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Why your body wants to be fat
Anti-starvation system, meet the modern world
Humans are biological wonders. When we look at the fattest animals in the world, we find walruses whose bodies are 35% fat, seal pups that can reach 40%, and yearling beluga whales that tip the scales at 50% fat.
But only humans have broken the 50% barrier — in fact, we smashed it. The fattest documented humans are in a whole different ballpark, with bodies that are a staggering 70% fat by weight. Pound for pound, we’re the fattest creatures that have ever existed on this planet.
Trying to find fat in the wild
What makes humans so much better at gaining fat than other animals? Look around the natural world, and you’ll have a hard time finding an animal that gets — and stays — obese. Yes, squirrels and pigeons bulk up for the winter. (They shed the weight before the warm weather returns.) And mice that stumble on a treasure trove of food do gorge themselves mightily. (Then they have dozens of babies, and shrink back to their original dimensions.) But if you want to find permanently fat animals, you’re looking in the wrong spot.
One place you can find fat animals is in our care. Recent studies suggest that the majority of our companionship animals — mostly dogs and cats — are creeping toward obesity…
