Genes and lifestyle: Are we victims of our own success?

"What a piece of work is a man."

As usual, Shakespeare got it right. At their best, humans appear to have a limitless ability to imagine and create, to innovate and build, to aspire and achieve. As man's dreams in the 20th century became realities, he established a way of life that is beyond the wildest imagination of his grandparents. Yet for all its advantages, life in the information age presents potential perils as well as unparalleled opportunities. Unfortunately, some of those perils contribute to diseases that were rare a few generations ago but approach epidemic proportions today.