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Weight Loss Forum / General Topics / July 2007Weighty thought: Friends' obesity can be contagious, study says
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070726/NATIONWORLD/70 7260478/-1/LOCAL17 Watch out if your best friend gets pudgy. A new study suggests obesity can spread like an infectious disease and that your odds of becoming obese are greater if your friends and family put on weight. By studying a social network of 12,067 people in a Boston suburb who have been closely tracked for the past three decades, researchers found that when one person became fat, those close to them gained, too. The strongest influence was seen among friends no matter where they lived. A person's chances of becoming obese went up 57 percent if a friend became obese. In the closest friendships, the risk almost tripled. Among siblings, the risk of obesity increased by 40 percent and 37 percent among spouses. "We were stunned to find that friends who are hundreds of miles away have just as much impact on a person's weight status as friends who are right next door," said co-author James Fowler of the University of California- San Diego. The researchers think it's more than just people with similar eating and exercise habits hanging out together. Instead, it may be that having relatives and friends who become obese changes one's idea of what is an acceptable weight. Despite their findings, the researchers said people should not sever their relationships. "There is a ton of research that suggest that having more friends makes you healthier," Fowler said. "So the last thing that you want to do is get rid of any of your friends." The study was published in today's New England Journal of Medicine and funded by the National Institute on Aging. Researchers analyzed medical records of people in the Framingham Heart Study, which has been following the health of residents of that Boston suburb for more than a half century. Obesity is a global public health problem. About 1.5 billion adults worldwide are overweight, including more than 400 million who are obese. Two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 27.8 percent of Hoosiers were obese in 2006, compared to 19.9 percent in 1998. -- Simple. If your friends are hogs, dump 'em. They ain't helping you. > http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070726/NATIONWORLD/70 > 7260478/-1/LOCAL17 [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > siblings, the risk of obesity increased by 40 percent and 37 percent among > spouses. > Obesity is a global public health problem. About 1.5 billion adults > worldwide are overweight, including more than 400 million who are obese. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > -- > Simple. If your friends are hogs, dump 'em. They ain't helping you. Obesity is also tied to socio-economic status. I wonder if there is positive feedback loop...especially if you don't start out obese. > Obesity is also tied to socio-economic status. I wonder if there is > positive feedback loop...especially if you don't start out obese. Interestingly, overweight girls for example are less likely to go to college, which would support a feedback loop that sustains the socio economic status.  SignatureWill @ www.BrinkZone.com "It twas ever thus! " - Mr Natural > Watch out if your best friend gets pudgy. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > been closely tracked for the past three decades, researchers found that > when one person became fat, those close to them gained, too. There is a reason for that... Part of the pressure to lose weight is peer pressure. Once in awhile, you just get sick to death of self-deprivation if you are one of those that really has to fight to lose weight and keep it off. The pressure to continue working at it is relaxed when your best friend gains weight. I'd love to see them do a similar study in the work place where co-workers weight is constantly fluctuating. I've seen it where I work! If one person really loses a lot of weight and others hold that person in high regard, you will see at least some weight loss in other employees. If and when that person fails, everybody gains it all back. I've been working at the same place now for 20 years and have seen this cycle countless times. There is one girl in her 30's that had her 4th child about two years ago. She weighed close to 300 lbs. She is now down to about 180 and I swear she looks about 20 years younger. Now if we could just get her mom to follow her daughters example... SignaturePeace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson > http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070726/NATIONWORLD/70 > 7260478/-1/LOCAL17 [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > that your odds of becoming obese are greater if your friends and family > put on weight. Bit of a "no shi% Sherlock" study I think. Much of what comes out of the Framingham study (which is right down the road from me BTW) is very "no duh" but that's what you often get with large epi studies such as this one. Also works in reverse, leaner people tend to hang out with and or effect other leaner people, etc. Also, a fat friend or family member increases your chances of being fat (again, no duh) but a fat person living next door does not, which again makes perfect sense as they are not in their social network per se. SignatureWill @ www.BrinkZone.com "It twas ever thus! " - Mr Natural >> http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070726/NATIONWORLD/70 >> 7260478/-1/LOCAL17 [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > but a fat person living next door does not, which again makes > perfect sense as they are not in their social network per se. Lots of people that are trying to lose weight don't realize that success may require that they start hanging around with different people. If you don't change your environment then chances are good that you won't change your behavior either. Jason >>> A new study suggests obesity can spread like an infectious disease >>> and that your odds of becoming obese are greater if your friends [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > people. If you don't change your environment then chances are good > that you won't change your behavior either. Pretty much the same with any large (or even moderate) change in behavior, motivation, or outlook. If you stick with a group of drunks and try to stay sober, it's much harder. Same with smoking and trying to not smoke - though second-hand smoke does come into play. Okay, the analogy's not perfect. But anyway, you get the gist. Selah. SignatureI have nothing at all against well-trained, knowledgeable Indian technical support. I hope to speak to one before I retire. --JW, ASR > > Lots of people that are trying to lose weight don't realize that > > success may require that they start hanging around with different [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > and try to stay sober, it's much harder. Same with smoking and trying to > not smoke - though second-hand smoke does come into play. That's why one of the worst things that a fat person can do is to participate in ``support'' groups, online or in real life. For every one person in such an environment who is motivated to do something, there will be fifteen others who hate anyone who succeeds. They secretly, perhaps unconsciously, want to maintain the status quo: to stay the way they are /and/ sabotage everyone else who makes progress. Moreover, you will just be wasting time listening to some losers whine, complain, and keep exchanging the same misinformation that gets them nowhere. >> > Lots of people that are trying to lose weight don't realize that >> > success may require that they start hanging around with different [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > stay the way they are /and/ sabotage everyone else who makes > progress. Support groups have a pretty good track record in real life. In fact, I think that you would be hard pressed to find something that works better. Of course, you need a support group that is actually supportive, but that's a pretty low bar. More on that in a bit. > Moreover, you will just be wasting time listening to some losers > whine, complain, and keep exchanging the same misinformation that > gets them nowhere. Sounds a lot like misc.fitness.weights :). Seriously though, I have been thinking a lot lately about the factors in my life that made it possible to incorporate exercise into my life on a long term basis. I don't have workout partners or a gym membership. I don't play organized sports, and I don't compete (yet). I have always assumed that I didn't have (or need) an exercise support group. However, looking over my exercise logs and my posting history it is pretty clear that quite a bit of my success to this point is due to my time spent on misc.fitness.weights. I use misc.fitness.weights to help me choose training protocols, to set goals, to pick out (and purchase) equipment, etc. What's more, I find that when I spend time away from misc.fitness.weights my workouts tend to suffer as well. Quite frankly, that last bit scares me a little. I am hoping that the reason for this correlation is that /life/ is simply intrudes on both exercise and available USENET posting time, and so both suffer when I get really busy. On the other hand, I am afraid that I have to at least consider the possibility that I even find misc.fitness.weights to be *motivational*. That's truly a dark thought. If misc.fitness.weights can be considered a workable support group, then just about anything qualifies :). Like I said earlier, the bar is set pretty darn low. I imagine that as long as you steer clear of the fat acceptance groups you should probably be just fine. I, of course, would suggest giving misc.fitness.weights a try, but my own experiences have biased me against jogging and other forms of low intensity cardio. BTW, thanks misc.fitness.weights. I appreciate the help. Jason :: That's why one of the worst things that a fat person can do is to :: participate in ``support'' groups, online or in real life. For every [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] :: whine, complain, and keep exchanging the same misinformation that :: gets them nowhere. Spoken (written) by a true genius & expert on what it is to be a "fat person". heh. >>> A new study suggests obesity can spread like an infectious disease >>> and that your odds of becoming obese are greater if your friends [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > people. If you don't change your environment then chances are good > that you won't change your behavior either. Pretty much the same with any large (or even moderate) change in behavior, motivation, or outlook. If you stick with a group of drunks and try to stay sober, it's much harder. Same with smoking and trying to not smoke - though second-hand smoke does come into play. Okay, the analogy's not perfect. But anyway, you get the gist. Selah. SignatureI have nothing at all against well-trained, knowledgeable Indian technical support. I hope to speak to one before I retire. --JW, ASR >http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070726/NATIONWORLD/70 >7260478/-1/LOCAL17 [quoted text clipped - 45 lines] >According to the Centers for Disease Control, 27.8 percent of Hoosiers >were obese in 2006, compared to 19.9 percent in 1998. The bad habit of overeating and under exercising is not the only arena where people with a bad habit in common develop social relationships. For Example: Alcoholics and or people who abuse alcohol tend to move within the same social circles. Pot heads flock together as do drugiies and assorted dope heads. Thieves and hoodlums are more likely to have other thieves and hoodlums among their circle of friends. It shouldn't require possessing an advanced degree to take note of this aspect of socialization. Christine |
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