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The Independent
an hour ago
- Health
- The Independent
Being a couch potato has long been blamed for obesity - a new study has found the real cause
A new study has turned common conceptions of what causes obesity on its head, revealing that reduced physical activity may not have as large a role in our size as our diets. The study, published this week in PNAS, challenged common wisdom that people in developed nations such as the U.S. are relatively sedentary and burn fewer calories than people in less industrialized countries. Instead, it found that people living in developed nations burned the same amount of calories as people living in less-developed regions, such as farmers, herders and hunters and gatherers, who have much more active lifestyles. The report, which looked at energy expenditure and metabolic rates of more than 4,000 men and women from a variety of nations, suggests that inactivity is not the main cause of obesity both in the U.S. and elsewhere. The groundbreaking research found that what people eat 'plays a far greater role than reduced expenditure in the elevated prevalence of obesity associated with economic development.' Herman Pontzer, a professor and senior author of the study, told the Washington Post that the report's findings are important because they help health officials better know what causes obesity, leading to more successful treatments for patients. Pontzer and his 80-plus co-authors gathered data from labs around the world that use doubly labeled water in metabolism studies, which allows researchers to exactly determine how someone expends energy. The researchers calculated total energy expenditures for 4,213 men and women from 34 countries or cultural groups, and found they were similar, regardless of whether someone was an American office worker or a hunter-gatherer. Regardless of where they lived or how they spent their time, all the people spent similar amounts of energy and burned nearly the same amount of calories each day, the study found. Instead of finding that increased exercise will decrease obesity, the study suggests that 'increased energy intake has been roughly 10 times more important than declining total energy expenditure in driving the modern obesity crisis,' the authors wrote. Meaning, populations with greater rates of obesity are simply eating too much – and likely eating the wrong kinds of foods, Pontzer explained. 'This study confirms what I've been saying, which is that diet is the key culprit in our current [obesity] epidemic,' Barry Popkin, a professor at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an obesity expert, told the Post. 'This is a well-done study,' he added, to which other experts agreed. 'It's clear from this important new research and other studies that changes to our food, not our activity, are the dominant drivers of obesity,' Dariush Mozaffarian, the director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University in Boston, said. Pontzer, a co-author of the study, emphasized that the study's findings do not mean exercise is unimportant to our overall health. 'We know that exercise is essential for health. This study doesn't change that,' Pontzer said. The study, however, does suggest that to combat obesity, 'public health efforts need to focus on diet,' specifically ultra-processed foods, Pontzer said.
Global News
3 hours ago
- General
- Global News
Despite flood warning, Camp Mystic head waited 1 hour to evacuate 700 girls
The head of a Christian girls' camp in Texas, where 27 campers were killed during flash flooding, waited more than an hour after receiving a severe flood warning to begin evacuation proceedings, according to the Guardian. Richard Eastland, 70, who ran Camp Mystic with his family since the 1980s, was among those killed after the camp was overwhelmed and devastated by powerful floodwaters on July 4. The camp was located beside the Guadalupe River. A family spokesperson for the destroyed camp, Jeff Carr, told the Washington Post that Eastland received an emergency message on his phone from the National Weather Service at 1:14 a.m., alerting him of life-threatening flash flooding. Carr said Eastland didn't make the decision to begin evacuations until 2:30 a.m., and by that time, heavy rains had begun and water levels had risen significantly. At the time of the disaster, almost 700 girls were boarding at the camp. Two teenage counsellors had previously revealed to The Guardian that staff and campers were made to hand in their phones for the duration of their stay, meaning none of them had received news of the flood warnings. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen A search and rescue worker looks through debris for any survivors or remains of people swept up in the flash flooding on July 6, 2025 in Hunt, Texas. Jim Vondruska / Getty Images According to Carr, Eastland spent some time after receiving the alert conferring with family members about what course of action to take, some of whom lived on the 725-acre grounds. The Washington Post said the emergency alert did not contain an evacuation order — a procedure that falls under the local government's jurisdiction. Story continues below advertisement Carr explained that staff communicated over walkie-talkies until Eastland decided the situation had become critical, particularly for the dormitories closest to the riverbank, which housed Camp Mystic's youngest attendees. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Eastland was killed while trying to evacuate a group of young girls in his truck, Carr said. Many of the counsellors in charge of the dorms were teenagers and were left to make life-altering decisions without the guidance of adults, the Washington Post said. Carr said his family decided to share the details to silence speculation about the turn of events. 'It will be important to go through this process and avoid sharing information on a piecemeal basis,' he told the media outlet after a family meeting on Sunday. While some decisions made by camp staff have been explained, questions remain. The Post reported that the Hunt volunteer fire department, despite being the closest emergency response unit to Camp Mystic, did not receive any calls for help from the camp. View image in full screen A search and rescue volunteer holds a backpack and a T-shirt with the words Camp Mystic on it on July 6, 2025. The volunteer found the belongings along the Guadalupe River near Ingram, Texas. Danielle Villasana / Getty Images Meanwhile, families of some of the campers said they did not receive any notification from staff about the situation until an email shortly before 11:30 a.m. Story continues below advertisement In some areas, searches for the missing were paused on Sunday and Monday over fears of more rain and flash flooding. During a Kerr County commission meeting on Monday, officials shared new details about the scale of the disaster. 'We've heard accounts of trailer after trailer after trailer being swept into the river with families in them. [We] can't find the trailers, we don't know how many of them there are,' the county judge, Rob Kelly, said, adding that one trailer was found buried in gravel 27 feet below the surface of the river. Crews are using sonar to search the river and local lakes for more vehicles, and are draining two reservoirs connected to the river as part of the search, officials confirmed. According to CNN, the Kerr County sheriff, Larry Leitha, told reporters that recovery efforts could take up to six months. As of Monday, the flood death toll stands at 131.
