Fat is a social thing?

A new long-term study released yesterday finds that if you have obese friends, it increases your change of being obese.

People were most likely to become obese when a friend became obese. That increased a person’s chances of becoming obese by 57 percent...On average, the investigators said, their rough calculations show that a person who became obese gained 17 pounds, and the newly obese person’s friend gained 5.

Other researchers cautioned that due to the unique data set, it may be impossible to replicate the study's findings, a key step in scientific verification. Other obesity researchers also warned against jumping to conclusions, since obesity has many environmental causes. However, any kind of exercise is good for your health...