Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Sleep less and weigh more?

How does lifestyle contribute to the obesity problem?

SLEEP REFRESHES It might help keep obesity at bay

"Super-sized'' fast food meals and TV time shouldn't take all the blame for the obesity problem. In fact, a group of researchers contends, a number of aspects of modern living — from lack of sleep to exposure to environmental chemicals to living with air conditioning — may be feeding weight woes of many people.

Writing in the International Journal of Obesity, they argue that obesity research and prevention efforts need to look beyond the "Big Two" — food industry practices, like beefed-up portion sizes and added sugar; and reduced physical activity from factors such as cuts in school gym classes.

That's not to say that diet and exercise aren't important, said report co-author Dr. David B. Allison of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

However, he said, the evidence linking obesity to food industry marketing and lack of gym class is circumstantial.

It's equally plausible that a range of other factors is involved, Allison and his colleagues point out.

Lack of sleep is one, they say. Research in animals and humans suggests that chronic sleep deprivation boosts appetite and eating, and studies also show that many adults and children are sleeping less than they used to. There is also evidence that industrial chemicals that act as endocrine disruptors may increase body fat. These chemicals, which are used in products such as pesticides and plastics, alter hormonal activity when they get into the body. Studies suggest that people have been increasingly exposed to these chemicals through the food chain in recent decades. Another factor potentially weighing people down is air conditioning. The body burns calories when forced to regulate its own temperature and, Allison noted, people tend to eat less in hot, humid weather.

He and his colleagues cite 10 potential obesity risk factors in all, including: increased rates of older mothers, whose children may be more prone to excess weight gain; a range of medications, such as antidepressants, which can promote weight gain; and a decrease in smoking rates, because people often gain weight when they quit and the absence of nicotine, an appetite suppressant.

No one is suggesting that people should stop taking their prescriptions, keep smoking or swelter in the summer sun, according to Allison. When it comes to any one person's weight, he said, "what ultimately matters is calorie intake and calorie expenditure."

That means diet and exercise is still key.

But, Allison argued, researchers and policymakers should be "open-minded" about the potential contributors to the obesity problem and not assume that the answer lies in simple fixes like ridding schools of vending machines or installing sidewalks to encourage walking. — Reuters

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail