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by **kinghooter00** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 8:45 am

Study: Obesity Is 'Socially Contagious'
By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer
Wed Jul 25, 11:10 PM

If your friends and family get fat, chances are you will too, researchers report in a startling new study that suggests obesity is "socially contagious" and can spread easily from person to person.

The large, federally funded study found that to be true even if your loved ones lived far away. Social ties seemed to play a surprisingly strong role, even more than genes are known to do.

"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 study found a person's chances of becoming obese went up 57 percent if a friend did, 40 percent if a sibling did and 37 percent if a spouse did. In the closest friendships, the risk almost tripled.

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 Thursday'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. They tracked records for relatives and friends using contact information that participants provided each time they were examined over a 32-year period.

In all, 12,067 people _ all Framingham participants _ were involved in the study.

After taking into account natural weight gain and other factors, researchers found the greatest influence occurred among friends and not in people sharing the same genes or living in the same household. Geography and smoking cessation had no effect on obesity risk.

On average, the researchers calculated, when an obese person gained 17 pounds, the corresponding friend put on an extra 5 pounds.

Gender also had a strong influence. In same-sex friendships, a person's obesity risk increased by 71 percent if a friend gained weight. Between brothers, the risk was up by 44 percent and 67 percent between sisters.

Indiana University statistician Stan Wasserman said while the study was clever, it had its limitations because it excluded relationships outside of the Framingham group.

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.

Much of the recent research focus has been on the intense hunt for obesity genes involved in appetite or calorie burning. Treatment has been mainly centered on helping individuals curb their weight through better diet and fitness.

The findings could open a new avenue for treating this worldwide epidemic. The researchers said it might be helpful to treat obese people in groups instead of just the individual.

"Because people are interconnected, their health is interconnected," said lead author Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a Harvard sociologist.

Obesity experts not involved in the research said the results back up what they have suspected all along _ that people look toward one another for what is an acceptable weight.

"If you're just a little bit heavy and everyone around you is quite heavier, you will feel good when you look in a mirror," said Dr. David Katz, director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center.

ummmmmm.........this sounds stupid.... Obesity is contagious???
i didn't know i could catch FAT.
I DONT FEEL GOOD, I'M COMING DOWN WITH THE FAT...

by **Harrison** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 3:48 pm

It doesn't sound stupid at all.

by **Burgy99** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 4:34 pm

A couple of my best friends are super fat, and when I hang out with them I usually eat twice as much as what I normally eat. I don't think its just the eating habits either, but when I hang out with them I do things that require minimal energy such as WoW, as opposed to volleyball or softball so it definately makes 100% sense.

When you sit back and think about it, they are fat for a reason.

And i'm drunk.

by **Tikker** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 4:56 pm

Harrison wrote:It doesn't sound stupid at all.

it makes sense mostly

fat folks usually eat more stuff, more often

so if you're hanging out with dudes that eat a lot, chances are you'll have a bit extra too

I know that was how I started to put on extra weight =\

by **Lyion** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 5:05 pm

My two super skinny friends eat 10 times the amount my overweight ones do.

by **Harrison** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 7:03 pm

Same here Lyion...

by **Tossica** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 7:20 pm

lyion wrote:My two super skinny friends eat 10 times the amount my overweight ones do.

Fat people eat when noone is looking to make it seem like it's some genetic fluke that they are huge and not the fact that they habitually shovel twinkies in their faces.

by **Tikker** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 11:40 pm

I eat less now than when I was 150lbs

I'm just not doing 2-3 hours of sports every day anymore

by **araby** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 2:40 am

I am the skinny one. I was hoping it'd catch on.

by **Eziekial** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 7:19 am

You need a sandwich, woman.

by **Lyion** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 7:43 am

Tossica wrote:
lyion wrote:My two super skinny friends eat 10 times the amount my overweight ones do.

Fat people eat when noone is looking to make it seem like it's some genetic fluke that they are huge and not the fact that they habitually shovel twinkies in their faces.

I agree for some morbidly obese people its about downing monstrous amounts of food.

That doesn't change the fact for some it is metabolism. I have to work my ass off not to gain weight. My brother in law eats and eats and doesn't. If I don't regulate what I eat, my weight easily creeps up.

I think my problem is my body was so used to being run at peak levels for 25 years, that my subsequent IT career and daily sitting on my ass has 'confused' it. Even hitting the gym daily and being active doesn't seem to offset it.

Also, oddly enough, when I'm stressed I lose weight. When I'm happy, it's that much harder to. I have no idea why.

by **ClakarEQ** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 7:46 am

I'll lose 5 pounds in a week when I'm stressed. To gain it back takes a month. I know lots of folks find it harder to gain weight than lose it but the opposite is true for me, my wife hates it LOL.

Most of my friends are "normal", couple are a bit plump but I'm the guy who will actually stop eating when I'm full. I don't care how much is left on my plate.

It seems like folks in the states, due to their parents, have this feeling of cleaning the plate before you're done. I think eating slow and giving you body time to tell your brain you're full, is better all around. It is more wastefull when you go out to eat though :\

by **kinghooter00** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:31 am

i can't eat anymore after i'm full. I will feel sick in my stomach for some reason.

by **Tacks** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:52 am

kinghooter00 wrote:i can't eat anymore after i'm full. I will feel sick in my stomach for some reason.

by **kinghooter00** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:53 am

some people can continue to eat even after the feel filled up.
My ex girlfriend would do this and then throw a fit because she was so bloated...

fat bitch.

by **Tacks** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:08 am

You're stupid

by **ClakarEQ** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:10 am

I don't think this is the case for everyone and I do not recall where I read this or if it is "fact" but it went along the lines of:

Folks that eat quickly tend to over-eat because it takes time for the stomach to tell the brain it is full. So by the time this communication takes place, you've already gorged yourself. You could be "gorging" and not even realize it.

Say you choke down a whopper or whatever in 3-5 minutes, it may take 10 minutes for the "fullness" to reach the brain. (numbers are fake just to make the example is all).

So folks that tend to eat slower, smaller bites, chew more, etc tend to not over eat, while the folks that take big bites, chew less, etc overeat and don't even realize it.

by **kinghooter00** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:11 am

Tacks wrote:You're stupid

ur an asshole.

by **Tacks** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:31 am

Who is ur?

by **10sun** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:34 am

It is obvious Ur is an Asshole.

by **Evermore** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:47 am

10sun wrote:It is obvious Ur is an Asshole.

Havent met Ur yet. Is he new?

by **Gaazy** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:00 am

I know Ur, hes pretty cool

by **araby** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:52 pm

Eziekial wrote:You need a sandwich, woman.

I've had four since you saw me.

by **kinghooter00** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:13 pm

UR is short for YoURe

by **10sun** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:14 pm

no, you're is short for you are.

as in, you're a retard.

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