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Study: Eating and exercise habits are worse in fall and winter

Rehab Private Practice Alert, December 28, 2005

People's eating habits vary according to the season, with people eating more in the fall and winter, according to a study published in the December 7 issue of European Journal of Clinical Nutrition and reported by Reuters. During those same months, physical activity levels decrease and weight increases.

In the study, researchers examined seasonal variations in all three areas: food intake, physical activity, and body weight. The participants were 593 men and women whose average age was 48 and who were recruited primarily from a central Massachusetts health maintenance organization; most were either overweight or obese.

At the start of the study, researchers recorded the participants' body weight and reported dietary and exercise levels during the previous 24 hours. Similar information was recorded quarterly during the one-year study period.

Calorie intake was highest during the fall, during which participants reported consuming 86 kilocalories more per day than during the spring, when their calorie intake was the lowest. They also showed seasonal variation in the distribution of these calories, the report indicates. Their carbohydrate intake appeared to peak in the spring, for example, while intake of total fat and saturated fat was the highest during the fall.

Further, the participants' body weight fluctuated by about one pound throughout the year-long study period, but was the highest during the winter, when they also reported the least amount of physical activity. Participants reported their highest level of physical activity during the spring.

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