Why is obesity a “disease” of megacities but not of villages?

Scientists say that obesity is the scourge of city dwellers. But there is no such problem in rural areas. Why? We answer together with nutritionist and trainer Maria Makhmutova.

trainer, nutritionist

Our health is 80% dependent on what we eat and what kind of lifestyle we lead.

According to the nutritionist, the problem of obesity and overweight is very topical. According to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 55% of the population over 30 years old suffer from overweight, and 26% – from obesity. The main causes of overweight, including obesity, are genetics, hormonal imbalance, lack of sufficient physical activity, nutrition, sedentary lifestyle and even psychosomatics. These factors are different in urban and rural areas.

Unhealthy food

There is no fast food in rural areas – the locals eat what they grow themselves. That is, all food is organic, fruits and vegetables – from the garden, without pesticides and chemical additives. In urban products there are very few valuable substances for the organism. Despite the fashion of a healthy lifestyle, many people still prefer convenience foods, sausages, sausages, fast food, sodas – in general, everything that can be quickly cooked and eaten.

Maria Makhmutova

trainer, nutritionist

Urban dwellers face obesity more often than rural dwellers. This can be seen especially well in children. The structure of their diet is mainly based on locally grown foods: home-grown meat – a source of protein, fresh vegetables, fruits, berries – an excellent source of fiber, everything is as simple as possible.

Sedentary lifestyle

Even 20 years ago, people were more active, so calories were not deposited so quickly on the flanks. Now everyone works a lot and leads a sedentary lifestyle: they sit in the subway, in the office too, they lie at home, and only the most stubborn people get to fitness. Meanwhile, a sedentary lifestyle is one of the main causes of obesity.

But residents of rural areas always have a lot of troubles, which in one way or another involve physical activity: work on the house, vegetable garden, care for livestock. And the more a person moves, the lower the chances of gaining excess weight.

Maria Makhmutova

trainer, nutritionist

Megapolis is cars, elevators, escalators, after work TV, more often with chips and harmful drinks, stores 24/7, where at any time of day you can get a good dose of useless calories, stress and frantic pace of life. All this forces a person to move little.

It is good to see that now more and more people are thinking and taking care of their health, introducing proper habits, healthy eating and sports into their routine.

Artificial light

As it turns out, the development of obesity is also promoted by “big city lights”. Scientists have come to the conclusion that artificial light is also involved in this whole scam. The fact is that with the onset of darkness is produced by the sleep hormone melatonin, but artificial light, including blue light from a smartphone, suppresses its synthesis and thereby disrupts biological rhythms. Nighttime meals in this case – a very common phenomenon.

According to scientists, the disruption of natural rhythms leads to physiological changes in the body, which threaten weight gain. Simply put, artificial light has a negative effect on metabolism: calories are burned slower than usual. In the village there are no problems with this – remember the words from the movie “A Million Years B.C.”, where in the evening primitive man shouts to all neighbors “turn off the light”. The point is that in villages most people go to bed and get up at the same time, and street and night lighting is a sore spot for the locals. There is less traffic, commercial facilities, office buildings and people in rural areas, hence the lighting levels.

Poor ecology

The air in the countryside is much cleaner than in the city. Researchers say that you can even get fat from polluted air. It sounds implausible, but there is evidence to support it – scientific studies show that tiny particles in the atmosphere contribute to obesity, and every breath of air brings us closer to gaining weight. The culprit is exhaust fumes and other chemical compounds that deprive the body of 128 types of beneficial gut bacteria. Some of them are involved in the production of insulin, which is responsible for metabolism and absorption of nutrients in the body.

In addition, polluted air increases the number of Bacteroides – this type of bacteria increases the risk of gaining extra pounds. It turns out that two people with the same diet and level of physical activity, but living in different areas, will weigh differently.

However, this does not mean that people in rural areas are not obese. Of course, obesity affects everyone, the only difference is that it is more common among urban dwellers. In any case, no matter where we live, our health depends 80% on what we eat and what kind of lifestyle we lead, says the nutritionist. According to her, it is important to adjust our diet, change bad habits to healthier ones and become more active regardless of where we live.