Our body weight isn’t just shaped by what we eat-it’s also influenced by where we live. A new study published in Social Science & Medicine reveals that our surroundings may play a bigger role in our weight than we’ve ever realized.

Researchers in Australia found that location explains nearly 15.5% of variations in body weight, showing that “place” itself can subtly change how we live, eat, and even spend on food.

Excess weight is a rising global health issue, linked to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. In Australia alone, obesity rates jumped from 24.6% in 2007–08 to 31.7% in 2022, but the distribution isn’t even—some regions have less than 15% obesity while others cross 40%.

This made researchers ask: do people gain or lose weight mainly because of personal lifestyle choices, or b

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