The festive season, eating & weight

Executive summary

* A study has recently been published called “Winter holidays and their impact on eating behaviour." It was a systematic review of other studies, which had assessed the impact of food and weight during the winter holidays.

* The systematic review located 10 studies to examine. The studies were conducted mostly in the US, but also in the UK, Japan, Germany and Spain.

* The (long) paper reviewed these 10 studies for interesting numerical findings and also narrative findings.

* All studies noted weight gain during festive periods unless interventions were made. Those with obese or overweight BMIs tended to gain more than people of normal weight. Some studies tested behavioural interventions (tips, not diets) and a number of these helped to alleviate weight gain.

* The paper cited much other interesting literature on the subject of why we might consume more at Thanksgiving/Christmas – from eating more when we eat with others, to certain items only being available at these times of year.

* I end with a link to my Top Tips for getting through the festive season without needing to start a diet in January. Happy Christmas!