一項最新研究發現，肥胖也會像流感一樣，在你和親近的朋友、鄰居之間傳染。

據《新聞周刊》報道，這項研究是由南加州大學和蘭德公司的科學家合作進行的。他們的目的是研究人的行為和信仰是否能像病菌一樣在人群中傳染。

研究人員觀察了居住在12個不同的軍事基地中的青少年及其父母。結果發現，居住在肥胖率較高地區的青少年及其父母，他們自身也更容易變得肥胖。而且他們在肥胖社區住得越久，肥胖的風險就越高。

這并不是真的說你會像得流感一樣“感染”上肥胖癥。而是說如果在某個社區，吃快餐成為一種日常現象，或者大家晚上都愛待在家里看電視，而不是出門散步，那么這種習慣很容易就會影響社區的其他居民。

通過梳理2007年以來的研究，科學家還發現，肥胖也和我們與其他人的關系有關。比如家庭中的同性成員更容易一起發胖，比如父親和兒子、母親和女兒等等。目前有70%以上的美國人都屬于體重超標或肥胖之列。（財富中文網）

譯者：樸成奎?

A new study found that obesity, like the flu, can spread between friends and neighbors that you’re in close proximity to.

The research was done by the scientists at the University of Southern California and the Rand Corporation. Their goal was to see if behaviors and beliefs could be spread just like any other pathogen, Newsweek reports.

For the study, the group looked at adolescents and parents living in 12 different military bases. Parents and children that lived in areas with a higher obesity rating were, in general, more likely to be obese themselves. The longer they lived in the community, the greater that risk was.

That doesn’t mean you’re going to “catch” obesity like the common flu. The idea behind the study is that living in a community where fast food is a normal dinner or people tend to watch TV at night rather than take a stroll around the block lends itself to other residents doing the same.

The study advances research from 2007 that found a connection between weight gain and our relationships with others. For instance, friends and family that are the same sex are more likely to gain weight together than those of an opposite sex. More than 70% of Americans are currently considered overweight or obese.