When Christmas comes so do the kilos. New research tracks Australians' yo-yo weight gain

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The research, published in JAMA Open Network, uncovers the subtle yet significant weight gain patterns of everyday Australians.

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Provider: 
The ConversationThe Conversation
URL: 
https://theconversation.com/when-christmas-comes-so-do-the-kilos-new-research-tracks-australians-yo-yo-weight-gain-210709https://theconversation.com/when-christmas-comes-so-do-the-kilos-new-research-tracks-australians-yo-yo-weight-gain-210709
Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 1, 2023
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Tags: 
People, Exercise, Obesity, Depression, Habit, Christmas, Awareness, Anxiety, Calendar, Season, Eating, Type 2 diabetes, OECD, Research, Weight gain, Drinking, Waist, Holiday, Time, Risk, Cancer, Conditional sentence, Overweight, Weather, Ageing, Health, Toy, Poultry farming, Medical imaging, Marketing
Geotags: 
AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES, NEW YEAR, EUROPE
Summary
Key Points: 
  • The research, published in JAMA Open Network, uncovers the subtle yet significant weight gain patterns of everyday Australians.
  • When we compare this new research with patterns from the northern hemisphere, it suggests it’s holidays and festive occasions – not just cooler weather – that drives weight gain.
  • Australians show a yo-yo pattern of weight fluctuation that’s associated with poor weight control and poorer health overall.

A global concern

    • Obesity is a major health concern worldwide.
    • On a global stage, we have some of the highest rates of excess weight and obesity – with OECD data ranking us 8th highest out of the 41 OECD countries based on the most recent data.

Happy holidays and weighty weekends

    • Easter, a time of chocolate eggs and hot cross buns, saw a an average gain of about 244g (0.29% of average participant body weight).
    • The Australian summer months associated with Christmas and New Year, feasts and festivities, had an even larger average increase of approximately 546g (0.65% of average participant body weight).
    • While our study used total body weight, measured using scales, there are other options for tracking body composition.

How our weight pattern yo-yos

    • Unlike our counterparts in Europe and the United States, who typically gain weight in winter and lose it in summer, Australians follow a more complex cycle.
    • Weight progressively increases in winter and early spring, only to dip at the end of spring.
    • Weight cycling, like “yo-yo dieting”, is linked to poor metabolic health and long-term weight gain.

A fresh opportunity

    • Mapping these “temporal hot spots” presents a unique opportunity to develop more targeted and effective interventions.
    • A great first step would be to concentrate public health campaigns and personal weight management strategies on specific times of year.
    • Ultimately, messaging should focus on encouraging sustainable habits like healthy eating, regular exercise, and holistic wellbeing, rather than suggest drastic, short-term fixes.
    • But, armed with new insight, we can still enjoy these beloved traditions while also keeping our health in check.
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