Posted on 03/03/2020 6:46:29 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
A study finds that people today who eat and exercise the same amount as people 20 years ago are still fatter.
A 2016 study published in the journal Obesity Research & Clinical Practice found that it’s harder for adults today to maintain the same weight as those 20 to 30 years ago did, even at the same levels of food intake and exercise.
The authors examined the dietary data of 36,400 Americans between 1971 and 2008 and the physical activity data of 14,419 people between 1988 and 2006. They grouped the data sets together by the amount of food and activity, age, and BMI.
They found a very surprising correlation: A given person, in 2006, eating the same amount of calories, taking in the same quantities of macronutrients like protein and fat, and exercising the same amount as a person of the same age did in 1988 would have a BMI that was about 2.3 points higher. In other words, people today are about 10 percent heavier than people were in the 1980s, even if they follow the exact same diet and exercise plans.
“Our study results suggest that if you are 25, you’d have to eat even less and exercise more than those older, to prevent gaining weight,” Jennifer Kuk, a professor of kinesiology and health science at Toronto’s York University, said in a statement. “However, it also indicates there may be other specific changes contributing to the rise in obesity beyond just diet and exercise.”
Just what those other changes might be, though, are still a matter of hypothesis. In an interview, Kuk proffered three different factors that might be making harder for adults today to stay thin.
First, people are exposed to more chemicals that might be weight-gain inducing. Pesticides, flame retardants, and the substances in food packaging might all be altering our hormonal processes and tweaking the way our bodies put on and maintain weight.
Second, the use of prescription drugs has risen dramatically since the ‘70s and ‘80s. Prozac, the first blockbuster SSRI, came out in 1988. Antidepressants are now one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the U.S., and many of them have been linked to weight gain.
Finally, Kuk and the other study authors think that the microbiomes of Americans might have somehow changed between the 1980s and now. It’s well known that some types of gut bacteria make a person more prone to weight gain and obesity. Americans are eating more meat than they were a few decades ago, and many animal products are treated with hormones and antibiotics in order to promote growth. All that meat might be changing gut bacteria in ways that are subtle, at first, but add up over time. Kuk believes the proliferation of artificial sweeteners could also be playing a role.
The fact that the body weights of Americans today are influenced by factors beyond their control is a sign, Kuk says, that society should be kinder to people of all body types.
“There's a huge weight bias against people with obesity,” she said. “They're judged as lazy and self-indulgent. That's really not the case. If our research is correct, you need to eat even less and exercise even more” just to be same weight as your parents were at your age.
The exercise part is perhaps one area where Old Economy Steve doesn’t have an edge. A membership at one of the newfangled fitness centers of 1987 would go for about $2,800 per year in today’s dollars, and that’s still what it costs today.
Skinnier in the 80s?
Meh...cocaine.
And, the obesity range v. BMI has been changed so many times since then.
Excellent point re: our aging population. And don’t discount respondents lying about their caloric intake and exercise levels. It’s well known that people will underestimate their caloric intake and overestimate their caloric expenditures, and many will knowlingly lie. Gluttony is widespread.
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I agree that getting weight off is harder as you get older.
BUT, as I walk across major college campuses today, it is painfully obvious that college students are significantly heavier than when I attended in the ‘60’s and early ‘70’s.
That is not just my opinion, but that shared by other observers.
My best friend’s wife and her twin sister are in that video. I kid you not. They both still look great, too.
I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s...graduated high school in 66. As a kid...played in the street or school playground every day after school...till the street lights came on. No “game-boys” while sitting in front of the TV. Started working out (weights) in Jr. High and have kept it up in modest fashion all my life. I weigh the same today (198lbs @ 6’3”) as I did playing ball in college.
There is always an excuse (excepting medical conditions) for gaining weight...if you want to find one. Don’t find one.
I am a vegetarian, though I occasionally eat sea food.
I weigh every morning upon arising, naked, on a physicians' office scale, and record the weight, along with blood pressure, pulse, and time of awakening.
Most days I eat less than 1,000 calories. The only lapse from this occurs when it's almost impossible. For example, I cannot stay at home on a strict diet all the time. There are special occasions. Last weekend, my wife and I attended a banquet. I took my family on a month-long vacation; it was impossible to weigh and to watch my diet as carefully as at home, and it required iron-clad discipline to sit and watch everyone dine three times a day, plus snacks for the children (they eat like locusts); I gained weight.
My wife and I NEVER have such things as potato chips, desserts, etc. in the house. I hardly ever drink alcohol.
I find that eating eggs is useful. A boiled egg has 80 calories. I can get bread at 40-45 calories a slice. If I eat 3 or 4 eggs on this bread with a small amount of mayonnaise once a day and nothing else, drinking a glass of milk, I can lose weight and keep it down. This gets tiresome, but the alternative is to be fat and unhealthy. I also take Lipitor to keep down the cholesterol level and take multiple vitamins and minerals every day.
I also do martial arts and get exercise that way. It is also good for my mental and spiritual development.
I don't like having to live under such self-discipline, but the alternative would be worse.
When I was young, I was too skinny. I know my weight-control problem is a matter of age and heredity, but some of the factors mentioned in the article may also be in play.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
used to kick my sister and me out of the house
Yes. Denial is a huge factor! No one is more determined not to indulge in self-deception than I am, but I catch myself doing it in spite of my determination.
Metabolism changes when you get older, I think it is as simple as that.
:: Uncompromising prayer brings glory to God. ::
Does God, the all powerful creator, all glorious savior of mankind really NEED our glory?
Or, does he simply desire our quiet conversations with him to strengthen our Faith?
Can you find ANYWHERE in Scripture that explicitly says God is Glorified by human prayer?
Are you praying to make yourself feel better because you think your prayer effectively glorifies God?
The Theology of Glory leads to despair.
Everything changes when you get older.
The 80’s were the era of the Wendy’s Pasta, Taco and Fixins Bar. Hard to imagine people are fatter today.
Just a common sense suggestion (which you already seem to have embraced)...burn more calories than you take in.
If you do that on a daily basis, you can eat a greater variety of foods.
It’s all about discipline (unless you are fighting a medical problem). And...you seem to have a great deal of discipline.
Good luck!
With that type of energy, I can imagine the lifestyle remains with you for life!
...which doesn't account for different body types nor conditioning. An anorectic person could have a "healthy" BMI, while an NFL linebacker would and is classified as obese...all this was raised when this BMI first came about...bean counters and paper pushers loved this simplistic categorizing instead of the far more accurate method of determining body fat through water displacement/density testing.
And they wore giant shoulder pads. I was flipping through channels the other day and landed on Golden Girls. Maud had on a blazer with ridiculously large shoulder pads and the sleeves rolled up.
And they wore giant shoulder pads. I was flipping through channels the other day and landed on Golden Girls. Maud had on a blazer with ridiculously large shoulder pads and the sleeves rolled up.
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