Study Finds Food Consumption, Not Lack of Exercise, Is Primary Driver of Obesity
By
andsoitis
Crackling crust, pillowy middle. The kind of bagel that earns a second cup of coffee.
Summary
A major study challenges the common assumption that reduced physical activity and lower calorie expenditure are the primary drivers of obesity in industrialized societies. Research comparing energy expenditure across different populations found that people in industrialized nations burn similar or even more calories than those in traditional hunter-gatherer societies, despite higher obesity rates. The evidence suggests that increased food consumption, particularly processed foods, rather than decreased physical activity, is the main factor fueling the obesity epidemic.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledBack in the 1800s, obesity was almost nonexistent in the United States. Over the last century, it's become common here and in other industrialized nations, though it remains rare among people who live more traditional lifestyles, such as the Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania.
One common explanation is that as societies have developed, they've also become more sedentary, and people have gotten less active. The assumption is that as a result, we burn fewer calories each day, contributing to an energy imbalance.
A major study finds that's not the case.
The evidence suggests that increased food consumption, particularly processed foods, rather than decreased physical activity, is the main factor fueling the obesity epidemic.
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