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Home » Lose Weight » Studies: Families, friends gain and lose weight together

by Patti Neighmond, National Public Radio

March 12, 2012

Here's another good reason to lose weight: It might benefit your friends, family and co-workers. Such altruism might be just the final "nudge" some of us need.

Researchers are finding that the friends and family of obese and overweight individuals who lose weight lost weight themselves, and sometimes a lot of it. Dr. John Morton, who directs Bariatric Surgery at Stanford Hospital & Clinics, calls obesity a "family disease."

"We all gather around the table to enjoy a meal together and we learn lessons when we do that," Morton says. "Just like you impart morals to your sons and daughters, you can do the same thing around the dinner table as well and it can be good or bad; we see that all the time."

In fact, studies have shown that friends and family tend to gain weight together, in large part because they share similar eating and exercise habits. But over the years, Morton picked up another trend among his patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery, and their families. The obese and overweight sons, daughters and spouses of his patients lost weight, too.

So Morton decided to do a formal study and track families of 35 patients who had gastric bypass. One year after the surgery, he found that indeed, other overweight and obese family members lost weight, between 8 and 45 pounds.

"This was noteworthy in that these patients were able to accomplish that just by coming to the same visits that the bariatric surgery patient did," he says.

The so-called "halo effect" has been shown among people who drink alcohol and people who smoke, as well as those who gain weight. But now, Morton showed a positive halo effect losing weight.

"I think most of the family members who came wanted to help out their spouse, Dad, whoever it might be," he says. "They wanted to support them and they supported them by making healthy food choices, by exercising together."

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Studies: Families, friends gain and lose weight together

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Home » Lose Weight » Studies: Families, friends gain and lose weight together