In a one of its kind research, it has been found that junk food and soda aren't the root cause of obesity epidemic in America.
According to a new health study conducted by Cornell University researchers, consumption of fast food, soda and candy is not the leading cause of obesity in the United States. The research team claims that Americans' overall eating habits, particularly the amount of food consumed, is to be blamed, reported TechTimes.
For the purpose of the study, Cornell researchers used the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to analyze a sample of about 6,000 American adults.
The study found that consumption of soda, candy, and junk food was not linked to weight gain for 95 percent of the population. Only extremely thin people and morbidly obese people were found to have a BMI that was directly correlated with their consumption of fast food.
The results revealed that the majority of overweight people and obese people in the United States did not consume an inordinate amount of soda, sweets, or fast food compared to people that had a normal body weight, according to Examiner.
The main issue was an imbalance between the amount of food Americans consume and how little they exercise, the researchers noted.
"These are foods that are clearly bad for you, and if you eat too much of them, they will make you fat, but it doesn't appear to be the main driver that is making people overweight and obese," said lead researcher David Just, co-director of the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Ithaca, New York.
"For 95% of the country, there is no relationship between how much fast food and junk food they're eating and their weight," Just said.
"Because of the bad habits we have, with all our food, just eliminating junk food is not going to do anything."
But this doesn't mean that eating junk food is good for health. "These foods aren't good for you," he said. "There is no good argument for soda in your diet."
The study was published in the October edition of the journal Obesity Science & Practice.
