Study Finds Obesity is Socially Contagious
July 25, 2007 9:15 PM | Your Body | Comments (0)
 | According to a recent New England Journal of Medicine study funded by the National Institute on Aging, obesity is "socially contagious" and can spread easily from person to person. The study found that social ties seem to play a strong role in obesity, even more than genes. The chances of becoming obese went up 57 percent if a friend is obese, 40 percent if a sibling is obese and 37 percent if a spouse is obese. In the closest friendships, the risk almost tripled. This may explain why men gain weight when their pregnant wives or girlfriends gain weight. |
The study may confirm what most obesity experts believe; people look at each other for what is an acceptable weight. If other people are bigger than you, you may feel that you are doing fine and continue to not watch your weight.
The study involved researchers studying the medical records of people in the Framingham Heart Study. The population of the Framingham study is 12,067 which were all involved in the study. The Framingham Heart Study has been following the health of residents in Framingham, Boston suburb for more than 50 years. Researchers analyzed records for relatives and friends using contact information that participants provided each time they were examined over a 32 year period.
Researchers found the greatest influence occurred among friends and not in people sharing the same genes or living in the same household, after taking into account natural weight gain and other factors. It was also found that geography and smoking cessation had no effect on obesity risk. The study excluded relationships outside of the Framingham group.
Researchers determined:
- If an obese person gained 17 pounds, the friend put on an extra 5 pounds.
- Obesity risk increased by 71 percent if a friend gained weight in same sex friendships.
- Obesity risk increased by 44 percent between brothers and 67 percent between sisters.
- Gender has a strong influence on obesity risk.
Obesity is a global public health problem. Approximately 1.5 billion adults worldwide are overweight, including more than 400 million who are obese. In the United Stated approximately two-thirds of the population is either overweight or obese. Approximately 30% of American children are overweight and 15% are obese between ages 6 and 11.
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