Medicine and Evolution : Current Applications, Future Prospects

Presenting new data and weighing relevant evidence, the book introduces novel viewpoints on nutrition, diabetes, fertility, pediatrics, immune response, and psychiatry. The book brings anthropologically sophisticated, evidence-based discussions to common beliefs such as the role decreased parasite load plays in increasing vulnerability to certain diseases, variations in human environments and human adaptability, daily protein requirements, reasons for early pregnancy loss, and optimal mother-infant sleeping arrangements, as well as fresh ideas about syndromes as diverse as delusions and polycystic ovary syndrome.

A critical assessment of evolutionary medicine and its potential to unlock the mysteries behind some of today?s most baffling chronic diseases, this book provides physicians with a more accurate view of the body and a better ability to assess health and disease.