From Your Health Journal…..A great article by Reuters that discusses how Living At Higher Altitudes Is Tied To Lower Obesity Risk. According to a new study, people in the United States who live at higher altitudes where the air is thinnest are less likely to be obese than those in low-lying areas. People who lived closest to sea level were four to five times more likely to be obese, compared to people who live well above sea level. Can you see it now, everyone is packing up their bags and moving to the higher altitudes – well, maybe not, but it is interesting news. The researchers found that adults living in the lowest altitude range had a Body Mass Index (BMI) – a measure of weight against height – of 26.6. That compared to a BMI of 24.2 for people who lived in the highest altitude range. Although they have not pinpointed the reason why, it will be interesting to see what they find out in the future on this topic. Please visit the Reuters web site (link provided below) to read the complete article.”

From the article…..

People in the United States who live at higher altitudes where the air is thinnest are less likely to be obese than those in low-lying areas, according to a U.S. study.

Using data for more than 400,000 people, researchers who published their results in the International Journal of Obesity found that people who lived closest to sea level were four to five times more likely to be obese, compared to people who live well above sea level in Colorado.

“I was surprised by the magnitude of the effect,” said lead author Jameson Voss, from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. “I wasn’t expecting such a consistent pattern as what was emerging.”

About 36 percent of U.S. adults are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Rates vary across the nation, however, with a higher percentage of obese adults in southern states. Western states, such as Nevada and Colorado, report the fewest obese adults.

The reasons behind the difference are unclear, said Voss and his colleagues, but one possible explanation is differences in elevation – which can affect appetite hormones, growth and how many calories the body burns.

For the study, the researchers combined information from several databases, including a telephone health survey of 422,603 U.S. residents from 2011.

They had information on 236 people who lived at the highest altitude of at least 3,000 meters (about 9,800 feet) above sea level. They all lived in Colorado and tended to smoke less, eat healthier and exercise more.

The researchers also had information on 322,681 people who lived in the lowest altitude range, or less than 500 m (about 1,600 feet) above sea level.

To read the full article…..Click here