Invention of the microwave unleashed global obesity ripple effect

by David Gutierrez

(NaturalNews) The invention of the microwave may have been intimately connected to the beginning of an epidemic in obesity, according to Jane Wardle, a professor of clinical psychology at University College London. "I looked at the figures showing rates of obesity in the population over many years, and it seemed very clear [that] it began between 1984 and 1987," Wardle said in a debate at the Cheltenham Science Festival, which took place from June 6-10.

"We looked at what changes were going on in the food and activity world at that time, and one of the striking differences was ... in the speed with which we could prepare a meal."

The microwave oven first became a common household appliance in the mid-1980s. Wardle claims that the introduction of the microwave led to cheaper, easy meals -- including microwave dinners -- appearing in stores.

"I'm not trying to demonize the microwave, but it was emblematic of a change that took place in the 1980s in terms of the availability of food -- a real change in the disincentives for eating."

Between 1980 and 2004, obesity rates in the United Kingdom skyrocketed from 8 percent of women and 6 percent of men to 24 percent of both men and women. From 1995 to 2003, the rate of obesity among children leaped from 10 to 16 percent.

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http://www.naturalnews.com/023050.html

A good night's sleep the key to staying slim

Sleeping for eight hours a night is the secret to not putting weight on, according to scientists.

They found that those who slept for less than six hours a night - or more than nine - put on more weight than those who slept for seven or eight hours each night.

The research published in the Journal Sleep found those who did not get enough sleep gained almost 4.4lbs (2kg) compared to those who slept for the recommended number of hours.

Those who had too much sleep gained 1.58 kilos (1.58kg) more than those who slept for the recommended number of hours over six years.

Short sleepers were 27 per cent more likely to become obese and long sleepers were 21 per cent more likely than those had an average night’s sleep.

The research also found that things were worse for people who got less sleep as they were 35 per cent more likely to gain 11lbs (5kg) over six years than those who had seven or eight hours sleep.

Those who slept too long were 25 per cent more likely to gain 11lbs (5kg) in the same time.

The reason that the amount of sleep a person gets can govern their weight is because sleep affects hormones levels, especially those involved in appetite and feeling full after a meal.

The study was carried out by Jean-Philippe Chaput, of Laval University in Quebec, Canada.

He said: “Our study provides evidence that both short and long sleeping times predict an increased risk of future body weight and fat gain in adults.

"Furthermore, these results emphasize the need to add sleep duration to the list of environmental factors that are prevalent in our society and that contribute to weight gain and obesity.

"Since preventing obesity is important, a pragmatic approach adding sleep hygiene advice to encouragement towards a healthy diet and physical activity may help manage the obesity epidemic.”

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1583526/A-good-night%27s-sleep-the-key-to-staying-slim.html

The Obese Feel More Discrimination

As obesity rates continue to rise in the U.S., so might our acceptance of those who are overweight. But a new study from Yale University suggests the converse trend: rather than feeling tolerance in our society, the overweight and obese say they feel more heavily discriminated against now than they did a decade ago.

Led by Tatiana Andreyeva, a postdoctoral research associate at Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, a team of researchers questioned 1,100 subjects, aged 35 to 74, twice over a 10-year span (once between 1995 and 1996, and again between 2004 and 2006). The respondents answered 11 questions about whether they had been discriminated against in the context of common life experiences — including applying to college or for a scholarship, renting or buying a home in a neighborhood they desired, applying for a bank loan or dealing with police. Participants answered nine additional questions about everyday experiences, such as how they were treated in restaurants, and whether they had encountered name-calling, harassment or threats. The subjects were asked to indicate the reasons they felt they had been discriminated against (facing police harassment, for example, or being denied bank loans), whether it was because of age, gender, race, height or weight, physical disability, sexual orientation or religion. Between the two survey periods, the rate of discrimination due to height or weight increased from 7% of respondents to 12% of respondents. (The scientists determined separately that the people who reported discrimination due to height or weight were also more likely than other participants to be overweight or obese.)

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http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1730150,00.html