New World Syndrome is a set of non-communicable disease

Non-communicable disease

A non-communicable disease, or NCD, is a medical condition or disease which is non-infectious. NCDs are diseases of long duration and generally slow progression. They include heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, and...

s brought on by consumption of junk food

Junk food

Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...

. Native Americans

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

, the indigenous people of Oceania

Oceania

Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...

 and perhaps other people of Asiatic

Asian people

Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...

 origin are susceptible. It is characterized by obesity

Obesity

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...

, heart disease

Heart disease

Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...

, diabetes and shortened life span, and, of course, by a change from a traditional diet and exercise

Physical exercise

Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance, as well as for the purpose of...

 to a modern diet and a sedentary lifestyle

Sedentary lifestyle

Sedentary lifestyle is a medical term used to denote a type of lifestyle with no or irregular physical activity. A person who lives a sedentary lifestyle may colloquially be known as a couch potato. It is commonly found in both the developed and developing world...

.

Evidence found through the study of mitochondrial DNA suggests that there are several factors at play. Subjects of maternal descent from the above named indigenous populations have several genetic factors that provide more efficient conversion of some classes of carbohydrates into ATP

Adenosine triphosphate

Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is a multifunctional nucleoside triphosphate used in cells as a coenzyme. It is often called the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism...

. There is also indication that cellular responses to injury, muscular efficiency, and other metabolic differences may set the stage for other factors to cause the symptoms of the syndrome.

Increased rates of depression are known to produce higher rates of obesity through decreased physical activity. Coupled with a more efficient metabolism this could be a major cause of NWS symptoms within population groups such as Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

. As with all studies of the genetic underpinnings of anthropologically diverse groups, the individual circumstances may differ from case to case.

See also

• Thrifty gene hypothesis
  Thrifty gene hypothesis
  The thrifty gene hypothesis was proposed by geneticist James V. Neel in 1962 to resolve a fundamental problem. Diabetes is clearly a very harmful medical condition. Yet it is quite common, and it was already evident to Neel that it likely had a strong genetic basis...
  
  
• Genetics of obesity
  Genetics of obesity
  Like many other medical conditions, obesity is the result of an interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Polymorphisms in various genes controlling appetite and metabolism predispose to obesity when sufficient calories are present. The percentage of obesity that can be attributed to...
  
  

Related:

• Human genetic variation
  Human genetic variation
  Human genetic variation refers to genetic differences both within and among populations. There may be multiple variants of any given gene in the human population , leading to polymorphism. Many genes are not polymorphic, meaning that only a single allele is present in the population: that allele is...
  
  
• Human genetic clustering
  Human genetic clustering
  Human genetic clustering analysis uses mathematical cluster analysis of the degree of similarity of genetic data between individuals and groups to infer population structures and assign individuals to groups that often correspond with their self-identified geographical ancestry...