Food for Thought: How Our Diets Are Making Us Fat
A recent large-scale study has found that diet, rather than a lack of physical activity, is the primary cause of obesity in communities worldwide. The research, which analyzed data from over 4,500 adults across 35 countries, discovered that people in populations with higher obesity rates burned only slightly less energy than those in populations with lower obesity rates. The study also linked the consumption of ultra-processed foods to higher body-fat percentages.
The Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research writes for Psychology Today
Despite decades of trying to understand the root causes of the obesity crisis in economically developed countries, public health guidance remains stuck with uncertainty as to the relative importance of diet and physical activity," said Herman Pontzer, principal investigator and professor in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University. "This large, international, collaborative effort allowed us to test these competing ideas. It's clear that changes in diet, not reduced activity, are the main cause of obesity in the U.S. and other developed countries.
This groundbreaking research underscores the importance of a healthy diet in addressing the obesity crisis.