Human Obesity Epidemic Uncovered

Human Obesity Epidemic Uncovered

If you overeat and under-exercise you will gain weight. However, growing evidence suggests that other factors also contribute to excess fats.

David Allison at the University of Alabama at Birmingham discovered that humans are not alone in piling on the pounds. He looked at wild animals and lab animals and concludes that whatever factors are fattening up the animals that live around us might also help explain the human obesity epidemic.

Get vaccinated:

At least one common cold virus has been linked to obesity. Nikhil Dhurandhar of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana discovered that adenovirus-36 (Ad-36) boosts the number of fat cells. He also found that obese people are nearly three times as likely as those of healthy weight to test positive for Ad-36 antibodies.

Chill:

While extreme stress tends to make people lose weight, but others have a opposite effect. So, for the sake of your waistline, take a deep breath.

Brain imaging studies by Rajita Sinha, director of the Yale Stress Center at Yale University showed that stress increases activity in the ventral striatum, a region associated with reward and habits. “So it increases craving for high-calorie foods in those who have a habit of consuming them," she says. Instead of counting calories, she recommends mindfulness, stress reduction and meditation techniques.

Chill some more:

Simona Bo of the University of Turin, Italy, agrees. Studied more than 1500 middle-aged adults, and found that those whose home temperatures ranked in the top third were about twice as likely to become obese over the six-year period of the research "So turning down the thermostat by any amount is likely to have some small effect," she says.

Eat protein:

Other research indicates that protein keeps you fuller for longer. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark showed that a diet high in protein and with a low glycaemic index allowed most people to eat until they were full without gaining weight.

Watch the packaging:

As well as looking at the nutritional labeling, you might also want to watch the actual material your food comes wrapped in. Some plastic packaging and cans contain endocrine disrupter chemicals and evidence is starting to link some of these to expanding waistlines.

Turn down the lights:

Light at night might alter circadian clock genes, changing an individual's metabolism, Randy Nelson and his team at Ohio State University in Columbus suggests. He recommends keeping a consistent pattern throughout the week and, if possible, avoiding many LED bulbs, these are known to be especially disruptive to the circadian system.

Move to the country:

Breathing polluted air can cause extra fat to accumulate around your stomach and also make your cells less sensitive to insulin, increasing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. "We believe that air pollution plays a very important role in the current obesity epidemic," says Xiaohua Xu of Ohio State University.

Sleep:

Too little sleep can make you fat. Sleep deprivation reduces the secretion of leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite, and increases levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite. "Or it could be as simple as less sleep means more time to eat," says Rachael Taylor at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Either way, an extra hour in bed sure beats going to the gym.

Posted by George Daniels on Wednesday January 04 2012, 4:52 AM EDT. Ref: David Allison et al. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0