The New England Journal of Medicine just published an article that examined the eating habits of over 120,000 people from three studies. They found that two-thirds of American adults are overweight. Childhood obesity has tripled in the past three decades.
Their weight was measured every four years for up to two decades and diet analyzed. On average, participants gained nearly 17 pounds. Potato chips were the biggest offenders leading to an average weight gain of 1.69 pounds per four year period. Other potatoes resulted in a 1.28 pound gain. Sweets and desserts averaged 0.41 pounds.
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It wasn’t just food that increased weight. Watching an hour of TV increased weight 0.31 pounds, an alcoholic drink a day, 0.41 pounds, and quitting smoking, a 5 pound weight increase. Those who slept more or less than six to eight hours gained more weight.
One study leader, Dr. Frank Hu stated: “There is no magic bullet for weight control. Diet and exercise are important for preventing weight gain, but diet clearly plays a bigger role.”