Many people believe that body weight depends primarily on exercise, but according to information from the Karolinska Institute, as reported by News 55, the movement we get during an ordinary day may have an even greater impact.
This can include taking the stairs, walking to the grocery store, or simply getting up from your chair during the workday.
Small daily habits can collectively increase the body's energy expenditure.
The body responds differently
Research also shows, according to News 55, that people do not respond to the same lifestyle in the same way.
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According to Aftonbladet, lifestyle medicine professor Mai-Lis Hellenius says that genetics may be part of the explanation.
Among other things, the FTO gene has been linked to obesity.
At the same time, differences in diet, stress, and sleep can affect how easy or difficult it is to maintain a healthy weight.
A surprising experiment
A British study from 1996 examined 16 lean individuals who did not exercise, according to News 55.
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They were given an additional 1,000 calories a day for eight weeks. The researchers expected the participants to gain weight.
However, one participant did not gain any weight at all, even after consuming more than 50,000 extra calories over the course of the study.
According to Mai-Lis Hellenius, the explanation was that the participant unconsciously became more physically active in everyday life.
She therefore believes that daily movement may play a greater role in body weight than many people realize, although genetics also play a role.
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