"A given person, in 2006, eating the same amount of calories, taking in the same quantities of macronutrients like protein and fat, and exercising the same amount as a person of the same age did in 1988 would have a BMI that was about 2.3 points higher. In other words, people today are about 10 percent heavier than people were in the 1980s, even if they follow the exact same diet and exercise plans...
First, people are exposed to more chemicals that might be weight-gain inducing. Pesticides, flame retardants, and the substances in food packaging might all be altering our hormonal processes and tweaking the way our bodies put on and maintain weight.
Second, the use of prescription drugs has risen dramatically since the ‘70s and ‘80s. Prozac, the first blockbuster SSRI, came out in 1988. Antidepressants are now one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the U.S., and many of them have been linked to weight gain...
Finally, Kuk and the other study authors think that the microbiomes of Americans might have somehow changed between the 1980s and now."
Microbiomes! I'm there for that explanation. And how the body is all one system, so pesticides can change the microbiome and that can sensitize people to mental health problems, and treatment for those can change the microbiome...
Email that Harvard prof with the weird mice, ask if...?
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