So recently, I have become addicted to the entire “Life Series” by David Attenborough (e.g. The Life of Birds, The Life of Mammals, The Living Planet, Planet Earth, etc.).  While watching this whole series I’ve had many revelations about the nature of life on Earth (this is truly a transformational experience for those who take the long journey of watching the whole series).  One such thought, however, struck me when considering mammals…

Human Evolution

It is generally believed that mammals use 80-90% of the food they eat in maintaining their body temperature.  This is indeed a costly adaptation, but one which makes us (and birds) always ready to get our bodies moving when danger, or mates, or food comes around.  However, I thought to myself, what effect must air conditioning have on mammals?  Or, more importantly, could the greater prevalence of air conditioning in the South, be making Southerners especially fat?

Well, a little digging on the internet shows that I’m not the first first person to think of this.  Researchers at the University of Alabama Birmingham have considered the same possibility.  They do not offer much in the way of evidence, beyond the suggestive comment that the South has seen both the highest rise in air-conditioned homes and also in obesity rates.  But given how much of our energy is expended in maintaining our temperature, it seems likely that the temperateness of Southern homes and buildings must be playing some part in their not burning as much fat.

Interestingly, they also suggest another alternative factor which may be influencing Southerners’ obesity: the decrease in smoking rates (because people coming off of smoking often want to compensate for the loss of stimulation by eating food).  With higher rates of smoking in the South, it wouldn’t be surprising if a greater number of people coming off of smoking would find comfort in food.  This would probably still hold, even though rates of smoking have decreased less in the South than elsewhere; because of the much greater number of total smokers living in the South.

The recent post on obesity in the South seems to have sparked an interest in exactly why Southerners are more obese.  In particular, the suggestive map showing that Southerners don’t exercise as much as the rest of the country caught people’s attention.

So digging deeper then, what might be some of the general causes for Southerners’ obesity?

Well, first lets start off by saying that Brian’s comment to the first post is correct: there has to be something explaining this beyond any over-simplified cultural argument.  It seems foolish to argue that Southerners have a peculiar cultural trait where they celebrate poor health and obesity.  Also, while the cultural love of fried foods has to be part of the story, this can’t be the end of the story.  Even with poor education, most people at least know that fried foods aren’t good for you.  So the answer to higher obesity can’t just simply be that Southerners choose to hurt themselves more than the rest of the country.

Looking beyond over-simplified theories, there are a number of other possible causes:

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Symbol of the South?

The South is well known for its love of food.  Unfortunately it’s also well known for the consequence of this love affair: obesity.  While this is one of the South’s uglier stereotypes, it is also potentially one of the most serious issues facing the region.  For the curious sort, this begs the question: How bad is the problem?  And is there truth in this stereotype?

Well, first let’s confront the stereotype.  Now, I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence, but when you put “barbeque logo” into Google Image, I can’t help but notice that the farther north a BBQ joint, the more “fatness” is integrated into their corporate logo.

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