In a new study, researchers found emotional stress, economic anxiety, physical inactivity, and social distance—locking down society to combat COVID-19 creates psychosocial insecurity that leads to obesity.
They say countermeasures are needed if we are to keep the public both metabolically healthy and safe from the coronavirus.
The research was conducted by a team at the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University.
In the study, the team outlined how COVID-19 containment strategies could increase rates of obesity.
Firstly, it is well documented that people with limited economic resources are more likely to eat highly-processed and energy-rich food.
These foods have been shown to stimulate people’s appetites so that they end up eating more calories than they need.
Secondly, physical distancing increases anxiety by limiting our ability to socially interact. Feelings of loneliness and isolation, combined with confinement within a home setting, can impact our food behavior and lead us to overeat.
This effect is compounded by lower levels of physical activity, as people are urged to work from home and venture out as little as possible.
The team stresses that they still do not exactly understand how a person’s mental health and economic status end up increasing a person’s risk of developing obesity.
More research is needed to uncover the cause and effect, but the researchers say the scientific expectations are clear: physical distancing and rising rates of unemployment should lead us to expect increased rates of obesity.
One author of the study is Associate Professor Christoffer Clemmensen.
The study is published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology.
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