Dr. Jean-Philippe Chaput recently discussed the relationship between starting university and weight gain in the uOttawa Gazette.
From the article:
You’ve likely heard the expression Freshman 15, which refers the 15 pounds a student is said to gain during the first year of university. Researchers set out to confirm this myth, and based on their results, it should actually be Freshman 5. The average weight gain observed, particularly at the beginning of first year, is lower than the urban legend would lead us to believe; it’s actually closer to five pounds. This is, of course, an average, which means that some students don’t gain any weight while others gain even more than five pounds.
Studies have shown that weight gain tends to be greater among certain groups of students. While the exact reasons for this weight gain have yet to be determined, it appears that students dealing with a lot of stress and those living on campus near food services are more prone to gaining weight.
Click here to read the article in full.
