TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Surgical Weight Management A1 - Luo, James N. A1 - Tavakkoli, Ali A2 - Doherty, Gerard M. PY - 2020 T2 - Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Surgery, 15e AB - Obesity has been a part of human society from time immemorial. One of the earliest documented references to human obesity can be seen in a limestone female figurine from the late Paleolithic period (c. 25,000 BC) found in Willendorf, Australia, in 1908, commonly referred to as the Venus of Willendorf. She is believed to be the matriarch of fertility. As human evolution progressed from thrift to abundance, the apparent selection advantage of excess body fat (eg, insulation, protection, efficient energy storage) was replaced by the health burdens of obesity. This shift has accelerated dramatically over the past half-century, and today, obesity and its attendant metabolic consequences have become a major health crisis worldwide. SN - PB - McGraw Hill LLC CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/24 UR - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1171286583 ER -