Human adaptation regarding food occurs through three main mechanisms; genotypic, phenotypic and socio-cultural changes. Genotypic adaptation is a way in which people adapt to food, as a form of genetic evolution. One explanation and example of genotypic evolution is the parsimonious genotype hypothesis. The parsimonious genotype hypothesis attempts to explain variation in the effects of type II diabetes, particularly in modern native/indigenous populations. The hypothesis gives reason to believe that the adaptation of the high concentration of among the native populations occurred to increase survival in times of feast or famine. It is thought that in times of subsistence hardship, through the process of natural selection, individuals with the ability to store fat have survived, perpetuating and favoring the ability to store fat and increasing insulin resistance. However, this once beneficial feature has since caused complications among diabetes-prevalent societies. Fifty percent of Pima Native American populations in southern Arizona suffer from type II diabetes. Furthermore, there is a prevalence of diabetes greater than 60% among Nauruans on the Island of Nauru (Diamond, 1992; 362). A culture that experienced long periods of famine in the past became wealthy through colonization, and its specific diet was altered and replaced with nutrient-deficient foods. In both cases the contemporary Western lifestyle is the cause of this diabetes-inducing feature. Perhaps, the hunter-gatherer diet that was rich and diverse, the introduction of high-calorie and nutritionally restricted foods into the adapted diet, and a concomitant change in cultural behaviors and activities, stored fat did not transform into lean muscle but remained fat and increased insulin resistance, altering gen...... middle of paper......t food can be used for medicinal purposes. Food, such as plants, animals, and minerals, has been manipulated and used to treat ailments outside of hunter-gatherer society. Knowledge of the potency and purpose of certain plants is the basis of the modern medicinal practice of homeopathy. Evidence has been observed to support the experience of specific herbal use by the Comanche medicine woman, Sanapia, in which certain herbs were used to induce vomiting, numbness and affected area and reduce swelling. They have been proven to work. It is man's relationship with food that has solidified the continued adaptation and survival of the species. The various ways in which adaptation occurs in nutritional anthropology show a diverse response to change and pressures, from developmental to cultural, which can manifest in adulthood and prove to optimize fitness or illustrate maladaptive traits..