Fatherhood makes men fat

They may sleep less, be less physically active, and experience more stress. And then that weight is not always easy to lose once the baby is born.

Luckily, a little extra weight is pretty easy to combat – but it requires doing all the boring stuff.

The dad bod has been a hot topic in the past few months, with commenters weighing in on every side from those who love the look to those who call the topic sexist. The researchers only found a slight difference between resident fathers and nonresident fathers, who gained around 3.3 pounds on average. High BMI and weight, however, can be detrimental in the long run since they increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer.

A new study for American Journal of Men’s Health analysed the BMI of around 10,000 men from adolescence into their mid-30s.

While the study notes previous research that has shown marriage can cause weight gain, the added poundage from fatherhood is in addition to that. However, the average 6-foot-tall man who did not have children was found to have lost about 1.4 pounds. That’s a 2.6 percent rise in BMI for resident dads and a 2 percent rise in BMI for non-resident dads after controlling for other variables. Future studies should also examine men’s weight for a longer period after entry into fatherhood, the researchers said.

He speculates that new dads’ weight gain is due to a change in lifestyle and eating habits. Once you have kids, your responsibilities shift, and therefore you may not prioritize exercise and staying in shape in general. And they may be snacking more – perhaps without realizing it. A dad himself, Garfield said his weakness is finishing his kids’ leftover cheese pizza.

And why is this weight gain important? To which they emphasize that the dad bod study is to focus more on preventive strategies for men entering fatherhood.

Also, the results suggested that an overweight father has a big influence on his children’s weight. The study wasn’t conducted in order to arrive to that conclusion, but an outside expert says the research is “provocative and should spark further study”.

It was found that out of the total sample; about one-third of the men became fathers during the study period. Data on older first-time fathers might reveal different results.

Researchers said that while BMIs normally do change while men age, these men’s fluctuations depended on whether they were dads.