French Women ARE Getting Fatter

The idea that French woman could live in the land of wine, cheese, and those mouth-watering pastries without gaining so much as an inch was such a phenomenon that it even spawned a best-selling book, French Women Don't Get Fat. And, yes, it may have created a little envy, too.

But as it turns out, French women do get fat, as do French men. According to Reuters,their obesity rates are very similar to those in the United States ... forty years ago.

The survey, which was sponsored by Swiss pharmaceuticals company Roche, found that 15.1 percent of women in France are obese, and over one in four are overweight. Nearly 14 percent of French men are obese, and 38.5 percent are overweight.

Blame city life, said one researcher involved with the study. "Obesity rates have really risen sharply in urban areas where there's a concentration of sedentary jobs, public transport, less need to walk and a much greater availability of food," Dr. Marie-Aline Charles told Reuters.

In this case, being decades behind the U.S. is a good thing. But the French should look to America as a cautionary tale, because clearly they're headed in the wrong direction.

The whole premise of French Women Don't Get Fat was the idea that women could eat whatever they wanted, as long as they balanced those high fat/calorie foods with low-calorie dishes and extra activity. Apparently in French cities, that balance is being lost.

I wonder how much of it has to do with the shift away from foods made with fresh, whole ingredients to processed junk. There's a big difference between mindfully sitting down to enjoy a deliciously sinful freshly made pastry -- knowing you'll balance it with a light lunch and a walk after dinner -- and carelessly shoving Twinkies in your mouth.

What do you think?

By Bethany Sanders

Contributed by Dietblog