The Guardian
Americans’ health can be affected by a weight gain pandemic and lack of exercise
Doctors say the main factors in several cases include ‘lifestyle’ factors, such as lack of exercise, poor diet and stress. More than 60% of American family doctors saw an increase in obesity among their patients, according to a survey of 910 doctors at the American Academy of Family Physicians. Photo: Benoît Tessier / Reuters The health of millions of Americans may have been affected by weight gain and lack of exercise during the pandemic, even though they avoided the acute dangers of Covid-19 infection, with evidence emerging from obesity researchers emerging – and the anecdotal experiences of family doctors – he suggests. “Ninety-eight percent of my day is, ‘You haven’t been exercising, you’ve gained weight and your diabetes is no longer under control. We need to help you with that, ‘”said Dr. Andrew Carroll, who is part of a multidisciplinary family medicine clinic in Chandler, Arizona. “It is very rare for me to be reducing medications in the past year.” In several cases, doctors said that the main factors that worsened health were “lifestyle” factors, such as lack of exercise, inadequate diet and stress. More than 60% of American family doctors saw an increase in obesity among their patients, according to a survey of 910 doctors at the American Academy of Family Physicians. Weight gain is not necessarily harmful to health in itself. However, being overweight is associated with a number of chronic health problems, such as increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer. Obesity is also associated with increased risks for Covid-19. “The overwhelming stress of living in a pandemic period is really impacting [patients’] medical health significantly, ”said Carroll. Typical patients are “gaining weight on the order of 10 to 30 pounds,” he said. The immediate impact of Covid-19 in the USA was terrible. More than 543,000 Americans died from Covid-19 and 29 million were infected. For every person who dies, it is estimated that nine more will suffer. In addition, millions of people can experience the potentially disabling effects of “Long Distance Covid” or the isolation depression that the pandemic has caused. But those who have survived the pandemic so far may also face long-term health consequences. Patients are “eating a lot more carbohydrate-rich foods, are gaining weight and other medical conditions are suffering from it,” said Dr. Sterling Ransone Jr, president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), whose practice is in rural Deltaville, Virginia. “Mainly, it is because of lifestyle concerns.” As a large number of people in such a broad range of the public are affected, the implications of weight gain for the entire population can be wide-ranging. More than 42% of American adults are already living with obesity, a proportion that has increased by 12% in the last 18 years, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Because of the stressors, I’m seeing a lot of people going for their comforting meals, whether it’s macaroni and cheese or a packet of Chex Mix,” said Rascone. In surveys conducted by obesity researchers, people reported that more snacks, junk food and meals delivered in the midst of the pandemic. In an unintuitive way, the intake of some healthy foods, such as fruits and homemade meals, has also increased. But even for people who eat healthier foods, disrupting the routines of daily life – like going to the supermarket, running errands or going through a large office – ended up with the “environmental exercises” that people did before during the day. Public health measures designed to contain the pandemic “have still been extremely destabilizing,” said Rachel Rodgers, associate professor of psychology at Northeastern University. Changes in eating habits can be especially long-lasting for groups, such as “children, teenagers and new college students who are in transition to independent life decisions,” said Rodgers. “Having that happen at that juncture can be very important in their lives.” Only now is evidence emerging about how people’s habits changed during the pandemic. Studies on diet and exercise were curtailed during the pandemic, with subjects, researchers and institutions reluctant to come to the studies in person. This means that much of the research on people’s habits has been left to data from bluetooth fitness devices and research. “Basically, you lock people in a room and see how their psychological and health factors will vary,” said Surabhi Bhutani, an assistant professor at the school of exercise and nutritional sciences at San Diego State University in California. “It’s really like a natural experiment.” Studies by FitBit, a wearable fitness tracker, have found an overall decrease in both daily steps and active minutes, even when people increase daily meditation, yoga and running practices, which do not require a gym. Likewise, a research letter in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that the step count tracked by smartphones dropped 27% globally in 30 days after the pandemic began. A small study of 269 Americans using bluetooth scales found that people gained an average of 1.5 lb per month from February to May 2020. Extrapolated in one year, this could translate to 18 lb of extra weight. Notably, the study was not representative of the USA. Most included white middle-aged participants, who were probably more aware of their health. Bhutani and co-authors recently published a survey in the journal Nutrients, in which 40% of people reported gaining weight during the “blocking peak” months of spring 2020. Although the average weight gain was only 1.5 pound, about a third continued to gain weight during the summer and early fall. This study also showed white participants with an excess of sample in relation to the population. Bhutani said that a year’s quarantine may resemble a phenomenon similar to weight gain on winter holidays, less than the so-called “quarantine 15”. However, Rodgers emphasized that health does not necessarily mean strict diet and exercise, but “finding yourself where you are.” She believes that many people will return to more exercise and better diets when the “external” stressors of the pandemic subside. “It is always important to remember that there are strengths, resilience and behaviors that we can practice to try to protect ourselves,” she said.