We have compiled the most surprising studies on weight gain. According to experts, overweight friends do not help, because excess weight is contagious.
Here are some of the lesser-known allies of obesity.
1. Not eating with the family. Even if you're fed up with family members, you should know that family meals can protect against obesity and overweight. Among the reasons, emotional connections are established between family members during meals and food is usually healthier, according to a study by the universities of Minnesota and Columbia (United States) published in the Journal of Pediatrics . 2. Fat
siblings and friends . Your loved ones chase you. Having an obese sibling doubles your risk of becoming obese, and the possibility increases if the sibling is older and of the same sex, according to Markos Pachucki, from the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard University, in an article published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine . Overweight friends don't help either, because excess weight is contagious, as Dr. David Shoham, from Loyola University in Chicago, has found in a study of 1,800 adolescents ( PLoS One ). The good news is that thinness is also transmitted, and if your friends are thin (BMI of 20), you have a 40% greater chance of losing weight. 3. The year of birth. If you were born after 1942, be on the lookout. There is a connection between a variant in the FTO gene and the year of birth that favors the onset of obesity, a correlation that is twice as strong among those born after 1942. The scientists who have found this connection, led by James Rosenquist, of the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, do not have a clear reason for this association, although they point to technological development after World War II. 4. Intestinal bacteria. You may find the answer to your weight in your intestine. If among the millions of microorganisms that live in the digestive system there are bacteria from the Christensenellaceae family , you are in luck, since they protect you from weight gain ( Cell ). 5. Restaurants with classical music. Schubert sonatas may be appropriate for a romantic dinner, but you should know that they encourage more eating. A British study by the universities of Leicester and Surrey Roehampton found that more food and coffee is consumed in establishments when classical music is playing in the background than when other types of music are playing. 6. Night work.
1. Not eating with the family. Even if you're fed up with family members, you should know that family meals can protect against obesity and overweight. Among the reasons, emotional connections are established between family members during meals and food is usually healthier, according to a study by the universities of Minnesota and Columbia (United States) published in the Journal of Pediatrics . 2. Fat
siblings and friends . Your loved ones chase you. Having an obese sibling doubles your risk of becoming obese, and the possibility increases if the sibling is older and of the same sex, according to Markos Pachucki, from the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard University, in an article published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine . Overweight friends don't help either, because excess weight is contagious, as Dr. David Shoham, from Loyola University in Chicago, has found in a study of 1,800 adolescents ( PLoS One ). The good news is that thinness is also transmitted, and if your friends are thin (BMI of 20), you have a 40% greater chance of losing weight. 3. The year of birth. If you were born after 1942, be on the lookout. There is a connection between a variant in the FTO gene and the year of birth that favors the onset of obesity, a correlation that is twice as strong among those born after 1942. The scientists who have found this connection, led by James Rosenquist, of the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, do not have a clear reason for this association, although they point to technological development after World War II. 4. Intestinal bacteria. You may find the answer to your weight in your intestine. If among the millions of microorganisms that live in the digestive system there are bacteria from the Christensenellaceae family , you are in luck, since they protect you from weight gain ( Cell ). 5. Restaurants with classical music. Schubert sonatas may be appropriate for a romantic dinner, but you should know that they encourage more eating. A British study by the universities of Leicester and Surrey Roehampton found that more food and coffee is consumed in establishments when classical music is playing in the background than when other types of music are playing. 6. Night work.
Working at night makes you fat, and not because you eat more, but because it alters your circadian rhythm. "Shift work at night interrupts sleep and breaks the physiological cycle, and this causes a decrease in total daily energy expenditure," concludes a study carried out by scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Texas), and published in the scientific journal PNAS .
7. Not getting enough sleep. Sleep deprivation not only changes our mood, but also makes you fat: it is scientifically proven. The explanation is that sleep plays a relevant role in energy metabolism, so that when we don't sleep we eat more, as a physiological adaptation mechanism to stay awake. Research recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has also found that sleeping more is associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) and better nutrition.
8. Living in Ireland. If you are thinking of moving to Chile, you might be interested to know that Ireland is the country where the number of overweight and obesity cases in men will increase the most (by 2030, 90% of men will be overweight), while in Belgium only 44% of men will gain extra pounds.
9. Environmental pollutants. Waste substances from the pesticide DDT or lindane (used to combat lice and scabies) are some of the pollutants that accumulate in people's fatty tissue, promoting the development of obesity and increased cholesterol in the blood, according to a group of scientists from the University of Granada, who have published these results in Environmental Pollution . These pollutants reach individuals mainly through foods with a high fat content, including large fatty meats and fish.
10. Watching television. If this is repeated every day, the risk of obesity increases by 23% (not to mention the 14% risk of developing diabetes), warns a report from Harvard University .