Washington Post
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Paula Kerger is used to fighting for PBS. Now the stakes are higher.
The Public Broadcasting Service will survive — in some form — no matter how the Senate votes this week on a bill aimed at eliminating the $1.1 billion in federal funding allotted for public media over the next two years, according to PBS chief Paula Kerger. But for local member stations, the legislative package poses an 'existential' threat, she told The Washington Post in an interview Monday at PBS headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
Washington Post
9 hours ago
- Washington Post
Smarter, cheaper, happier travel
From unpredictable flight prices to record-breaking heat waves and ever-changing rules about passports and Real IDs, travel today is more complicated than ever. This week on 'Try This,' host Cristina Quinn sits down with Washington Post travel reporter Natalie Compton, who shares her best tips for navigating it all without losing your patience (or your luggage). Natalie breaks down exactly when and how to book flights for the best deals and why compression bags and eye masks might be your secret weapons. Plus, smart advice about visas, passport renewals, travel safety and how to get through customs quickly — no Global Entry required. Whether you're planning an international getaway or a local beach vacation, this episode will help you travel better, spend smarter and stay cool (literally and figuratively) this summer. Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.
Daily Mirror
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump warned of nuclear war by Russia over new Ukraine arms supply
US president Donald Trump has been hit with a scathing warning after he supplied weapons to Ukraine. It comes after his failed pleas for the two countries to agree to a ceasefire Donald Trump has been issued a chilling warning after supplying Ukraine with a barrage of weapons to protect themselves against Russia. The American president confirmed he has given US -made Patriot air defence missiles as support in the raging war. His main ally, Republican senator Lindsey Graham, said the leader has shown a growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back. 'In the coming days, you'll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves,' he said on Sunday. Trump's actions has sparked a furious response from Moscow, with state TV propagandist Aleksandr Sladkov stressing that the president "should be scared." The war pundit added: 'Trump is trying to scare us with missiles, but this is difficult to do. Trump should be scared. Everyone is trying to push us to turn Kyiv and Lviv into Hiroshima and Nagasaki.' The new Trump deal green lights the supply of possible $10 billion ( £7,408,500,000.00 ) worth of defensive and offensive missiles and other arms, to be paid for by US allies in Europe along with Canada, as well as the threat of sledgehammer sanctions if Putin refuses to negotiate in 50 days. Sladkov declared: 'Imagine our country under attack by American cruise missiles, like Yugoslavia, Iraq, etc. I am sure that the Yars should go in response.' Yars are Russia's main land-based strategic nuclear weapons - each missile typically carries three or four nuclear warheads. Each has a yield estimated between 100 and 300 kilotons, making each warhead between seven and 20 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Frothing Putin TV propagandist Vladimir Solovyov claimed the arming of Ukraine by NATO meant a full scale war. 'The question is about the survival of our country,' he fumed on Kremlin-funded state TV. 'We are already at war. It cannot be avoided. The [Western] task is to destroy our country. We are not fighting in Ukraine, we are fighting with NATO. Understand this already.' This came as it was claimed the US president had quizzed Volodymyr Zelensky on why he did not heap pressure on Vladimir Putin by attacking capital city Moscow, a disclosure likely to further infuriate Moscow. 'We can if you give us the weapons,' Zelensky replied, according to the Washington Post. It has emerged the US considered approving long range Tomahawk cruise missiles for Kyiv, but for now has not done so, but evidently has approved using American-supplied ATACMS missiles inside Russia to a fuller range of almost 200 miles. Ultranationalist politician Leonid Slutsky, leader of the hardline Liberal Democratic Party, said: 'As for the talk about preparations for resuming the process of missile deliveries to the Ukrainian junta: this will certainly be a step back, but will not fundamentally change the situation on the front for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The goals of the [war] will be achieved in any case - either through negotiations or on the battlefield.'
