Does High Calorie Diet Matters More Than Lack Of Exercise In Obesity Fight?

It’s common knowledge that obesity is a global epidemic, particularly in industrialized countries, and that it is a major cause of disease and poor overall health. However, there has been a tug-of-war in the debate of whether the main cause of obesity is diet or a lack of exercise. Calories consumed must be expended as energy, whether through physical activity or basal activity—the inherent processes within the body that use up energy, such as breathing or digesting food. When it comes to obesity, it has been unclear if too many calories are being consumed on average to be used by normal activity or if there is not enough activity to expend a reasonable amount of calories. A new study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focuses on the problem of diet vs. exercise. Amanda McGrosky and her team analyzed data from 4,213 adults, aged 18 to 60, across 34 populations in six continents. The sample is impressively diverse and covers people from hunter-gatherer groups, pastoralists, farmers, and industrialized societies. This includes people with a wide range of diets and activity levels.

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Source: Medical Xpress