Junk Food Isn’t to Blame for the Obesity Epidemic, Study Says

Potato chips are the main culprit in the obesity epidemic facing the world’s youth, according to a study by Duke National University of Singapore that “looked at the types of food that are associated with overweight and obese children”, Christopher Ingraham reports for The Washington Post.

Physical activity is important to consider, too, registered dietitian nutritionist Beth Warren, author of Living a Real Life With Real Food tells Yahoo Health. “More importantly, if you’re thinking about this in terms of food policy and how to encourage people to have healthier diets and be a healthy weight, targeting narrowly these foods probably isn’t going to do it. It’s more complicated than that. It’s something else. It’s their broader diet or it’s their exercise regimen”.

According to the researchers, the real problem is that too many Americans eat too much. They found that consumption of soda, candy and fast food is not linked to Body Mass Index (BMI) for 95% of the population. The exception was for those who were severely underweight or morbidly obese.

Dr David Just said: “This means that diets and health campaigns aimed at reducing and preventing obesity may be off track if they hinge on demonising specific foods”.

The researchers, while acknowledging that junk food is an unhealthy dietary choice, say junk food is getting far more blame for America’s obesity epidemic that it deserves.

“For 95% of the country, there is no relationship between how much fast food and junk food they’re eating and their weight”, Just said. The study showed that the majority of overweight people and obese people in the United States did not consume an inordinate amount of soda, sweets, or fast food compared to people that had a normal body weight.

These findings suggest that clinicians and practitioners seeking to help individuals obtain a healthy weight should examine how overall consumption patterns, such as snacking, and physical activity influence weight instead of just eliminating “junk foods” from patient’s diets. A new study found there is no link between junk food and weight for most Americans.

Just says he “started poking around” after he made his initial findings and found that there are a few foods that are correlated with a lower BMI.

“When people are focusing primarily on the healthier, nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats, there’s room for a daily treat if it fits within their daily calorie needs”, she says.