New Research: Poverty Linked to Obesity
SALEM, Ore.
Poverty and obesity are strongly linked because the poor cannot afford to eat a healthier diet, according to new research.
“It’s a question of money,” said Adam Drewnowski, the director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington in Seattle. “The reason healthier diets are beyond the reach of many people is that such diets cost more.”
Whole grains, fish and fresh vegetables and fruits are far more expensive than foods with refined grains, added sugars and added fat, Drewnowski wrote in a study for Washington’s School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
“It’s not a question of being sensible or silly when it comes to food choices,” Drewnowski said. “It is the opposite of choice. People are not poor by choice, and they become obese primarily because they are poor.”
Feeding a family of five on a limited income usually means that the cook will rely on “filler foods.”
