Obesity Spreads Through Social Networks

We all know that obesity has become a major health problem in the United States.  Perhaps the greatest health problem in terms of lives ruined and financial stress placed on society.  The rate of obesity has grown incredibly in our country over the last 30 years and it continues to rise.

I just finished reading an interesting article in the New England Journal of Medicine entitled ” The Spread of Obesity in A Large Social Network Over 32 Years”.

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/4/370

It referenced the Framingham Heart Study (research done by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and Boston University).  The Framingham study linked a person’s risk of obesity to their social network.  This means that…

Obesity Is Socially Contagious!

The study involved 12,067 socially interconnected people and came up with the following results:

• You are 57% more likely to become obese if you have a friend who became obese
• You are 40% more likely to become obese if you have a sibling who became obese
• You are 37% more likely to become obese if you have a spouse who became obese

It was very interesting that this “socially contagious” effect was not seen in neighbors in immediate geographic locations.   This rules out environmental factors as a strong influence.  Persons of the same sex had a relatively greater influence on those of the opposite sex. So…

Your Friends And Family Have A Great Influence On Your Health!

And you have a great influence on their health and wellness.

The positive side of this is that the influential power of a social network can be used in a good way.  If you are struggling with obesity or even excessive weight gain and you want to lose weight, get yourself plugged into a social network that will help support you in your goals.

If you are looking to experience superior health, actively build a strong, supportive social network with like-minded people.

We can be an integral part of your supportive social network.  You may already know that I love to talk about health and wellness.  But I don’t just talk it, I live it too.  I’ve been at it since 1992 and still learning…  and what I’ve learned I love to share!

At Spectrum Wellness, we provide an incredible weight loss program that is simple and has been shown to be very effective.  If you would like to learn more check out:

http://spectrumwellness.net/weight-loss-program/

If you have any questions or concerns give me a call any time.  I’d love to meet you and figure out how we can help you experience superior health naturally!