Study: Losing Weight and Obesity Are Affected by Relationships
According to a new study from Harvard University, the United States is on a weight gaining trend that will result in upwards of 42 percent of the population becoming obese. In a surprising twist, the data showed that having friends that are overweight is a significant contributor to the problem.
The group behind the study is the same one which in 2007 also revealed findings that indicated having friends that are obese increases the likelihood of becoming overweight by more than 50 percent. Scientists are now considering the notion that becoming obese is akin to an infectious disease in the sense that it can be spread from overweight people to their friends, family and associates.
In order to prove the theory, the scientists utilized a mathematical model based upon the famous Framingham study. This study examined the lifestyle habits of residents in the city of Framingham, Massachusetts over a 40 year period of time. The results of the math shows that there is a risk of becoming overweight based upon relationships with obese people.
Interestingly, although the data showed that an average American has only a 2 percent chance of becoming obese on a yearly basis, interacting with obese people on a regular basis increases the rate of risk by half a percent each year. However, the data did not show any positive correlation for associating with normal weight individuals. In other words, befriending healthy people does not mean that one will become healthy.
