Is Obesity Contagious?
By Shira Scott, GalTime.com
Have you ever noticed that overweight people tend to hang out more often with other overweight people? Coincidence or choice?
Researchers at Arizona State University decided to study the issue. What they found was people do in fact "cluster" according to size.
The answer to why this happens isn't clear. What is clear....
"Obese families and friends usually have two things in common: food choices and activity levels or more accurately, lack of activity. Obese parents tend to raise obese children. Obese family and friends hang out and eat the same kinds of detrimental foods and participate in the same kinds of detrimental habits," say co-authors Dian Griesel, Ph.D. and Tom Griesel of the new book, TurboCharged: Accelerate Your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise Rules in the Dust.
Related: The Top 10 Things That Are Sabotaging Your Weight
Most of the study participants said if given a choice, they would rather have some other serious disease or condition instead of battling obestiy. More than 25% said they'd select depression over obesity; nearly 15% would choose total blindness, some would pick alcoholism and some even selected herpes instead.
Related: How Much Exercise Do You Really Need?
Among the possible clues to obesity clustering: the old edict "misery loves company," dieting frustration and a resolve to just be fat. But the Griesels say:
"Obesity is not from lack of will-power but rather the result of bad diet and exercise advice. It is difficult to follow the usual prescription for 30-90 minutes of aerobic exercise 5-6 times per week. Add the usual recommendations of a reduced calorie, "balanced" diet based around the USDA food pyramid and you have a recipe for failure. Sugar is too often a prevalent ingredient in packaged and refined foods that are so often touted as 'healthy'. With the consumption of all these low nutrition manufactured foods, the body is left craving more in an attempt to make up for the deficit. Consequently an unhealthy cycle begins."
"Although inconclusive, this study has provided some important information about trends in obesity and the public health implications", said the Griesels.
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