The psychology of obesity

http://www.marshfieldnewsherald.com/article/20120901/WDH1201/309010359/From-brain-mouth-psychology-obesity?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CWDH-Health

From brain to mouth: The psychology of obesity

"'Obesity has been much more resistant to treatment than any reasonable person would have thought 50 years ago,' Rozin said.

There’s no question that Americans are heavier than ever before. More than one-third of adults are considered obese, and almost 17 percent of teens and kids fit the category, according to the most recent federal data, released earlier this year.

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Among the most-blamed culprits are intense food marketing toward consumers and less physical activity.

But research scientist David Allison has some other ideas. A psychologist who directs the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Allison points to other contributors, such as too little sleep and advanced maternal age, which some research has shown can increase the chances of overweight kids."