The coronavirus pandemic is not only affecting health, mentally and economically. It also leads to radical changes in everyday life – and thus to changed eating behavior. A study by the University of St. Gallen shows that the pandemic has significantly increased the average weight of the population. On average, the body weight increased by a whopping 3.3 kilograms compared to 2019.
With Corona came the home office. At times around half of the working population worked from home – where chips and nuts can be picked up more quickly than in the company. A smaller radius of movement and the well-stocked refrigerator have apparently changed the eating behavior drastically, like SRF reported in advance from the study.
“Extremely high weight gain”
The 45- to 64-year-olds have therefore increased by far the most violently. This population group now weighs 6.7 kilograms more than two years ago. “If you compare the results with the previous ones, this time the weight gain is extremely high,” summarizes HSG professor and head of studies Thomas Rudolf. Between 2014 and 2019, the average population weight gain was only 100 grams.
Unwelcome “hip gold”
The study by the Research Center for Retail Management is carried out at regular intervals. The weight change has never been as striking as in the current, sixth edition. In addition to working from home and changing eating habits, around a quarter of the study participants also stated that they lacked the money for a healthier diet. In the fifth study in 2019, significantly fewer people made this statement.
The new “hip gold” is also reflected in growing dissatisfaction with one’s own figure. In 2019, every fifth person was not satisfied with their silhouette, now it is every third. Accordingly, the interest in special diets has almost doubled since 2019 in order to reduce the new body fullness through diet.
Being overweight increases the risk of a severe course of Covid-19
According to various studies, being overweight increases the risk of a severe course of Covid. US researchers According to this, people who are significantly overweight (BMI over 30) have an increased risk of falling seriously ill or even dying with a corona infection.
The chronic inflammatory reactions in the inner fatty tissue are suspected to be the cause. In addition, the lung function is disturbed by excessive fatty tissue, which hinders the expansion of the lungs. (kes)