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New Duke Study Finds Obesity Rises with Caloric Intake, Not Couch Time
GLOBAL POPULATIONS ACROSS SIX CONTINENTS, JUL 21 – The study analyzed over 4,200 adults and found diet changes, not physical inactivity, are the main cause of obesity in wealthier countries, Duke researchers report.
- On July 21, 2025, Duke University researchers published a PNAS study, `higher caloric intake as the primary driver`, challenging the belief that inactivity causes obesity.
- Previous theories focused on reduced exercise, but the study found people in wealthier countries expend just as much or more energy daily.
- Researchers analysed thousands of measurements of daily energy expenditure, body fat and BMI across more than 4,200 adults from 34 populations on six continents, and Amanda McGrosky said `...dietary changes, are driving the increases in body fat that we see with increasing economic development`.
- According to Herman Pontzer, `It's clear that changes in diet, not reduced activity, are the main cause of obesity in the U.S. and other developed countries`, while the study notes `Diet and physical activity should be viewed as essential and complementary, rather than interchangeable`.
- Next, the study team will examine which aspects of diet in developed countries are most responsible for the rise in obesity.
11 Articles
11 Articles
You’re Not Lazy – But Your Diet Might Be Making You Fat
Think obesity is all about being inactive? Think again. A global study from Duke University reveals that people in wealthier countries are just as active—sometimes even more so. The real problem isn’t how little we move, but how much we eat. After analyzing 34 populations across six continents, researchers found that as nations become richer, [...]
Exercise is healthy - but if you want to lose weight, you have to have a focus on what comes on your plate. A new study shows that diet contributes ten times more to the increase in obesity than lack of exercise. By Doris Tromballa.
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Lack of exercise isn’t the main cause of obesity, new study finds
Click here for more articles by Kormedi.com Obesity is widely known to be a key driver of health complications and chronic diseases, but the debate over whether poor diet or lack of physical activity plays a greater role continues. While the body must burn calories through basic functions like breathing and digestion or physical movement, researchers have questioned whether obesity is primarily driven by consuming too many calories or by failing…
Lifestyle solution might yield better results for Indians with obesity risk, says study
Hyderabad, July 22 (IANS) Lifestyle solutions or specific nutrient supplementation might yield better results for Indians with genetic risk of obesity, reveals a study. Many gene variants previously associated with… Continue reading Lifestyle solution might yield better results for Indians with obesity risk, says study The post Lifestyle solution might yield better results for Indians with obesity risk, says study first appeared on Australia Ind…
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