New study links heavy drinking during pandemic to increased obesity rates
CBSN
A third of U.S. adults reported gaining weight during the COVID-19 pandemic, a study released Monday shows — and researchers found that people who reported higher weight also said they began drinking more during quarantine.
While obesity is a complex health issue that can be caused by a multitude of factors, the study used national surveys to find the link between the unhealthy habits.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. adult obesity rates were higher and worsened the pre-existing epidemic of adult obesity in the U.S. Higher rates of alcohol consumption and lower smoking rates may have contributed to the higher rates of adult obesity in the U.S during the COVID-19 pandemic," wrote the authors of the study, which was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine by Elsevier.