Obesity in Britain: gluttony or sloth?

TLDR

Britain’s clinical obesity prevalence has doubled in the past decade, and although excess consumption of palatable foods is often blamed, evidence points to declining physical activity as a major contributor. The Health of the Nation initiative aims to reverse obesity trends, but uncertainty about its causes hampers prevention and treatment development. High‑fat diets override satiety, yet despite declining energy intake obesity has risen, indicating that reduced physical activity—possibly the dominant factor—drives the epidemic.

Abstract

The prevalence of clinical obesity in Britain has doubled in the past decade. The Health of the Nation initiative has set ambitious targets for reversing the trend in recognition of the serious health burden which will accrue, but efforts to develop prevention and treatment strategies are handicapped by uncertainty as to the aetiology of the problem. It is generally assumed that ready access to highly palatable foods induces excess consumption and that obesity is caused by simple gluttony. There is evidence that a high fat diet does override normal satiety mechanisms. However, average recorded energy intake in Britain has declined substantially as obesity rates have escalated. The implication is that levels of physical activity, and hence energy needs, have declined even faster. Evidence suggests that modern inactive lifestyles are at least as important as diet in the aetiology of obesity and possibly represent the dominant factor.