Obesity contagious?

New research appearing in the July 26 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine suggest that obesity isn't just spreading; rather, it may be contagious between people, like a common cold.Researchers from Harvard and the University of California, San Diego, reviewed a database of 12,067 densely interconnected people — that is, a group that included many families and friends — who had all participated in a major American heart study between 1971 and 2003. In pairs of people in which each identified the other as a close friend, when one person became obese the other had a 171% greater chance of following suit. "You are what you eat isn't the end of the story," says study co-author James Fowler, a political scientist at UC San Diego. "You are what you and your friends eat.""I would hope this influences individuals to get friends and families involved in decisions about health," Fowler says. After all, he says, a weight-loss plan may be more effective if the people closest to you are on board. And, if you're successful, your good health will help others achieve a healthy weight too. The impact extends not just to your friends, it turns out — but also to your friends' friends, and even to their friends."This study suggests that if we're fighting obesity without taking into account the social aspect, we're going to be acting with our hands behind our backs." Most people recognize that smoking behavior and drinking behavior are influenced by group standards. But such thinking is relatively new for obesity, still so often thought of as an individual's moral failing or clinical condition.

Hey everyone. THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR YEARS! It is not about just the physical. Losing weight and gaining fitness is about a balance of mind, body, and spirit. That is what Fat Proof is all about. It is good to see the science supporting both Scripture and common sense!
Run long.
Source:Time.com studyhttp://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1119284179/bclid1119245881/bctid1124857736