The Superbowl is a time many of us eat too much while we sit around in front of the TV. Are you a couch potato? The causes of the obesity epidemic are still a mystery, but scientists who are studying sedentary people (like you?) have created a "couch potato mouse," which do not have the energy to exercise.
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If you’re overweight, you’re also likely to have a bad memory. This is one of the results of insulin sensitivity, which is what causes people to gain too much weight. This means that a healthy lifestyle when you’re young could lead to a higher quality of life in old age, when memory tends to become weaker.
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Kids who are deficient in vitamin D gained weight more rapidly than kids who got enough vitamin D, and since you get the D vitamin mainly from being out in the sun, this is probably because they’re spending too much time inside in front of the TV and not getting enough exercise. And this doesn’t just happen in the US: Epidemiologist Eduardo Villamor studied a group of Columbian kids for almost 3 years, measuring their vitamin D levels regularly.read more
Our minds may be modern but our genes are prehistoric, which is the reason we have so much trouble losing weight! In addition to fast food, desk jobs, and inertia, there is one more thing to blame for unwanted pounds-our genome, which has apparently not caught up with the fact that we no longer live in the Stone Age: A gene known as CRTC3 decreases energy expenditure by fat cells.
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