SLOTH, the seventh of the deadly sins, is more to blame for increasing obsesity than the
traditional villain, gluttony, nutritionists say today.
Long hours slumped in front of television and lack of physical activity are the cause of
growing numbers of fat people, according to researchers from the Dunn Nutrition Centre in Cambridge, writing in the British Medical Journal.
The number of seriously obese people has doubled over the past 10 years and the traditional explanation has been that increasing affluence, a rich variety of food and persuasive advertising has led to over-eating.
But the researchers say the fat content of the British diet has been stable and total food intake has declined by one-fifth while waistlines have rapidly expanded.
They found abundant evidence that Britons have adopted a slothful, inactive lifestyle which is leading to obesity, pointing out that:
TV viewing averages 26 hours a week - nearly four hours a night - compared with 13
hours in the 1960s.
More than one-third of adults undertake less than 20 minutes of moderate activity each week. Fewer than half ever participate in active sports.
Car ownership has increased dramatically. Less than a fifth of adults take a walk of two miles or more in any given month.
Only 20 per cent of men and 10 per cent of women are employed in active occupations.
In addition, widespread use of central heating and labour-saving gadgets in homes reduces the amount of energy needed to keep warm and encourages lethargy.
The researchers, led by Dr Andrew Prentice, head of energy metabolism at the Dunn Centre, conclude that public health strategies must be targeted at increasing physical activity as well as reducing consumption of fatty food.
