In regards to possible cultural and environmental influences on

• obesity, the past several decades have seen 5 major developments that are thought to have tipped the balance between caloric intake and energy expenditure to an unfavorable disproportion:

— expanding labor market opportunities for women— increased consumption of food outside the home— rising costs of healthy foods relative to unhealthy foods— increasing quantities of caloric intake with declining overall food price— decreased requirements of occupational and environmental physical activityOther environmental cues implicated in the development of patterns of overeating include advertisements, sights, smells, and sounds, which have all been shown to induce food cravings and can result in overeating.References:

• Gold MS, Graham NA, Cocores JA, Nixon SJ. Food addiction? J Addict Med. 2009; 3(1), 42-45.

• Blumenthal DM, Gold MS. Neurobiology of food addiction. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. May 20 2010; 12, 359-365.

• Gold J, Gold MS. Exercise for the overweight and obese. Curr Pharm Des. 2011; 17(12), 1193-1197.

• Becker AE, Burwell RA, Gilman SE, Herzog DB, Hamburg P. Eating behaviors and attitudes following prolonged exposure to television among ethnic Fijan adolescent girls. Br J Psychiatry. 2002; 180, 509-514.

• Becker AE. Television, disordered eating, and young women in Fiji: negotiating body image and identity during rapid social change. Cult Med Psychiatry. 2004; 28(4), 533-559.