- Apr 14, 2001
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Ten More Fat Factors: It's Not Just the Cupcakes
By Amy Paturel, M.S., M.P.H.
The International Journal of Obesity recently published a list of 10 novel factors for Americans? expanding waistlines. After conducting an in-depth review of the literature, the team of 20 international researchers identified several potential contributors to the obesity epidemic beyond what they call the ?Big Two? (think diet and exercise). What are the other big 10?
1. Sleep deprivation: There?s no doubt that Americans are getting less than the recommended eight hours each night. Now researchers claim that too few hours of slumber cause hormonal changes that lead to weight gain.
2. Endocrine disruptors: These synthetic chemicals in the environment disrupt the action of weight-related hormones in the body (think estrogen). And more of these harmful chemicals lurk in the air today compared with a few decades back.
3. Comfortable temperatures: When you?re too hot or cold, your body uses energy to warm you up or chill you out. Make the temperature controlled and comfortable and you lose the calorie-burning bonus. (Since 1978, the number of homes with central air conditioning has increased more than 30 percent.)
4. Fewer smokers: It?s no secret that smoking increases metabolism. The question is: What can you do that also revs up your metabolism that doesn?t kill you?
5. More medications: ?Many medications, including antidepressants, anticonvulsants and steroid hormones cause weight gain, either by water retention or increased appetite,? explains Ruth DeBusk, Ph.D., R.D., geneticist and registered dietitian in Tallahassee, Fla. and author of "It?s Not Just Your Genes."
6. Population changes: America is growing older and becoming more ethnically diverse, particularly among the Hispanic-American population. Both of these groups, people over the age of 35 and those of Hispanic descent, have above average rates of obesity.
7. Older birth moms: Women are waiting longer to have children. Studies show that an adolescent girl?s risk of becoming obese increases by 14 percent for every five-year increment in maternal age.
8. Prenatal influences: Overweight moms, and those with gestational diabetes, have been linked with bigger babies. In fact, one study found that over-fed pups produced heavier pups than a control group, and the heft persisted for two subsequent generations.
9. Natural selection: According to scientific theory, overweight people out survive their leaner counterparts because they can draw more energy from fat stores. ?This might have been true in earlier times, when feast-or-famine was the norm and our hunter-gatherer ancestors physically worked hard to get food,? says DeBusk, ?but not today in a time of plenty.?
10. Overweight people procreating: No rocket science here. When two overweight people have kids, their children are more likely to experience weight challenges than a child conceived by skinny people.
Amy Paturel is a freelance writer for several publications, including Cooking Light and Health, and holds a Master of Science in Nutrition and a Master of Public Health.
By Amy Paturel, M.S., M.P.H.
The International Journal of Obesity recently published a list of 10 novel factors for Americans? expanding waistlines. After conducting an in-depth review of the literature, the team of 20 international researchers identified several potential contributors to the obesity epidemic beyond what they call the ?Big Two? (think diet and exercise). What are the other big 10?
1. Sleep deprivation: There?s no doubt that Americans are getting less than the recommended eight hours each night. Now researchers claim that too few hours of slumber cause hormonal changes that lead to weight gain.
2. Endocrine disruptors: These synthetic chemicals in the environment disrupt the action of weight-related hormones in the body (think estrogen). And more of these harmful chemicals lurk in the air today compared with a few decades back.
3. Comfortable temperatures: When you?re too hot or cold, your body uses energy to warm you up or chill you out. Make the temperature controlled and comfortable and you lose the calorie-burning bonus. (Since 1978, the number of homes with central air conditioning has increased more than 30 percent.)
4. Fewer smokers: It?s no secret that smoking increases metabolism. The question is: What can you do that also revs up your metabolism that doesn?t kill you?
5. More medications: ?Many medications, including antidepressants, anticonvulsants and steroid hormones cause weight gain, either by water retention or increased appetite,? explains Ruth DeBusk, Ph.D., R.D., geneticist and registered dietitian in Tallahassee, Fla. and author of "It?s Not Just Your Genes."
6. Population changes: America is growing older and becoming more ethnically diverse, particularly among the Hispanic-American population. Both of these groups, people over the age of 35 and those of Hispanic descent, have above average rates of obesity.
7. Older birth moms: Women are waiting longer to have children. Studies show that an adolescent girl?s risk of becoming obese increases by 14 percent for every five-year increment in maternal age.
8. Prenatal influences: Overweight moms, and those with gestational diabetes, have been linked with bigger babies. In fact, one study found that over-fed pups produced heavier pups than a control group, and the heft persisted for two subsequent generations.
9. Natural selection: According to scientific theory, overweight people out survive their leaner counterparts because they can draw more energy from fat stores. ?This might have been true in earlier times, when feast-or-famine was the norm and our hunter-gatherer ancestors physically worked hard to get food,? says DeBusk, ?but not today in a time of plenty.?
10. Overweight people procreating: No rocket science here. When two overweight people have kids, their children are more likely to experience weight challenges than a child conceived by skinny people.
Amy Paturel is a freelance writer for several publications, including Cooking Light and Health, and holds a Master of Science in Nutrition and a Master of Public Health.
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