Current body types diverge rather dramatically from body types of a hundred or even fifty years ago
Dramatically? I have to disagree with that. I wasn’t around 100 years ago but I’ve seen pictures and they didn’t look much different than us, really at all. From the medical texts I am familiar with, our insides work pretty much the same as well.
I agree with Michael below that nutrition has made differences in how, say bodybuilders change their bodies, but the average person from what I can tell is about the same in type—if perhaps marginally taller on average.
people seem to think that “making the right choices” and “willpower” are primary factors in how human bodies turn out,
The post is clearly referring to obesity and physical fitness. Average bodyweight, BMI, and obesity rates have risen rather dramatically since 1900.
You’re completely ignoring the context of the statement. With specific respect to fatness, demographics have changed very dramatically very fast, which suggests a non-genetic cause. Average number of lungs had not changed all that much, which suggests a genetic cause, but no one even pretended to challenge that.
Dramatically? I have to disagree with that. I wasn’t around 100 years ago but I’ve seen pictures and they didn’t look much different than us, really at all. From the medical texts I am familiar with, our insides work pretty much the same as well.
I agree with Michael below that nutrition has made differences in how, say bodybuilders change their bodies, but the average person from what I can tell is about the same in type—if perhaps marginally taller on average.
The post is clearly referring to obesity and physical fitness. Average bodyweight, BMI, and obesity rates have risen rather dramatically since 1900.
You’re completely ignoring the context of the statement. With specific respect to fatness, demographics have changed very dramatically very fast, which suggests a non-genetic cause. Average number of lungs had not changed all that much, which suggests a genetic cause, but no one even pretended to challenge that.