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.
Correct.
So many folks get this wrong. I do not understand.
HFCS
Yes, I think you're right.
Some people do not have a weight control problem as they grow older; some do.
My wife is careful about her weight, but but her metabolism is not like mine and she doesn't have the weight control problem that I have.
She is 5'4" and has weighed 107-110 lb. for many years. She looks terrific. I'm lucky. She watches her diet, eats healthy things only, is a strict vegetarian, and exercises regularly. Every day she hikes in the mountains and does tai chi in classes.
Thanks! And thanks for the suggestion!
I consistently say to my children this sort of thing:
to kick my sister and me out of the houseto kick me out of the house
to kick my sister and me out of the house
The price of correct grammar (and the cost of OCD) is eternal vigilance.
I keep seeing this ad for Frontier Internet and all I can think is "You should have bought little Billy a bike!".
My son corrected me about OCD.
It is really CDO. You have to have the letters in the correct alphabetic order.
I’m sure I must be dyslexic.
“Because we used to disco til we dropped...”
Still my exercise of choice! Granted, it’s in my own living room these days and I’m danging with the dog, but still! :)
“Well, my reason is that during the 80’s, I was in the Army running between 10 to 20 miles per week.”
Me, too! (’79-’95)
I really miss that lean, mean fighting machine some days! ;)
Just looking at men, their sperm counts, which are closely related to their testosterone levels, have fallen drastically since the ‘70s. And testosterone is what is supposed to make it easier for men to eat more than women without gaining weight—and lose weight more easily.
Syslexics Untie!
All the food additives that are used to fatten up cattle are in our foods.
Next up will be the alien spaceships picking up their orders.....
We've got to go back to the future and warn your your parents not to sit around on their fat asses! And to have a little self control!
I think I preferred “Battle of the Network Stars” …
(Erin Gray, rawr :P)
That was her stilsuit. Bea Arthur plays Maud D'ib in the 80's movie "Dune"
...”to serve mankind....”
Been years since we’ve been to a “dance hall”, but I used to get into a version while running until I had a hip replacement and now I do it on the treadmill.
And sometimes we’ll turn up some oldies while cleaning house and maybe do some vacuuming and dusting to David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”...
I blame Free Republic.
Before 1997 I was never sitting in front of the computer all day and night FReeping.
Pass the chips... Any bean dip left? Queso?
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