Is Being Fat a Contagious Disease?
The prevalence of obesity has increased substantially over the past 30 years. As a result, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2007;357:370-379), was performed to analyze the nature and extent of the person-to-person spread of obesity as a possible factor contributing to the obesity epidemic. The study evaluated a densely interconnected social network of 12,067 people assessed repeatedly from 1971 to 2003 as part of the Framingham Heart Study. The body-mass index (BMI) was available for all subjects. Longitudinal statistical models were used to examine whether weight gain in one person was associated with weight gain in his or her friends, siblings, spouse, and neighbors. Results showed discernible clusters of obese persons (BMI 30) were present in the network at all time points, and the clusters extended to three degrees of separation. These clusters did not appear to be solely attributable to the selective formation of social ties among obese persons. A person’s chances of becoming obese increased by 57% if he or she had a friend who became obese in a given interval. Among pairs of adult siblings, if one sibling became obese, the chance that the other would become obese increased by 40%. If one spouse became obese, the likelihood that the other spouse would become obese increased by 37%. These effects were not seen among neighbors in the immediate geographic location. Persons of the same gender had relatively greater influence on each other than those of the opposite gender. It was concluded that Network Phenomena appear to be relevant to the biologic and behavioral trait of obesity, and that obesity appears to spread through social ties. And yes, these findings have implications for clinical and public health interventions.
I totally believe it. I was a lot smaller when all of my friends where skinny dudes. As I started hanging out withh family, and less with friends I gained a lot of weight.
:bsflag:
Come on now, obesity isn’t transmitted. I read the study Val, did you look at the methodology they used to make this preposterous claim? Glad I don’t do science that way, or I’d have to be two nostrils deep in some drug rep’s ass to stay afloat.
I agree. I think it’s funny how it takes a doctor to claim a sociological analysis. I mean, if you hang out with your friends and they like to eat, guess what, you will pick up their habbits.
All i know is that in college, there was a couple girls that were total babes that hung out with some bigger girls. Now they all have the identical bodies, the bigger ones didnt get bigger only the skinny ones.
Bullshit…if it is true then explain the skinny chick that hangs out with a fatchick to make her look better.
I don’t think they mean “transmitted” like a virus is. I would think a lot of it can be attributed to family habit. If you have parents that have an unhealthy diet/lifestyle, there’s a good chance the kids will too.
Let her hang out for a few years with the fat chick and she will be a fat chick too. Most skinny chicks hang in a group of skinny chicks, with one or two fatter chicks. You get one on one and the skinn bitch is getting fat.
Look at it this way, you got the skinny chick in the office with 5 five fat chicks. The five fat chicks go out to lunch every day, the skinny chick goes along to fit in. At first she eats salads. This leads to chicken, that leads to beef. Next think you know shes dropping two big macs, or chinese food every day. Fast forward two years the new skinny chick gets hired, now working with 6 fat chicks.
Point is, if you dont want to be fat, dont hang out with fat people.
LOL!!!
you gotta be kidding me, if that logic was true, then skinny dudes would swell to the size of thier fat brethren (basic metabolic rates attuning to others via external enironmental reinforcement). No fucking way. We’re not talking about women’s menstrual syncopation here, this is metabolic efficiency. True, the phenonmenon of women slowly going off whatever fad diet they’re using at the moment as the result going along with fatter friends is feasible, but claiming that metabolic function is altered by being near fat is stupid.
being fat is most definately contagious.
If your theory is correct, why would people gain weight as they age?
I believe you can change your metabolic structure just by consuming different foods. I believe many others Share this theory.
Lastly, assuming you are correct, and a persons metabolic structure never changes, what happens when that same person begins consuming 50%?
retarded.
there are more fat people because it’s incredibly american to consume until you are physically unable to consume further.
as i type this, i am sitting in panera with a glass of water, low-fat soup, and an apple. for most of my life, this meal would have been a snack at best. at worst, i wouldn’t have even considered these foods; i’d be across the parking lot at wendy’s, eating a classic triple with an order of nuggets, and drinking a 44 ounce Dr Pepper.
not to generalize, but as a culture we’re too impatient to take the time to prepare healthy food for every meal; we’re a society of immediacy. we’re also a society that will drink a half-gallon of soda because “it’s only ten cents more than a small”.
we eat shitty food. on top of that, we eat disgusting portions of it. we don’t worry about it until we’re obese, and even then we look for the easy way out (atkins, alli, etc…)
(i’m going to end this post before it becomes an editorial)
hahahahha
true…
but honestly its just another exscuse people can pull for being fat.
I agree. I was in Ireland a month ago and there were very few morbidly obese people. While walking the streets nearly everyone was “normal” size. I was shocked when I realized this. Same sample of people in America would be so much larger people. I don’t have scientific proof to back this, but think about the people who you work with or see around you. How many of them are overweight (most of us are at least a little, myself included) and how many are seriously obese. To me, this shows that the impact of society on our obesity epidemic.
Walk in Famous Dave’s BBQ any given night, take the percentage of fatties to skinnies, the results are to be expected.
that’s because most american’s can afford a cheap car and more importnatly cheap gas…in europe that ish is like 6-7 bux per gallon, so we can’t complain about our 3 bux per gallon for regular…these people are forced to use public transportation (which sucks in pgh) walk on foot, or ride a bicycle…guess what’s gonna make your metabolism more active when you do this 5 days a week if not more? you got it 
I think you hit the nail on the head there. People are fat because they are lazy, plain and simple. My parents are overweight because of years of being over worked trying to raise my sister and I. They didn’t have much time for themselves to exercise or make healthy meals. As a result they have gained weight for about 15 - 20 years and my sister and I were both overweight also. I met my wife when I was 16 and she helped me change my eating habits and I lost 20 lbs without working out. I just cut out the fast food, pop, pizza, ice cream, etc. for a few months and I felt and looked much better. I have decided that for the rest of my life I will make sure that I exercise and eat smart so that I can be a good role model for my kids. This obesity being contagous is pure BS and was probably determined by a bunch of fat scientists who need a reason why they got fat.
But would you have been 20lbs overweight if you grew up and your parents made the same vow as you? No bc you would have grown up eating healthy.