The science of obesity: what exactly makes us fat?
New research shows that overeating may not be the cause of obesity. It could be due to a metabolic reaction brought on by certain types of sugars, says Jeanette Wang
It's a logical equation: if you earn more money than you spend, you'll have cash in hand. Likewise, if you consume more calories than you expend, you'll be carrying extra calories - and therefore put on weight, right?
Wrong - according to a recent article in the journal BMJ, the obesity equation isn't that straightforward. Gary Taubes, co-founder of the Nutrition Science Initiative in San Diego, says the history of obesity research is one of two competing hypotheses - and that the wrong hypothesis won.
Another look at the causes of obesity is needed, if we are to make any progress with the crisis
This "energy balance" hypothesis - that overeating is the cause of obesity - along with substandard science, has exacerbated the obesity crisis, and the related chronic diseases, Taubes says. He thinks another look at the causes of obesity is needed, if we are to make any progress with the crisis.
In Hong Kong, as in most countries, obesity is on the rise. About 37 per cent of the population aged 18 to 64 were classified as overweight or obese (a body mass index of 23 and above), including 18.8 per cent as obese, in last year's Behavioural Risk Factor Survey.
A person's beliefs about causes of obesity can affect one's weight, a new study published in the journal Psychological Science has found.
From an initial online survey, researchers Brent McFerran of University of Michigan and Anirban Mukhopadhyay of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology discovered that people seem to subscribe to one of two major beliefs about the primary cause of obesity: poor diet or a lack of exercise. In a series of studies in South Korea, the US and France, the researchers found that people who viewed diet as obesity's primary cause had lower body mass indexes than those who implicated lack of exercise.