In the "No Kidding" category researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN completed a study that stated that obese people tend to be less mobile/active than lean people. Really?? Researchers used specially designed underwear to track the movements (haha - I said movements) and patterns of the test subjects. In all seriousness this is a fascinating study of the epidemic that is obesity. "There seems to be, in some people, a biological drive to be seated," said lead researcher Dr. Jim Levine"
Why don't obese people just get out there and do something about their weight? Is it sloth?
"The researchers speculate that obese individuals may respond
differently to stimuli that encourage leaner folk to get moving. "Right
now we just don't know the underlying mechanism, but it does seem to be
biologically driven," Levine said. "It's remarkably consistent."
What does this mean to us as a culture? How do we create an environment that encourages movement?
"We have to remember that biology hasn't
changed in the past 50 years, but obesity rates have skyrocketed," he
said. "So there's obviously some huge environmental change towards
inactivity that's allowed people with this genetic predisposition to
sit more."
Increased food intake is blamed for most of the enormous rise in obesity numbers, but failing inactivity plays a significant role as well. How big of a role does this play? Researchers will continue to look into the ways we can decrease this killer.