Written by Sapna Mhatre
Friday, 25 July 2008
FRIDAY, July 25, (News Locale) - The adage "You are known by the company you keep" seems to apply to obesity and overweight as well. Researchers have found that people who have fat friends are more likely to put ion some unwanted pounds as compared to people who have leaner friends.
The study by researchers from the University of Warwick, Dartmouth College, and the University of Leuven analyzed data on 27,000 people from across Europe. The findings suggest if you have overweight friends it is acceptable if you are fat as well.
"Rising obesity needs to be thought of as a sociological phenomenon not a physiological one," said co-researcher Professor Andrew Oswald at the University of Warwick.
The researchers feel people are subconsciously influenced by the weight of people around them. In what they called "imitative obesity," the researchers said hefty people tended to have heavier friends as compared to people having normal weight.
The findings of this international study are due to be presented at the National Bureau of Economic Research conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Obesity is a dangerous condition which is linked to the so-called lifestyle diseases like type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, heart disease, poor self-esteem, and a lower health-related quality of life.
Sedentary lifestyle practices coupled with a shift in diet to junk foods are the main reason behind this explosion of overweight or obese populations. The World Health Organization has declared obesity as a global epidemic having major health implications in 1997. It estimated that some 2 billion people worldwide are obese or overweight.
If the above study is true, then consumers may derive some benefit by keeping company with slim friends!
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1 comment:
The phrases "imitative obesity" and "keeping company with slim friends" are somewhat misleading. The epidemic of obesity is due to choices in activity and diet that are socially dependent. (While there is a genetic predisposition for obesity in some individuals, this should not be blamed for the "epidemic.")
Spending time with “thin” friends means sharing in the activities and diet that keeps those friends thin. People who work in sedentary jobs, choose non-physical recreational activities and eat unhealthy diets must be spending their time with coworkers, friends and family who are sharing the same behaviors.
It may be helpful for the overweight to begin “keeping company with slim friends,” but the benefit is likely due to the behavioral influence of those slim friends. While this conclusion seems obvious, let’s not let the concept get lost in the sound bytes.
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