In a paradoxical new study, researchers from the University of Montreal found that even though adults took in fewer calories in 2004 than they did in 1972 and engaged in more leisure-time physical activity, the obesity rate actually continued to rise. So what’s the elusive obesity culprit? Well, you might very well be absorbed in it at this very moment: it’s your desk job. In an analysis of hundreds of thousands of Canadians taken from several databases, researchers found that between 1994 and 2005, men and women became more active during leisure time and more active during commuting, yet less active at work. There was also a concurrent 10 percent increase in obesity rates during the same time period, leading researchers to conclude that the obesity epidemic may be partially attributed to a lack of physical activity during office hours.
“Maybe we should start instituting desks that use bike pedals to power our computers so that we’re forced to exercise at work,” quips ACSH’s Dr. Josh Bloom.
But ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross is slightly baffled by the results. “While it's true that email has replaced conversation to a major degree, I hardly think eliminating that 15 foot walk to a colleague's office explains a 10 percent rise in obesity. Further, to whatever extent it's true, the solution is not obvious. Perhaps allowing employees a half-hour of exercise daily would help, but few businesses can handle that in this economy."
