From higher education you can grow fat
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Data from the new study, published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, show that students are rapidly gaining weight during their studies at a college or university, which adversely affects their health and learning.
"This is a unique study, during which we followed the life of students during their studies at the university. We recorded weight changes, the nature and reasons for its recruitment, as well as differences in weight gain between women and men, "says Susan Whiting, professor, nutrition and nutrition specialist.
"While dozens of studies were aimed at revealing the tendency to increase in weight only in the first year of training, and experts designated it the term" freshman 15 "(a description of weight gain in the first year of training, 15 pounds = 6.8 kilograms) we covered the entire period of study. Our research is the first of its kind, where changes in weight, body mass index, body composition and body shape are recorded for the entire 4-year study period, "says Sarin Group, co-author of the study.
Observation was conducted for 131 students from the first year of admission to college and until the very release.
After a 4-year training course, about 70% of students gained weight on average 5.3 - 11.68 kg. Men gained weight more intensively than women. The percentage of participants who had problems with excess kilograms increased from 18% to 31%.
"Students of colleges and universities who are often away from home and do not have the opportunity to eat their own food or constantly cook themselves risk running into health problems, which can also affect the quality of their studies," said Terry Graham, professor of dietetics at the University Guelph. - Of course, it's not difficult to restore normal weight, just align the scales between calorie consumption and their consumption, and pay attention to the diet. But just these problems in youth and demonstrates how important it is to monitor weight in youth and not to postpone your health for later. "
After 4 years of observations, the results are not as rosy as we would like, because the changes are significant. Experts say that students need to think about a healthy lifestyle, and the leadership of educational institutions should take a step towards this desire.
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