Obesity Linked More to High-Calorie Diet Than Physical Inactivity: Study

Update: 2025-07-21 07:30 GMT

New Delhi: A new study has found that increased caloric intake, rather than reduced physical activity, may be the primary cause of rising obesity levels across the globe. The research, led by scientists from Duke University in the United States, suggests that people in economically developed nations are not necessarily less active than those in less affluent regions challenging a widely held belief that sedentary lifestyles are to blame for the obesity epidemic.

Published recently in the journal PNAS, the study analyzed data from more than 4,200 adults aged 18 to 60, across 34 populations and six continents. The researchers examined thousands of measurements related to daily energy expenditure, body fat percentage, and body mass index (BMI).

While the findings showed a slight decrease in size-adjusted total energy expenditure with economic development, this accounted for only a small portion of the increased body fat seen in wealthier populations.

“It’s clear that changes in diet, not reduced activity, are the main cause of obesity,” said Herman Pontzer, principal investigator and Professor in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University.

“This suggests that other factors, such as dietary changes, are driving the increases in body fat that we see with increasing economic development,” added Amanda McGrosky, the study’s lead investigator and a postdoctoral researcher at Duke at the time. McGrosky is currently an assistant professor of biology at Elon University in the US.

The researchers emphasized that the study should not be interpreted as a reason to downplay the importance of physical activity. Rather, they argue that both diet and exercise play essential roles in maintaining a healthy body.

“Diet and physical activity should be viewed as essential and complementary, rather than interchangeable,” the study noted.

The research team plans to further investigate which specific aspects of diet in developed countries are contributing most to rising obesity rates.

(With inputs from IANS)

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