Work Is Less of a Workout These Days

Exercise can easily offset predisposition

(NEWSER) - The idea that your genetics might doom you to obesity is a “myth,” a team of scientists has concluded. Yes, some people are genetically predisposed to being overweight, but after examining the genes and habits of 20,000 subjects, researchers at the Medical Research Council in Cambridge found that an active lifestyle could make up much of the difference. Subjects who exercised were able to shed about 40% of the weight their “fat genes” saddled them with. More»

Physical activity seems not to be 'primary driver' of obesity: researchers

(NEWSER) - Diet is more important than exercise when it comes to reducing obesity, LiveScience reports. A new study compared African American women living in Chicago, who weighed an average of 184 pounds, with women in rural Nigeria, who weighed 127. Contrary to researchers' expectations, the Nigerians were not any more physically active, but they did have healthier diets. More»

(NEWSER) - New research takes an accepted truth about obese people and flips it upside down: They may, in fact, get less pleasure out of eating than people of normal weight, the LA Times reports. Researchers found that people who have weaker reward circuitry in the brain tend to overeat. Thus, while a person of average weight can eat one cookie and feel satisfied, an obese person keeps eating more to try to capture that feeling, the Times explains. More»

Lack of down time correlates with childhood obesity

(NEWSER) - Kids who get plenty of sleep could be lowering their chances of becoming obese. For each extra hour third-graders in a newly released study spent sleeping, they lowered their chance of becoming obese by sixth grade by 40%. The results could have to do with the effect of sleep on appetite-regulating hormones, but one scientist cautions, "I'm not so sure we have enough information yet on cause and effect." More»

Government would broaden eco-friendly schemes to address health concerns

(NEWSER) - In light of dire predictions about the cost of the obesity crisis, England wants 10 previously planned eco-friendly towns to also combat obesity by promoting healthy lifestyles, the Guardian reported today. Among the proposals: more bike lanes; safe walking routes to school and the downtown area; larger and more modern parks, playgrounds and leisure centers. More»