I recently stumbled upon a TikTok claiming that people 30 years ago were more in shape than people today, maintaining the same amount of diet and exercise. At first, I thought that there was no way — but I was proven wrong once I did a bit more digging.
A study was recently published in a journal, Obesity Research & Clinical Practice, proving that it’s harder for adults today to keep the same weight as those 30 years ago did. Publishers examined the dietary and physical activity data of roughly 15,000 people from 1988 to 2006. They found a surprising — and alarming — correlation: people today are 10% heavier than people were in the ’80s, even if they eat and exercise exactly the same. Any given person today, taking in the same calories, exercising the same, and of the same age would have a higher BMI than someone did in 1988.
Jennifer Kuk, a professor of kinesiology and health science at Toronto’s York University, presented factors that might be making it harder for adults today to stay healthy. She claims that people today are exposed to more chemicals that might be “weight-gain inducing.” This includes pesticides, flame retardants and other substances in food packaging that can alter our hormonal processes and change the way our bodies put on weight. Kuk also mentioned that the use of prescription drugs has risen dramatically since the 1980s. Specifically, antidepressants are now one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States, and many of them have been linked to weight gain. Finally, she believes that the microbiomes of adults may have changed between the 1980s and now. People are eating more meat than they were a few decades ago, and many animal products are treated with hormones and antibiotics. Beyond meat, the rapid increase in the use of artificial sweeteners could be playing a role in the altering of our guts.
“The fact that the body weight of Americans today is influenced by factors beyond their control is a sign that society should be kinder to people of all body types.”
Jennifer Kuk, professor at York University
With this in mind, it’s important to focus on what you put into your body. Of course, there are things that are unavoidable — chemicals in the air, packaged foods, etc. That being said, I’ve started focusing more on ingredient labels on foods that I purchase. For example, high-fructose corn syrup (which is found is a TON of processed foods) is a major contributor to weight gain and heart disease. No one can eat perfectly, but that does not disregard the importance of fueling our bodies with good food.