Who you hang out with could be the reason why you have a weight problem...

This is the sort of research that fascinates us at Ukmedix News!  According to scientists and sociologists from Harvard University and the University of California based in San Diego your social networks could have a big effect on whether you are slim or whether you are overweight. Having looked at over 12,000 males and females between the years of 1971 and 2003 and having analyzed their social networks they can confidently say that who you hang out with could be the reason why you have a weight problem.

For example if you have a casual friend who then becomes obese the chances of you becoming obese yourself increase by 57 percent and if the person is thought to be a very close friend the chances of you becoming obese increase by a whopping 170 percent! If you have a brother or sister who is obese the chances of you also putting on a lot of weight increases by 40 percent and if your husband or wife becomes obese the chances are increased by 37 percent for you to go the same way.

This research explains a lot of the issues that people have in America with obesity. Because there are so many obese people in America having a weight problem is not really a big social problem and people feel very comfortable about being overweight. If you go to other countries like Japan where the rates of obesity are very low you stick out like a sore thumb in a crowd if you are obese. So in a sense the American obesity problem is becoming a vicious circle as more and more people put on weight more and more people feel comfortable doing the same.

At Ukmedix News we have noted that one of the best methods to lose weight is to team up with a good friend and work together so that there is a little bit of peer pressure from both of you to succeed. The social and psychological aspects of obesity must not be ignored and can play an extremely important part in helping you to lose weight.