Inactive lifestyle plays greater role in obesity than caloric intake

A new research has revealed that dormant lifestyle might be the main reason behind increasing obesity rather than caloric intake.

The study revealed that in the past 20 years there have been sharp decrease in physical exercise and increase in average body mass index (BMI), while caloric intake has remained steady, so investigators have theorized that a nationwide drop in leisure-time physical activity, especially among young women, might be responsible for the upward trends in obesity rates.

By analyzing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, researchers from Stanford University discovered that the number of US adult women who reported no physical activity jumped from 19.1 percent in 1994 to 51.7 percent in 2010 but for men, the number increased from 11.4 percent in 1994 to 43.5 percent in 2010.

Uri Ladabaum, MD, said that the prevalence of abdominal obesity has also increased among normal-weight women and overweight women and men, however, it remains controversial whether overweight alone increases mortality risk, but the trends in abdominal obesity among the overweight are concerning in light of the risks associated with increased waist circumference independent of BMI.

Pamela Powers Hannley, MPH, Managing Editor, the American Journal of Medicine suggested that comprehensive efforts are required like encouraging communities to provide safe places for physical activity, ensuring ample supply of healthy food and empowering Americans to take control of their health.

A study is published in the American Journal of Medicine.