Eating Patterns Linked to Obesity
There may be more to weight control than just eating right and exercising, a new study in the American Journal of Epidemiology (Vol. 158, No. 1: 85-92) suggests. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School have found that eating patterns -- frequency of meals, skipping meals, eating out -- also may play a role in obesity, a risk factor for some cancers.
"You really need to spread your calories across your day and eat your breakfast," said lead researcher Yunsheng Ma, PhD, an epidemiologist in the medical school's Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine.
, 百拇医药
Spreading out the calories by eating frequently and not skipping meals helps stabilize insulin levels in the blood, and that, in turn, helps control hunger and how fat is deposited in the body, Ma said.
A Growing Problem
Obesity is a serious health concern in the United States. Not only does excess weight raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes, it also increases the risk of many cancers. A recent study by American Cancer Society researchers determined that 90,000 cancer deaths could be prevented each year if people could maintain a healthy body weight.
, 百拇医药
Yet Americans have been getting fatter over the past two decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites), more than 60% of Americans are overweight, defined as having a body mass index (a ratio of height to weight) over 25. Of those, nearly half (27%) qualify as obese, with a body mass index of 30 or more. In 1980, just 15% of Americans were considered obese.
Eating patterns, eating more food, and eating different types of food may account for part of this dramatic increase, Ma said.
, 百拇医药
Breakfast Eaters, Snackers Tend to be Leaner
Ma and his colleagues studied the eating patterns of nearly 500 adults aged 20-70 who were already enrolled in a separate study of cholesterol levels. Several times over the course of a year, the researchers asked the participants about their eating and exercise habits, and measured their weight.
After controlling for calorie intake and exercise, they found three eating habits that were significantly associated with obesity.
, 百拇医药
People who ate four or more times during the day were 45% less likely to be obese than people who ate three times a day or less. Previous studies have also found this association. Eating fewer, larger meals may cause insulin to spike, which could cause more blood sugar to be stored as fat.
Skipping breakfast was also associated with obesity. People who routinely skipped breakfast were more than four times as likely to be obese as those who ate breakfast regularly. "People who skip meals are more likely to overeat at another time," Ma said. Skipping a meal lowers blood sugar, which triggers hunger, he explained.
, http://www.100md.com
Eating in restaurants was the third factor that seemed to play a role in obesity. People who frequently ate breakfast or dinner in restaurants had about two times the risk of being obese as those who ate these meals at home.
That association is somewhat easier to explain, Ma said. Restaurant meals tend to be higher in calories and higher in fat, and people tend to overindulge when they eat in restaurants. "Everything is supersized, so you have a lot and you don't want to waste food, so you eat what you're given," he said. It's important to make smart food choices when eating out, he added.
, http://www.100md.com
Ma was careful to note that his results don't prove this association; scientists cannot say with certainty that eating out, skipping meals or eating just three meals a day actually cause obesity. But they're related to it in some way. More research will be needed to determine how these factors interact with other aspects of weight management like calorie intake and physical activity., 百拇医药
"You really need to spread your calories across your day and eat your breakfast," said lead researcher Yunsheng Ma, PhD, an epidemiologist in the medical school's Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine.
, 百拇医药
Spreading out the calories by eating frequently and not skipping meals helps stabilize insulin levels in the blood, and that, in turn, helps control hunger and how fat is deposited in the body, Ma said.
A Growing Problem
Obesity is a serious health concern in the United States. Not only does excess weight raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes, it also increases the risk of many cancers. A recent study by American Cancer Society researchers determined that 90,000 cancer deaths could be prevented each year if people could maintain a healthy body weight.
, 百拇医药
Yet Americans have been getting fatter over the past two decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites), more than 60% of Americans are overweight, defined as having a body mass index (a ratio of height to weight) over 25. Of those, nearly half (27%) qualify as obese, with a body mass index of 30 or more. In 1980, just 15% of Americans were considered obese.
Eating patterns, eating more food, and eating different types of food may account for part of this dramatic increase, Ma said.
, 百拇医药
Breakfast Eaters, Snackers Tend to be Leaner
Ma and his colleagues studied the eating patterns of nearly 500 adults aged 20-70 who were already enrolled in a separate study of cholesterol levels. Several times over the course of a year, the researchers asked the participants about their eating and exercise habits, and measured their weight.
After controlling for calorie intake and exercise, they found three eating habits that were significantly associated with obesity.
, 百拇医药
People who ate four or more times during the day were 45% less likely to be obese than people who ate three times a day or less. Previous studies have also found this association. Eating fewer, larger meals may cause insulin to spike, which could cause more blood sugar to be stored as fat.
Skipping breakfast was also associated with obesity. People who routinely skipped breakfast were more than four times as likely to be obese as those who ate breakfast regularly. "People who skip meals are more likely to overeat at another time," Ma said. Skipping a meal lowers blood sugar, which triggers hunger, he explained.
, http://www.100md.com
Eating in restaurants was the third factor that seemed to play a role in obesity. People who frequently ate breakfast or dinner in restaurants had about two times the risk of being obese as those who ate these meals at home.
That association is somewhat easier to explain, Ma said. Restaurant meals tend to be higher in calories and higher in fat, and people tend to overindulge when they eat in restaurants. "Everything is supersized, so you have a lot and you don't want to waste food, so you eat what you're given," he said. It's important to make smart food choices when eating out, he added.
, http://www.100md.com
Ma was careful to note that his results don't prove this association; scientists cannot say with certainty that eating out, skipping meals or eating just three meals a day actually cause obesity. But they're related to it in some way. More research will be needed to determine how these factors interact with other aspects of weight management like calorie intake and physical activity., 百拇医药