What causes obesity? A major new study is upending common wisdom.
Why? A major study published this week in PNAS brings surprising clarity to that question. Using objective data about metabolic rates and energy expenditure among more than 4,000 men and women living in dozens of nations across a broad spectrum of socioeconomic conditions, the study quantified how many calories people from different cultures burn most days.
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4 hours ago
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You Can't Outrun a Bad Diet and This Study Proves It
For years, people have blamed their expanding waistlines on not spending enough time at the gym. But a new study suggests the real problem may be what's on your plate, not how often you hit the treadmill. Scientists analyzed the daily calorie burn, body fat percentage, and BMI of more than 4,000 adults from diverse backgrounds, ranging from hunter-gatherers to office workers. Their conclusion? The amount of energy people expend each day is surprisingly similar, regardless of their lifestyle. So if we're all burning roughly the same amount of calories, why is obesity still climbing? Researchers say the answer is simple, and it's sitting in your pantry. 'We're not gaining weight because we stopped moving. We're gaining because we're overfed,' Florida neurosurgeon and longevity expert Dr. Brett Osborn, who wasn't part of the study but backs its findings, told Fox News Digital. Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study revealed that overeating is about 10 times more important than a lack of exercise in fueling the global obesity crisis. And while exercise is critical for heart health, mental well-being, and longevity, experts warn that counting on it to control weight isn't realistic. 'Exercise burns far fewer calories than people want to believe,' Osborn said. Adding to the problem is our growing addiction to ultraprocessed foods—calorie-packed, shelf-stable snacks engineered to override the body's natural signals of fullness. These foods make it dangerously easy to overeat, experts say, and they're driving obesity in places that never struggled with it before. Lindsay Allen, a registered dietitian, pointed out that building muscle and managing stress are also key factors in maintaining a healthy metabolism, but nothing replaces getting your diet in check. 'If you're worried about excess body fat, focus on calories in,' study authors Amanda McGrosky and Amy Luke advised. In other words, it's time to stop blaming the gym and start looking in the Can't Outrun a Bad Diet and This Study Proves It first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 20, 2025
Fox News
2 days ago
- Fox News
DR. MARC SIEGEL: More bad news about our kids' health. Is Ozempic the solution?
The disturbing news about our young children's health is coming at us fast and furious. First we find out that there is an obesity epidemic among our youth, that more than 20% (perhaps more) are now obese, and I can tell you as a practicing internist that today's obese child could be tomorrow's obese adult with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or stroke. And now we find out that, according to the latest CDC data, a third of all children ages 12 to 17 have pre-diabetes. Please note: this is not connected to the kind of diabetes (type 1) that is autoimmune or tied to genetics and the most common form diagnosed it childhood, but the kind (type 2) where you don't make enough insulin to drive the glucose you have into the cells and where insulin resistance builds up. And it doesn't take actual type 2 diabetes to do that. Pre-diabetes is well on the road to actual diabetes, though it can often still be reversed by lifestyle changes. The inflammation and excess glucose associated with pre-diabetes can also damage kidneys, coronary arteries, retinas, and nerves, whether a child goes on to develop full type 2 diabetes or not. Considering that between 21 and 40% of obese patients have pre-diabetes, and considering that the GLP1 agonist drugs including Ozempic and Wegovy are highly effective at not just glucose control but also weight loss, and adding to that they appear to have cardioprotective effects and are also seemingly good for the brain, it is no surprise that there is a huge clamor for them all across America. So shouldn't all of our children with a weight or sugar problem be on them? The answer is a resounding no. Not only are there concerns about gastrointestinal side effects and intolerance, but optical side effects (headaches, macular degeneration, and even loss of vision have been reported) need to be further studied along with thyroid cancer concerns. Currently, there is no data on long-term side effects and a child who, once committed to them, could be on these drugs for life. It is easy to see that the benefits outweigh the risks much more for adults than for most children. Also, at a time when there is an epidemic of social media and excess screen-time addiction, where our children's diets are filled with ultra-processed high-sugar foods, when too many children are not exercising, I feel it would be a big mistake to rush to these semaglutide drugs as a quick fix to the problem. Don't get me wrong, I much prefer the drugs to the long-term side effects of obesity, which include all the diseases and more mentioned above. If I knew for sure that a child was in a group where they were destined for diabetes or heart disease because of their weight and I could do something about it, of course I would, but most of the time there are lifestyle changes to promote first. Clearly, we have a long way to go to improve our kids' diets, but now is the time to start. For those children with persistent obesity and/or prediabetes, a nutritionist along with an endocrinologist should be involved, but for most, it should be a very runway before the Ozempic or Wegovy plane is launched, at least for now.
