Obesity Causes

If New York is the city that never sleeps, then the Bronx is an insomniac that raids the refrigerator at midnight for a late-night snack.

When the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System analyzed data from 2003, they discovered that of NYC's five boroughs, the Bronx had the highest percentage of overweight and obese citizens at over 62 percent.

And no, I'm not talking about slap-wrap bracelets, Speedos, sneakers with lights in them or even the Ford Pinto.

Some researchers believe the dramatic growth of our brains is what drives us to over consume calorie-rich foods, which is fine when you're running from a saber tooth tiger, but not so good when you're stuck sitting behind a desk all day.

Scientists have concluded that "overweight people may actually find fatty or sugary food less satisfying than thin people...". It follows that these people may eat more in order to compensate for their relative lack of pleasure from food.

A compelling study has been released that supposedly uncovers the brain pathway responsible for obesity. Once again, inflammation seems to be right in the thick of things. The findings, published in the journal Cell, point to a potentially revolutionary way to fight obesity...or maybe not. Let's see what all the fuss is about.

Researchers recently discovered that the very physically active Amish were NOT affected by obesity genes; that some claim leave people genetically prone to obesity.

Book author and medical writer Thomas Hager has written a fascinating essay about starvation and obesity.

He asks the question "who's making us fat?". A question that researchers have debated for many years.

With the huge growth in population over the last few decades - shouldn't we have run out of food by now? Instead we're mostly overweight - so what happened?

For those of us who feel virtuous choosing a big bowl of fruit salad over a serving of mashed potatoes or pasta: a new research report warns that we may not be choosing as wisely as we think. The researchers say fructose, even when consumed in whole fruits, may be more of a problem than starchy foods when it comes to insulin regulation, diabetes and obesity.

Health research is a contradictory beast. In the same week as cancer being linked to body weight - another set of research comes out claiming there are certain diseases that overweight people are less likely to get than normal weight people.

Confused?

Stress in the workplace significantly increases the risk of obesity.

Could it be time to find another job?

A new study has found a connection between obesity in preschoolers and a greater risk for iron deficiency.

Researchers analyzed blood samples from 960 toddlers and found that “20 percent of obese toddlers have iron deficiency, compared to 7 percent of normal-weight toddlers.”

Forget the BMI (Body Mass Index), try your postal code instead. Researchers from the University of Washington have found a pronounced correlation between a persons address ZIP code and their weight.

Closer analysis shows the issue is more about demographics (income and race) than geography.

The Obesity Myth challenges widely held beliefs regarding healthy weight. Written by Paul Campos, a Columbia Law professor and newspaper columnist, this book takes on the diet industry, respected medical journals and even the US Surgeon General.

A group of researchers are claiming that a virus may be a cause of obesity.

A recent study of 800 college students shows that going to college may be related to weight gain.

Researcher, Ingrid Logren collected health data from 800 of her students enrolled in a nutrition course at the University of New Hampshire. The results of the research were startling.

Read more about the "friends make you fat" study here.

A very special thanks to Snaggy - the co-author of this cartoon - for letting me display it here. Snaggy's site is GeekCulture.

(spotted on Starling Fitness)

"You are what you and your friends eat."

This is according the lead author (emphasis added) of some absolutely fascinating research looking into the social networks of those who are obese -- and how the interesting correlations that exist.

Essentially - if your friend becomes obese - there is a high chance that you will also become obese. The closer the friendship, the higher the chance.

When it comes to the idea of willpower in weight loss, we all have an opinion.

We hear about people who make drastic life changes and can cut 100 pounds by diet and exercise alone (and willpower, of course). Also, we hear of people who try and try but can’t seem to lose the weight in a healthy way.

Is Willpower "Old Fashioned?"

Big food companies and fast food chains are constantly under attack from health advocates for their contribution to the growing waistlines and chronic disease of developed nations.

Much of the finger pointing is justifiable, given the ubiquity, proximity, convenience and low cost of the majority of food options available to us via big food/restaurant.

Should big food and fast food joints take responsibility for their part in the health crisis that is upon us (such as a fat tax)? To what degree are they responsible?