Physical inactivity is the main reason we’re getting pudgier:
Researchers crunching data from the massive National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) have found that American obesity (as in the epidemic) might not have much to do with calories at all. In fact, over the past 20 years, calorie consumption mainly stayed flat, while daily physical activity went through the floor. We’re gaining weight because we don’t move as much as we used to, according to the investigators.
Specifically, the percentage of women reporting no daily physical activity jumped from 19.1 percent in 1994 to 51.7 percent in 2010, while the same for men jumped from 11.4 percent to 43.7 percent during the same period. The average body mass index spiked for both groups.
The Dish 