Are junk food and fizzy drinks really to blame for obesity?
Whilst junk food and fizzy drinks have often been portrayed as the villains in the fight against obesity, they may not be the leading causes of obesity according to a new study published in Obesity Science & Practice. Researchers reviewed a nationally (according to the USA) representative group of adults and found that consumption of fast food, fizzy drinks and sweets was not linked to BMI for 95% of the population. The study used data from the Centers for Disease Control’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2007-08, which contained over 5,000 participants. They looked at anthropometric body measurements, including height and weight, and then combined these findings with questionnaires about diet. There was no significant difference in consumption of these foods between overweight and normal weight individuals. However they did not take into account differences between those with increased waist circumferences and normal weights
These findings led the team to believe that, whilst it is not recommended to over-indulge in these foods, they are not the overwhelming contributors to obesity. Dr David Just, a co-author for the study, suggested that campaigns that demonise certain foods may not be doing as much good as we’d thought, and it is behaviours and overall diet that need to be targeted in order to effectively curb obesity.
