Can sedentary behaviour be considered a cultural maladaptation?

Abstract

The survival of our Late Palaeolithic ancestors (50,000-10,000 BC) depended on hunting and gathering - a lifestyle which was maintained for some 7 million years.1 Then, within the last 10,000 years, some cultures turned to food production: domesticating wild animals and plants and eating the resulting livestock and crops. This shift led to settlements, denser populations, food surpluses and subsequently to non- food producing specialists - the ingredients for a civilized yet sedentary society.The laureate Tim Flannery2 argues that one of the key elements of culture is '... the embodiment, in beliefs and customs, of actions that help people survive in their particular environment'. Flannery goes on to say that maladapted cultures '... are dramatically incompatible with the environment they find themselves in ...'. Taking this into consideration, can the rise in contemporary sedentarism, particularly in Western nations, be con- sidered a suitable adaptation to the envi- ronment we find our- selves in, or is it a malad- aptation? This communi- cation will present argu- ments for and against sedentarism as a cultural maladaptation, followed by concluding remarks.FORThe overall genetic make-up of Homo sapiens has changed little during the past 10,000 years.3 That is, we are still genetically programmed for a physically active, hunter-gatherer lifestyle which conserves energy stores in times of feast, and subsequently, our current genome is maladapted to a sedentary lifestyle. It is postulated that contemporary chronic health disorders are driven by the incompatibility between lifestyles and environments in which humans currently live.4 Indeed, physical inactivity leads to increased risk of hypertension, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).5,6 These conditions independently and additively increase cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk,7 even in children and adolescents.8,9 The prevalence of obesity and CVD has become so pervasive that for the first time, the current generation of children in the United States are not expected to live as long as their parents.9 Moreover, these co-morbid conditions contribute not only to a decreased lifespan but also to a decreased quality of life.10,11Increasing rates of chronic diseases are not only placing a burden at an individual level but also a societal level through increased economic burden.12,13 This burden continues to rise, with chronic diseases, including obesity and T2DM (previously known as adult-onset diabetes) occurring from an increasingly younger age.12 For New Zealand alone (estimated population 4.4 million), the total cost of physical inactivity was estimated to be NZD$1.3b for the year 2010, representing just less than 1% of New Zealand's gross domestic product (GDP; 0.7%).13 These costs are separated into direct health costs associated with treatment in the health-care system, and indirect health costs associated with lost work days, living with disability/disease and dying prematurely. These costs are purely economic and do not reflect the social costs on individuals and communities, including family members who subsequently become caregivers.AGAINSTIn fact, Homo sapiens have been a very successful species. Through culture, we have managed to adapt to every kind of environment and every kind of resource across the world. Our brains have evolved to master complex problem solving that does not depend solely on physical prowess. Successful survival in 21st-century Western culture depends instead on manipulation of data: modern values - related to convenience, speed, innovation, freedom, individualism and control over ourselves, other people and the environment - instead depend heavily on technology and intellectual prowess. These values have led us to create a built environment that consequently encourages a sedentary lifestyle. Moreover, the daily physical activity that was so integral to our Late Palaeolithic ancestors' existence4 is simply not feasible with the time demands of many careers in Western society. …