Researchers have revealed that the current generation, which took birth between the 80s and the 90, needs to eat less and exercise more to avoid obesity.
If you are struggling with weight gain, you might be surprised to know that your parents had it easier - they could eat more and exercise less, and still avoid obesity, according to a recent study out of York University's Faculty of Health.
In the study, researchers of the York University analysed dietary data of nearly 36,400 American adults collected by the National Health and Nutrition Survey between 1971 and 2008. The available physical activity frequency data, of 14,419 adults in the 1988 to 2006 period was also used.
Lead researcher Ruth Brown said that they observed that for a given amount of self-reported food intake, people would be about 10 per cent heavier in 2008 than in 1971, and about five per cent heavier for a given amount of physical activity level in 1988 than 2006.
Brown added that these secular changes might in part explain why there was a dramatic rise in obesity.
The researchers pointed out that although several studies have shown that eating less and exercising more results in weight loss, in the long term, they are proven to be ineffective, and concluded that maintaining a healthy body weight was now more challenging than ever.
The study is published in the Journal Obesity Research and Clinical Practice.