NEW STUDIES ON CONTRIBUTING FACTORS FOR OBESITY

Three new studies deliver three more blows against the argument (and implied shame game)"if you are fat its because you eat too much, and you only have yourself to blame." If you carry more fat than is considered healthy, is it just becuse you lack willpower around food?

Study#1 Researchers have discovered that disruption to normal, healthy gut bacteria can make you pack on the pounds.The study found that when the wrong kind of bacteria takes over the gut, there is a systemic increase in inflammation, decrease in insulin resistance, increase in appetite, and tendency to gain weight.The use of antibiotics and other environmental factors could be playing a role in many cases of obesity.

Study#2 Another finding is about the perils of sleep deprivation.Adults under age 40 who get less than 5 hours of sleep a day have higher concentration of visceral fat.This type of fat, which wraps itself around internal organs, is much worse for your health than double chin or cellulite on your thigh.sleep deprivation disrupts everything from blood sugar control to food cravings.

Study#3 The last report is about how a desk job leads to weight gain(and dying sooner)It shows how the body shuts down when we sit down.Sit at a desk all day, or watch three hours of TV at night, and doesn't even matter if you squeeze in an hour of exercise. A full hour!Everyday!Its not enough to counter the metabolic disaster of being sedentary the rest of the day.Thats right, even the people trying to do the right thing have the deck stacked against them.

                                                      Researchers are catching on to the complexity of the obesity problem.In the last decade,the conversation has shifted somewhat  from 'BLAME IT ALL ON THE FAT PEOPLE" to BLAME IT ALL ON McDONALD'S . In the coming decade we'll keep discovering there is no one thing to blame, and no simple solution. meantime we'd all do well to keep in check oversimplified explanation and overoptimistic advice what to do about getting fatter.