Surprising Science — July 8, 2010

Lack of Exercise Not to Blame

“Scientists have questioned the assumption that a lack of exercise causes fatness in children. The study suggests that physical inactivity appears to be the result of fatness, instead of its cause.”

bigthinkeditor

“Scientists have questioned the assumption that a lack of exercise causes fatness in children.

The study suggests that physical inactivity appears to be the result of fatness, instead of its cause. Researchers said the findings indicate that nutrition, rather than exercise, is the best way of tackling childhood obesity,” reports The Independent. “The EarlyBird team followed more than 200 children in Plymouth over three years, monitoring their fat and exercise levels at regular intervals. They found that body fat levels had an effect on physical activity, but that varying activity did not lead to any changes in fatness. The paper, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, suggests that overweight children may think about their body negatively, shying away from sports and exercise as a result.”

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The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

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The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

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7 min

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with

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