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2 days ago
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Study reveals primary cause of obesity — and it's not lack of exercise
Obesity among adults continues to be a major public health issue in the United States and other economically developed countries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). "It's a mix of poor diet, high stress levels, lack of muscle and lack of frequent movement," Lindsay Allen, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Back in Balance Nutrition in Florida, told Fox News Digital. While both overeating and lack of exercise are often to blame, a new global study suggests that one factor far outweighs the other. Your Dna Could Be Stopping You From Losing Weight, New Study Suggests Scientists studied more than 4,000 adults from 34 populations, ranging from hunter-gatherer communities to office workers. They analyzed each person's total energy expenditure (TEE), which is the number of calories burned daily, along with body fat percentage and BMI (body mass index). Read On The Fox News App When adjusted for body size, people across all lifestyles and income levels burned similar amounts of energy, even if their daily routines were drastically different. "The differences in body fat that we see across populations likely aren't due to major differences in activity level or total daily energy burned," study authors Amanda McGrosky (from Elon University in North Carolina) and Amy Luke (Loyola University in Illinois) told Fox News Digital. "Rather, excess body fat is likely primarily the product of too many 'calories in,' or eating more calories than are burned." Scientists May Have Discovered Why The Pounds Come Back After Losing Weight People in more economically developed areas burned more calories, the researchers noted — but that's primarily because they tend to weigh more, and heavier bodies naturally burn more energy. Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the study concluded that how much people eat plays a far greater role than the amount of exercise when it comes to putting on weight. "Our analyses suggest that increased energy intake has been roughly 10 times more important than declining activity rates in driving the modern obesity crisis," the authors stated. Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon and longevity expert, agrees with the adage that "you can't out-train a bad diet." "Exercise burns far fewer calories than people want to believe," Osborn, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. "This latest data only confirms what I've seen in my clinic: We're not gaining weight because we stopped moving. We're gaining because we're overfed." Allen pointed out that muscle mass should also be considered. "Having sufficient muscle is what drastically improves metabolism and fat-burning capabilities," she told Fox News Digital, also emphasizing the importance of stress levels. "People who live in high-stress societies tend to be fatter because stress hormones change our metabolism and shift us into 'survival mode.'" Scientists Can Detect Junk Food Consumption In Blood And Urine Tests Another finding involves ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), which have long ingredient lists that are often calorie-dense, shelf-stable and "highly palatable." "As more populations are exposed to increasing amounts of highly processed, highly palatable foods, we will likely see increases in obesity in regions with relatively low rates currently," the study authors predicted. Ultraprocessed foods tend to be easier to overeat due to their flavor and texture, and they also don't keep people feeling full, the study found. They are also more calorie-dense, meaning they pack more energy into smaller volumes, and are more easily absorbed, making it harder for the body to eliminate excess energy. "Ultraprocessed foods are engineered to override our biology, namely our satiety signaling in the brain," Osborn told Fox News Digital. "They also promote inflammation and shift our physiology to a state that favors fat accumulation over fat burning." The researchers pointed out that physical activity is still important, particularly for cardiovascular health, mental well-being and longevity. Allen noted that people "need to consider all the other benefits of exercise and shift the mindset away from how many calories they are burning (which actually doesn't work very well for weight loss) toward building as much strength and muscle as they can." Osborn agreed, recommending "progressively intense and challenging workouts" — strength training in particular — to help boost the metabolic rate and facilitate fat-burning. "As I always say to my patients, "By virtue of proper nutrition and strength training, your body will not only burn fat, but it will also burn fat fast." Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter However, Allen noted, when it comes to preventing obesity, the findings point to excess calorie consumption — particularly ultraprocessed foods — as the major contributing factor. "If you're worried about excess body fat, focus on calories in," McGrosky and Luke advised. "Especially over the long term, it's much harder to meaningfully change the total number of calories you burn than it is to change the number of calories you take in." For more Health articles, visit Osborn added that the problem isn't laziness or lack of movement. "It's the constant stream of ultraprocessed, nutrient-void products being shoveled into mouths under the guise of health or convenience," he said. "And it's killing us — slowly, predictably and en masse."Original article source: Study reveals primary cause of obesity — and it's not lack of exercise Solve the daily Crossword
