Researchers at a University in Boston have been studying whether the scarcity of food can have an effect on weight. It may seem obvious that a shortage of food would mean lower weight for people however in western societies this is not always held true. In the study it was noted that women who were not always able to get food on the table had a greater likelyhood of being obese or overweight.

The researchers termed the phrase 'food insecurity' to describe people who for various reasons were sometimes unable to eat well and these people were often found to have weight problem. The researchers concluded that one of the reasons that food insecurity can lead to obesity is that when food was in abundance these people would often overeat to the point of excess to make up for the times when food was scarce. It is a commonly known fact that the poorer people in western societies are the ones most effected by obesity and this is likely to be due to a food insecurity.

The problem of obesity in poor people is compounded by the fact that alot of fatty highly processed and unhealthy food is very cheap and thus this makes it attractive to these people. Buying and preparing meat and fish along with fresh fruit and vegetables can be more time consuming and expensive. The clearly shows that women in food insecure homes were not only likely to be obese but were also likely to put on excess weight quickly.

The study was part of a United States health survey conducted from 1999 to 2002 in which nearly 10,000 men and women were questioned about the way they lived and the way they ate and the food security levels in their homes. The results showed that in homes with no food security problems that obesity was at least 50% more likely and at much a 76% more likely in some cases. The houses with food insecurity problems also were much more likely to have women in them who would gain ten pounds in weight over the year compared to those homes that didn't.

Ukmedix believes that part of the skill of maintaining a good and healthy weight lies in planning and knowing what and when your next meal is. This is more difficult for people on low incomes as healthy food is often more expensive and having a lack of funds means that stocking up with healthy food from the supermarket is not always possible.