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a number of aspects of modern living -- from lack of sleep to exposure to living with air conditioning -- may be feeding Americans' weight woes.
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Fast food meals and TV time shouldn't take all the blame for the U.S.obesityproblem, according to a research review published Tuesday.
In fact, a group of researchers contend, a number of aspects of modern living -- from lack of sleep to exposure to living with air conditioning -- may be feeding Americans' weight woes.
Writing in the International Journal of Obesity, they argue that obesity research and prevention efforts need to look beyond the "Big Two" -- food industry practices, likebeefed-upportion sizes and added sugar; and reduced physical activity from factors such as cuts in school gym classes.
That's not to say that diet and exercise aren't important. However, the evidence linking obesity to food industry marketing and lack of gym class is circumstantial.
Lack of sleep is one, they say. Research in animals and humans suggests thatchronicsleep deprivation boosts appetite and eating, and studies also show that U.S. adults and children are sleeping less than they used to. In recent decades, adults have gone from sleeping for an average of 9 hours to about 7 hours, the researchers point out.
Another factor potentiallyweighing Americans downis air conditioning. The body burns calories when forced to regulate its own temperature, and people tend to eat less in hot, humid weather.
The report cites 10 potential obesity risk factors in all, including: increased rates of older mothers, whose children may be more prone to excess weight gain; a range of medications, such as antidepressants, which can promote weight gain; and a decrease in smoking rates, because people often gain weight when they quit and the absence of nicotine, an appetite suppressant.
No one is suggesting that people should stop taking their prescriptions, keep smoking or swelter in the July sun, according to the researcher Allison. When it comes to any one person's weight, he said, "what ultimately matters is calorie intake and calorie expenditure."
(Agencies)
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本周二公布的一項調查顯示：美國人不能把肥胖問題完全歸咎于快餐飲食和長時間看電視。
一個研究小組認為，事實上，現代生活中有很多因素都有可能導致美國人不幸超重，比如睡眠不足和使用空調。
刊登于《國際肥胖期刊》的一份研究報告稱，肥胖癥研究和預防不能局限于“兩大因素”——餐飲業的某些做法，如加大食物的分量或含糖量；運動量減少，如學校取消體育課。
這并不是說飲食和運動不重要，無論怎樣，肥胖是否直接跟飲食業的市場策略和缺少體育課有關系得視情況而言。
研究人員指出：睡眠不足也是誘發肥胖的一大因素。通過對動物和人體的研究發現，長期缺乏睡眠會刺激食欲。研究同時顯示，美國成年人和兒童目前的睡眠時間比過去少。近幾十年，成年人每天平均睡眠時間由過去的9小時降至7小時。
另一個誘發美國人肥胖焦慮的潛在因素是空調。當體溫自動進行調節時，身體會消耗熱量，同時，濕熱的天氣會讓人們減少食量。
研究報告列舉了誘發肥胖的十大因素：大齡媽媽比例增加，她們的后代可能更容易超重；一些藥物會導致體重超標，如抗抑郁病藥；煙民比例減少——尼古丁有抑制食欲的作用，所以吸煙者一旦戒煙會導致體重增加。
據研究人員艾利森介紹，這項研究并不是建議人們停止使用藥方、繼續吸煙或忍受炎暑的折磨。當談到個人的體重問題時，艾利森說，“最重要的還是看你攝取和消耗了多少熱量。”
(英語點津陳蓓編輯)
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