肥満は伝染する！？ ― epidemic

今日の単語、"epidemic"は、そろそろ誰もが気にかけるインフルエンザなど、流行性の疾患などを形容する言葉です。昨年（というか今年初めは）新型インフルエンザで大騒ぎしましたが、その時は"pandemic"（パンデミック）という言葉が市民権を得ました。これは、”全世界的”流行であり、"epidemic"の一段上を行くものです。

さて、肥満は流行性、伝染性がある！？という驚きの記事です。


The prediction by a team of researchers at Harvard University contradicts other experts who say the nation's obesity rate has peaked at 34 percent of the U.S. population.

The finding is from the same group, led by Nicholas Christakis, that reported in 2007 that if someone's friend becomes obese, that person's chances of becoming obese increase by more than half.

They now think this same phenomenon is driving the obesity epidemic, which will climb slowly but steadily for the next 40 years.

Alison Hill, a graduate student at Harvard and the Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology, said the study is based on the idea that obesity can spread like an infectious disease and people can catch it from their friends.
(Julie Steenhyusen. Obesity rates will reach 42 percent: study. Reuters. November 4, 2010.)


こんな記事が広まったら、肥満の人達への差別が広まったりしないのだろうかと、要らぬ心配をしてしまいますが・・・。

元記事のURLはこちら。