10 things contribute to obesity, experts say
BY MARILYNN MARCHIONE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
June 27, 2006
Why are so many people fat? It's not only Twinkies, contends a report published today in the International Journal of Obesity.
David Allison, a University of Alabama biostatistician, invited 19 other scientists in the United States, Canada and Italy to examine more than 100 studies that looked at what contributes to obesity besides diet and exercise. The researchers concluded there was some support for 10 contributors:
Inadequate sleep. Average sleep amounts have fallen, and many studies tie sleep deprivation to weight gain.
Endocrine disruptors, which are substances in some foods that may alter fats in the body.
Nice temperatures. Air-conditioning and heating limit calories burned from sweating and shivering.
Fewer people smoking. Less appetite suppression.
Medicines that cause weight gain.
Population changes. More middle-agers and Hispanics have higher obesity rates.
Older birth moms. Age correlates with heavier children.
Genetic influences during pregnancy.
Darwinian natural selection. Fat people out survive skinny people.
Assortative mating, or "like mating with like," as Allison puts it. Translation: Fat people procreate with others of the same body type, gradually skewing the population toward the heavy end.
Not that people necessarily should try to alter these factors, Allison said. For example, "We would never recommend that people start smoking to reduce their body weight."
The same for medications that can lead to weight gain, though doctors may want to consider alternatives if a patient piles on pounds, said Dr. Louis Aronne, a Weill-Cornell Medical School nutrition expert. He is past president of the Obesity Society, a leading research group.
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