The Washington Post points us to a report in the International Journal of Obesity whose authors looked at more than 100 studies on potential contributors to obesity,
besides diet and exercise, The experts concluded that there was at least some scientific support for the following ten reasons:
1. Inadequate sleep. (Average sleep amounts have fallen, and many studies tie sleep deprivation to weight gain.)
2. Endocrine disruptors, which are substances in some foods that may alter fats in the body.
3. Nice temperatures. (Air conditioning and heating limit calories burned from sweating and shivering.)
4. Fewer people smoking. (Less appetite supression.)
5. Medicines that cause weight gain.
6. Population changes. (More middle-agers and Hispanics, who have higher obesity rates.)
7. Older birth moms. (That correlates with heavier children).
8. Genetic influences during pregnancy.
9. Darwinian natural selection. (Fat people outsurvive skinny ones).
10.
Assortative mating, or "like mating with like," as Allison puts it.
Translation: fat people procreating with others of the same body type,
gradually skewing the population toward the heavy end.
How about just over eating.
Naw, over-eating is the simple answer. Can’t be the simple answer. Ockham’s razor is never right.
Besides, that would imply personal responsibility and we all know that can’t possibly be the case.
How about gluttony and sloth to start the list? And fat, seriously overweight people DO NOT outlive health geriatric adults.
Besides diet and exercise? Well, besides that Mrs. Lincon, how did you enjoy the play?