If you were beginning to suspect that the list of things which could make you fat seems to be growing longer on an almost daily basis - you were right!
New research is now saying that obesity in the U.S. cannot just be blamed on diet and lack of exercise.
In a review of data on possible causes of obesity, the contention expressed is that many aspects of modern living from lack of sleep - to exposure to environmental chemicals - to living with air conditioning - may be contributing factors in the obesity stakes in America.
The researchers say that obesity research and prevention strategies need to look beyond food industry practices such as portion sizes and added sugar and reduced physical activity, because a range of other factors are just as plausible.
Dr. David B. Allison director of the Clinical Nutrition Research Center at the University of Alabama, says that diet and exercise are undoubtedly important but the evidence linking obesity to food industry marketing and lack of gym class is circumstantial.
Allison, a co-author of the report says there is other evidence which suggests that a chronic lack of sleep boosts appetite and eating, and studies show that U.S. adults have gone from sleeping for an average of 9 hours to about 7 hours.
Industrial chemicals that act as endocrine disruptors may also contribute to an increase in body fat as they alter hormonal activity when they get into the body and people have been increasingly exposed to such chemicals through the food chain in recent years.
Air conditioning too may be a factor as the body burns calories when forced to regulate its own temperature and people tend to eat less in hot, humid weather.