The Obesity Epidemic: Is Overeating Alone to Blame?
Professor Boyd Swinburn (Chair of Population Health at Deakin University in Australia) led the study.
The study followed a three-step process:
1. Finding How Many Calories We Need
Swinburn and colleagues began by quantifying how much food adults need to maintain their weight and how much children need to grow normally. (This part of the study involved 1,399 adults and 963 children.)
2. Working Out Theoretical Results Of The Increased Food Intake
The researchers used national food supply data from the 1970s and the early 2000s to predict how much weight Americans would have gained over that period, if increased food intake was the only factor.
3. Comparing Theoretical And Actual Results
The actual weight gained was determining from a survey that recorded the weight of Americans during the same periods (1970s and early 2000s).
Comparing the theoretical and actual figures demonstrated that children's weights had increased by exactly what would be expected from the increased food intake alone. Adults had put on slightly less weight than the extra food would have indicated (8.6 kilos heavier instead of 10.8).
Swinburn suggested that this might mean physical activity had actually increased slightly in adults.
This may also suggest that we're all scoffing down mountains of junk food, but the actual extra food intake is a fairly modest amount per day - it just adds up over time. In a statement, Swinburn said:
To return to the average weights of the 1970s, we would need to reverse the increased food intake of about 350 calories a day for children (about one can of fizzy drink and a small portion of French fries) and 500 calories a day for adults (about one large hamburger).
One reason why we're all eating more today than in the 1970s could be due to larger portion sizes: many of us tend to clear what's on our plate, whether or not we're still hungry.
Do the results of this study match your experience? Are you (or family members) eating more than you were in the past? What can we do to reverse the trend?
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I really believe portion size plays a big part in obesity in the West. I knew a Japanese girl who went to America and lost weight. She was physically disgusted by the portions and the way people wolfed dowm their food.
ReplyWe in the West always want more for less. The business community is filling our demands.
Good Work Scientist! I NEVER would have figured out that OVEREATING causes obesity without that study!
Thanx!
ReplyPortion size is HUGE today! It is ridiculous!
Move more, exercise more & eat a better combo of calories of food with more healthy ones but without over obsessing and the weight will be fine.
I chose to exercise more with both WEIGHTS and cardio so I don't have to eat 1200 calories like a lot of women my height (SHORT!). Plus as a fat kid, I have those shrunken fat cells at the ready to expand!
ReplyHow many calories a day do you eat, Jody?
ReplyI believe that our overeating problem is directly related to the poor quality of the foods so many of us consume. Highly processed, packaged foods with big, splashy labels that say "Only 100 Calories!" and "No Trans Fat!" trick people into thinking they are eating a healthy food. However, these foods deprive us of the fats, oils, and elements our bodies crave, leaving us feeling unsatisfied. So we continue to eat more and more until all of a sudden that seemingly innocent bag of "baked" Doritos is gone.
ReplyIn my house, we eat REAL food-fresh, raw fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, fresh meats, etc...I cook with butter and we only drink whole milk. No "low fat" foods here. I am 5'0" and weigh around 105lbs, my husband is about 5'10" and weighs around 175 (quit the Starbucks and he'd be in better shape...lol) The point is, we are healthy people who are NOT obese, and we don't follow a low fat diet to achieve that. Get all those 100 calorie packs and Weight Watchers crap out of the house and eat REAL FOOD!
I totally agree! I grew up during the low-fat craze; my parents bought skim milk, chicken breast and Snackwells cookies and we all ended up fat. I can't quite get myself to drink whole milk, but the lowfat stuff is OUT!
ReplyPortion size may be key, but only when it comes to foods that are very highly processed and/or calorie-dense. I doubt we got fat as a nation by eating too many veggies or fruits. Foods that are not very calorically dense are a good bet for losing weight because they fill you up without contributing a lot of calories.
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