11. Falling asleep with the television on. This small pleasure can make you gain weight. Why? According to Ahmad Agil, a researcher at the University of Granada, exposure to artificial light during the night while we sleep - such as that emitted by the television, the computer or a lamp on - reduces endogenous levels of melatonin, a hormone that is released during the night to regulate circadian rhythms and that has a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect. These properties protect against metabolic alterations that cause obesity and diabetes. A tip: try to sleep in complete darkness (12. Post-traumatic stress . “Women who suffer from post-traumatic stress gain weight more quickly and are more likely to become obese than those who do not go through this situation,” says a study by Harvard and Columbia universities, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry . But there is good news: when the symptoms of this disorder diminish, the risk of obesity is significantly reduced. 13. Depression and anxiety. A third of stressed people lose their appetite and lose weight, but more than half react to stress by eating and, worst of all, by ingesting very appetizing foods, rich in sugar and fat. The scientific explanation is that the reward center in our brain is activated by this type of food. Rubén Bravo, director of the Nutrition Department of the European Medical Institute of Obesity ( IMEO ), says: “Anxiety and stress are two situations that frequently recur in our consultations. Economic and work problems lead people to seek happiness in food, especially sweets, which alleviate anxiety.” 14. Some low-fat products. A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care concludes that the consumption of high-fat dairy products is correlated with a lower risk of developing central obesity. According to nutritionist Walter Willett, from the Harvard School of Public Health , one explanation for this finding is that full-fat products are more satiating and, in addition, the fatty acids in dairy products have an additional effect on weight regulation. Nutritionist Natalia Galán, from the Health Promotion Service at Sanitas, adds: “ Light products do not always help you lose weight, since having 30% fewer calories than the initial product is not synonymous with not making you gain weight. Many are advertised as light and have more calories than those that are not.”
7. Not getting enough sleep. Sleep deprivation not only changes our mood, but also makes you fat: it is scientifically proven. The explanation is that sleep plays a relevant role in energy metabolism, so that when we don't sleep we eat more, as a physiological adaptation mechanism to stay awake. Research recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has also found that sleeping more is associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) and better nutrition.
8. Living in Ireland. If you are thinking of moving to Chile, you might be interested to know that Ireland is the country where the number of overweight and obesity cases in men will increase the most (by 2030, 90% of men will be overweight), while in Belgium only 44% of men will gain extra pounds.
9. Environmental pollutants. Waste substances from the pesticide DDT or lindane (used to combat lice and scabies) are some of the pollutants that accumulate in people's fatty tissue, promoting the development of obesity and increased cholesterol in the blood, according to a group of scientists from the University of Granada, who have published these results in Environmental Pollution . These pollutants reach individuals mainly through foods with a high fat content, including large fatty meats and fish.
10. Watching television. If this is repeated every day, the risk of obesity increases by 23% (not to mention the 14% risk of developing diabetes), warns a report from Harvard University .
11. Falling asleep with the television on. This small pleasure can make you gain weight. Why? According to Ahmad Agil, a researcher at the University of Granada, exposure to artificial light during the night while we sleep - such as that emitted by the television, the computer or a lamp on - reduces endogenous levels of melatonin, a hormone that is released during the night to regulate circadian rhythms and that has a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect. These properties protect against metabolic alterations that cause obesity and diabetes. A tip: try to sleep in complete darkness (12. Post-traumatic stress . “Women who suffer from post-traumatic stress gain weight more quickly and are more likely to become obese than those who do not go through this situation,” says a study by Harvard and Columbia universities, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry . But there is good news: when the symptoms of this disorder diminish, the risk of obesity is significantly reduced. 13. Depression and anxiety. A third of stressed people lose their appetite and lose weight, but more than half react to stress by eating and, worst of all, by ingesting very appetizing foods, rich in sugar and fat. The scientific explanation is that the reward center in our brain is activated by this type of food. Rubén Bravo, director of the Nutrition Department of the European Medical Institute of Obesity ( IMEO ), says: “Anxiety and stress are two situations that frequently recur in our consultations. Economic and work problems lead people to seek happiness in food, especially sweets, which alleviate anxiety.” 14. Some low-fat products. A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care concludes that the consumption of high-fat dairy products is correlated with a lower risk of developing central obesity. According to nutritionist Walter Willett, from the Harvard School of Public Health , one explanation for this finding is that full-fat products are more satiating and, in addition, the fatty acids in dairy products have an additional effect on weight regulation. Nutritionist Natalia Galán, from the Health Promotion Service at Sanitas, adds: “ Light products do not always help you lose weight, since having 30% fewer calories than the initial product is not synonymous with not making you gain weight. Many are advertised as light and have more calories than those that are not.”
Source: EL PAÍS NEWSPAPER | OCTOBER 11, 2015
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