Your supermarket may affect your weight

April 4, 2012 in Health

Your supermarket may affect your weight, according to a report published Apr. 4 in the open access journal PLoS ONE.

The study, conducted in Paris from 2007 to 2008, found that participants who shop at discount supermarkets, in supermarkets in areas with poorly educated consumers, or in supermarkets far from their own neighborhood had higher body mass indices (BMI) and waste circumferences. As Basile Chaix indicates, "shopping at discount supermarkets was more strongly associated with higher body weight and abdominal fat among low educated than among high educated participants."

Supermarket size and produce quality, on the other hand, were not correlated with either BMI or .

Previous work of this type has largely focused on general instead of specific personal behavior, but the current study, which included 7,131 participants, revealed that only 11.4% shopped for food primarily in their residential neighborhood. This result emphasizes the importance of evaluating people personal .

The authors, led by Basile Chaix of INSERM in France, conclude that supermarkets may be a useful site for public health interventions to change food purchasing behavior.

More information: Chaix B, Bean K, Daniel M, Zenk SN, Kestens Y, et al. (2012) Associations of Supermarket Characteristics with Weight Status and Body Fat: A Multilevel Analysis of Individuals within Supermarkets (RECORD Study). PLoS ONE 7(4): e32908. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0032908

Provided by Public Library of Science search and more info website

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Consumers largely underestimating calorie content of fast food

People eating at fast food restaurants largely underestimate the calorie content of meals, especially large ones, according to a paper published today in BMJ.

Health created 9 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

It's not your imagination: Memory gets muddled at menopause

Don't doubt it when a woman harried by hot flashes says she's having a hard time remembering things. A new study published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), helps confirm with o ...

Health created 10 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Farm bill: Senate rejects GMO labeling amendment

The Senate has overwhelmingly rejected an amendment allowing states to require labeling of genetically modified foods.

Health created 11 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

McDonald's can't shake criticism about nutrition

(AP)—McDonald's once again faced criticism that it's a purveyor of junk food that markets to children at its annual shareholder meeting Thursday.

Health created 11 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Economic incentives increase blood donation without negative consequences

Can economic incentives such as gift cards, T-shirts, and time off from work motivate members of the public to increase their donations of blood?

Health created 13 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Controlling mood through the motions of mitochondria

(Medical Xpress)—Regulating the distribution of power in neurons is done by a system that makes the national electric grid look simple by comparison. Each neuron has several thousand mitochondria confined ...

Motion quotient: IQ predicted by ability to filter motion (w/ video)

A brief visual task can predict IQ, according to a new study. This surprisingly simple exercise measures the brain's unconscious ability to filter out visual movement. The study shows that individuals whose ...

Multiple research teams unable to confirm high-profile Alzheimer's study

Teams of highly respected Alzheimer's researchers failed to replicate what appeared to be breakthrough results for the treatment of this brain disease when they were published last year in the journal Science.

Scientists discover molecule triggers sensation of itch

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health report they have discovered in mouse studies that a small molecule released in the spinal cord triggers a process that is later experienced in the brain as ...

Researchers find common childhood asthma unconnected to allergens or inflammation

Little is known about why asthma develops, how it constricts the airway or why response to treatments varies between patients. Now, a team of researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, Columbia University Medical Center ...

Diabetes' genetic underpinnings can vary based on ethnic background, studies say

Ethnic background plays a surprisingly large role in how diabetes develops on a cellular level, according to two new studies led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.