Everyone's Health

One hot diet

Air conditioning is making you fat! Then pile on that bacon cheeseburger. And forget about it!

This horrifying, yet delicious, notion was put forward in a scientific study, released last month, on possible contributing causes of obesity. Among the top factors – besides the “Big Two” of overeating and lack of exercise – are overweight parents, older women giving birth, medications, inadequate sleep, quitting smoking, and – keeping the temperature too cool and comfortable.

According to the International Journal of Obesity (www.nature.com/ijo), research shows that when humans are overheated, their food intake tends to go down. “Restaurateurs report that when their air conditioning goes out, they lose business. People don't want to eat a lot in the heat,” says David Allison, professor of biostatistics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

He points out that since 1980, when air conditioning started becoming more common, the rates of obesity in this country have steadily risen.

What's more, perspiring burns calories. “You need to expend energy to sweat to keep your body cool,” Allison says. “That could lead to slightly lower body weight, all other things being equal.”

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