecasting of colorectal cancer burden attributable to high body mass index and high fasting plasma glucose, 1990-2021: A GBD 2021 study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Global patterns linking total meat supply to dementia incidence: A population-based ecological study.AIMS neuroscience · 2025Article
- Modern medical services, a double-edged sword manages symptoms, but accumulates genetic background of cardiovascular diseases: A cross populational analysis of 217 countries.Health science reports · 2024Article
- A lack of nurse autonomy impacts population health when compared to physician care: an ecological study.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Total meat (flesh) supply may be a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases worldwide.Food science & nutrition · 2023Article
- Significantly different roles of economic affluence in sex-specific obesity prevalence rates: understanding more modifications within female body weight management.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Healthcare services relaxing natural selection may contribute to increase of dementia incidence.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Cutaneous malignant melanoma incidence is strongly associated with European depigmented skin type regardless of ambient ultraviolet radiation levels: evidence from Worldwide population-based data.AIMS public health · 2022Article
- Large household reduces dementia mortality: A cross-sectional data analysis of 183 populations.PloS one · 2022Article
- Total Meat Intake is Associated with Life Expectancy: A Cross-Sectional Data Analysis of 175 Contemporary Populations.International journal of general medicine · 2022Article
- Long Non-Coding RNAs in Brown Adipose Tissue.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2020Review
- Genome-wide identification and characterization of long non-coding RNAs during postnatal development of rabbit adipose tissue.Lipids in health and disease · 2018Article
- Prostate Cancer Incidence is Correlated to Total Meat Intake– a Cross-National Ecologic Analysis of 172 CountriesAsian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2018Article
- Low fertility may be a significant determinant of ovarian cancer worldwide: an ecological analysis of cross- sectional data from 182 countries.Journal of ovarian research · 2018Article
- Birth Rate as a Determinant of Dementia Incidence: A Comprehensive Global Analysis.American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementiasArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveRelaxed natural selection, measured by Biological State Index (Ibs), results in unfavourable genes/mutations accumulation in population. Obesity is partly heritable. We aim to examine and compare the effects of relaxed natural selection on male and female obesity prevalence.
methodsData for 191 countries of the world were captured for this ecological study. Curvilinear regressions, bivariate and partial correlations, linear mixed models and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between Ibs and sex-specific obesity prevalence. Per capita GDP, urbanization and caloric intake were controlled for as the confounding factors. Fisher r-to-z transformation, R2 increment in multivariate regression and F-test were used to compare the correlations.
resultsCurvilinear regressions, bivariate and partial correlations (controlled for GDP, urbanization and calories) revealed that Ibs was significantly correlated to obesity prevalence of both sexes, but significantly stronger to male than to female obesity prevalence. Curvilinear regression models also showed strong correlations. Mixed linear models, with effects of GDP, urbanisation and caloric intake controlled for, showed that male and female average obesity prevalence rates were significantly higher in countries with greater Ibs value than their equivalents in countries with lower Ibs. Between higher and lower Ibs countries, the gap of male obesity prevalence is 60% greater than the gap of female obesity prevalence. Stepwise multiple regression identified that Ibs was a significant predictor of obesity prevalence of both sexes. Multivariate regression showed that, adding Ibs as an obesity predictor, R2 increment in male model was significantly greater than in female model.
conclusionsRelaxed natural selection may drive males and females to accumulate metabolic faulty genes equally. Probably due to greater environmental, personal intervention in regulating female body mass, relaxed natural selection shows less contributing effects to female obesity prevalence than to male obesity prevalence. Gene therapy to prevent obesity may need to be also taken into account.
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