The 1980s really were the good old days when it comes to eating, exercise, and weight loss. Why? The authors of a new study suggest it’s more difficult for today’s adults to maintain the same weight as their counterparts two to three decades ago, even when the amount of food and exercise are equal.
In other words, a 30-something today who eats 2,000 calories per day and exercises two hours per week is likely to be about 10 percent heavier than a 30-something living in the 1980s who followed the same lifestyle habits. How can that be?
It was a surprise to the team at York University in Toronto, who set out to identify whether the relationship between obesity and the number of calories consumed, amount of physical exercise, and intake of macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates) has changed over time. To accomplish this goal, they evaluated the dietary data of 36,400 Americans between 1971 and 2008 and the exercise data of 14,419 individuals between 1988 and 2006.
What they discovered is that when all three factors were equal, an individual in 2006 would have a body mass index about 2.3 points greater (or about 10 percent higher) than a person in 1988. This is definitely not great news for people today, especially those who are struggling to maintain a healthy weight.
According to one of the study’s authors, Jennifer Kuk, associate professor at York University’s School of Kinesiology and Health Science, their findings suggest that “if you are 40 years old now, you'd have to eat even less and exercise more than if you were a 40-year-old in 1971 to prevent gaining weight.”
1. Chemical Exposure
Pesticides and some of the chemicals in food and food packaging, plastics (such as BPA and phthalates), health and beauty products, furniture, and other everyday products may contribute to weight gain. This is mainly associated with their ability to disrupt hormone function and balance.2. Altered Gut Environment
The population of microorganisms in the body, called the microbiome, may not be what it used to be in the 1980s. Since it’s known that certain bacteria living in the gut have an impact on weight gain and obesity, a shift in that bacterial population could be a contributing factor.3. Prescription Antidepressant Use
A 2011 report from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics stated that the rate of antidepressant use in the United States increased nearly 400 percent since 1988. It pointed out that about 11 percent of Americans aged 12 or older take these medications, including individuals who have not consulted a mental health professional within the past year.4. Stress
The relationship between stress and obesity has been the topic of numerous research studies, and what we’ve learned is this: When we are stressed, the body’s level of serotonin (a “feel good” hormone) drops, which can increase our cravings for carbohydrates (like cookies, chocolate, chips, ice cream ... you get the picture).5. Sleep and Light Exposure
Lack of sufficient sleep and obesity make an unhealthy combination, which researchers have documented repeatedly. In a study of nearly 14,000 adults, investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that adults who slept for six or fewer hours per night were more likely to be obese and carry excessive belly fat than those who slept seven to nine hours per night.6. Electromagnetic Fields
Our exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) has increased significantly over the past few decades, primarily because the number of devices with which we intimately interact has grown and now includes cellphones, cell towers, Wi-Fi, wireless laptops, routers, and other electronic devices. But how can EMFs contribute to obesity?The reasons why some people are overweight or obese are complex and likely highly individual. Some of those reasons seem to involve factors that have changed over the past few decades, which suggests we have more reason than ever to look beyond caloric intake and exercise to explain why we are fatter than we were 30 years ago.
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