(Mirror Daily, United States) – Your mom can rub it in as much as she likes, but the weight struggle is real. According to researchers at York University in Toronto, it’s tougher for millennials to lose weight and stay thin.
A study showed that Gen Y adults weigh on average more than their ’70s and ’80s counterparts, even when the ratio between food intake and physical exercise is exactly the same. Published in Obesity Research & Clinical Practice, the study’s results are based on self-reported dietary data collected between 1971 and 2008 from more than 36,000 American adults.
This information was then cross-referenced with physical activity data, collected from roughly 14,000 adults between 1988 and 2006. Included in this data provided by the National Health and Nutrition Survey was also all the participants’ age, height and weight, needed for calculating their body mass index (BMI).
A dramatic increase in the BMI of a person in 2006 was registered with an average of 2.3 points higher than an adult of the same age in 1988, even if the calorie intake, amount of exercise, and number of protein and fat consumed were roughly identical for both participants.
Co-author Jennifer Kuk, also of the York University, said results suggest that a 25-year-old nowadays would have to eat less and exercise more than an older adult if they want to avoid gaining weight. At the same time, findings also highlighted that losing and managing one’s weight is not just a balanced ratio between calorie intake and calories burned.
She made a striking comparison saying “that’s similar to saying your investment account balance is simply your deposits subtracting your withdrawals,” which we all know it’s not true. You’d also have to account for all the other factors that influence it, such as bank fees or stock market fluctuations.
But what are those factors when it comes to losing weight? Well, authors don’t really have an answer for it, but some theories have emerged. Kuk thinks it might be mix of exposure to chemicals that can mess with one’s hormones combined with taking weight-gain-inducing prescription meds like antidepressants, and altered bacteria due to our meat- and sugar-rich diets.
Add to that an overload of stress, increased exposure to light at night and late eating, and our sleep rhythms are also going to be messed up. So people in the ’80s had it easier with losing wait. Does that mean we’d give up our iPhones for a chance to travel back in time? We think not.
Image Source: Innovative Results