Evolutionary epidemiology: a look ahead at human Noncommunicable diseases through a niche construction approach

Abstract

Considerable evidence highlights the role of environmental factors and human activities in impairing human health, particularly regarding noncommunicable diseases. Although epidemiological studies identify single risk factors, a comprehensive framework connecting human ecology, risk factors, and noncommunicable diseases is lacking. We propose an evolutionary approach, leveraging niche construction theory to understand how human-driven environmental modifications affect health. Animals build ecological niches to improve their fitness, but such environmental modifications can also have detrimental long-term effects. By adopting an extended niche construction theory, we discuss definitions of the niche concept to frame the interplay among culture, technology-driven environmental changes, and outcomes in human and planetary health. We analyze the recent spread of noncommunicable diseases through niche construction theory, providing an evolutionary interpretation linking environmental challenges and metabolism-related disorders. Finally, we consider the potential long-term consequences of planetary changes for the human species, suggesting that self-imposed selective pressures may contribute to negative evolutionary outcomes, as niche construction theory evidences.