Rising trend may be due to “pathoenvironment”

EDITOR,--The prevalence of obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and many European countries. Andrew M Prentice and Susan A Jebb provide convincing evidence that “simple gluttony” cannot account for this increased prevalence since over the past 20 years food intake has decreased whereas body mass index has continued to increase in Britain.1 The authors conclude that physical activity has decreased even faster over the same period and so obesity can be blamed on “sloth.” …