Coupled microbial and human systems: evidence for a relationship between infectious disease and gross national product

AbstractWe provide evidence that maternal metabolic energy is diverted to increased birth rates in nations experiencing high infectious disease risk. The “economic stoichiometry” of such situations limits the availability and distribution of metabolic resources available for national production. Lowering disease risk, and thus the metabolic energy required for replacement human biomass production, makes energy available for national production during the demographic transition, and increases the national GDP