Does college make me look fat?

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Does college make me look fat?
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More than 23 million results come up in a Google search for “freshman 15,” but recent evidence suggests the freshman 15 doesn’t even exist.

A December 2016 study in “Demography” compared the weights of college-enrolled individuals ages 17-23 with those not in college and found that on average, students in college weighed about 10 pounds less than those in college, and college freshmen only gained an estimated 1 pound.

“One of the reasons I think it could be true that people aren’t putting on the freshman 15 is because people are increasingly aware and educated about the importance of food and nutrition,” College Nurse Carol Drews said.

It may even be the college education that prevents weight gain, since the study showed individuals in their late 20s with college degrees were 7.5 percent less likely to be overweight, and college graduates in their late 40s and early 50s were 67 percent less likely to be obese.

The study, conducted by Middle Tennessee State University Professor of Economics Charles Baum, used data from two ongoing weight studies at the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The primary one, from 1997 through 2010, surveyed 8,984 people who were between 12 and 16 years old when the study began. Pregnant women, new mothers, and individuals less than 80 pounds or greater than 400 pounds were excluded. The secondary study, which also ran from 1979 through 2010, examined the longer-lasting effects of a college degree on weight.

“I think in general, as a culture, we probably talk a lot about healthy nutrition, maybe too much,” Director of Health Services Brock Lutz said. He mentioned a new eating disorder called orthorexia,  in which people are too focused on eating healthy.

He referred to current college students as the “Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods kind of generation,” focused on eating healthy, organic, and farm-fed. Generally, this is good, but too much rigor can be problematic, he said.

“Coming to college can be a shift for people and I think obviously when we talk to people about depression or anxiety or stress, one of the things we always talk about is what is your eating like, what is your exercise like,” Lutz said. “Healthy nutrition is really important.”

One sophomore female said the weight change was good for her.

“I gained 20 pounds freshman year. It was really hard to come to terms with at first, but it made me realize that my worth wasn’t in how I looked, and it’s more important to be healthy than thin,” she said. “I think people have different reactions to such a severe lifestyle change as going from home to college. Weight is not the only thing that happens.”

The average person doesn’t even gain 15 pounds within six years of starting college. Males not enrolled in college are close — at 14.8 pounds — but females enrolled in college gained on average only 8.3 pounds within six years, about 6 pounds less than their counterparts not in college.

The study also determined that students in college with lower socioeconomic backgrounds gained more weight during their freshman year, a trend more prevalent for Hispanics and whites than for blacks.

“I think that when you look at populations that are overweight, there seems to be a correlation between socioeconomic status and degree of healthy eating,” Lutz said. “When you buy fresh food, you have to pay more money for it. It makes sense that there probably is a correlation. It’s difficult to eat healthy. It takes time and money, and those are resources that not everyone has.”

College students may also shave a few pounds because of the campus lifestyle, especially at Hillsdale, where nearly 25 percent of students play a varsity sport (as opposed to the 10 percent national Division II average, according to the NCAA).

“It does make sense because when I think of my friends that are back home, not going to college, they live sedentary lifestyles,” Sophomore Alex Pankow said. “They drive their cars everywhere. Here, I walk a couple blocks several times a day. Even if you go to big state schools, their campuses are larger so there’s more walking on average. And at Hillsdale, so many people are involved in sports, club sports, IM sports, and I think that really keeps people active as well.”

The late-night, high-stress college lifestyle can also cause weight problems, however. According to Drews, students may either overeat or undereat because of stress.

“I think we all have our struggles,” Drew said. “People who tend to be too thin are concerned about gaining weight so they have the struggle of putting on muscle, and then people who feel like they’re not eating that much gain weight.”

She added that, when stressed, people often eat carbs. Whether the stress results from hard deadlines, future careers, or relationships, it causes the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, to go up. High cortisol levels make the body more likely to store fat.

“I think there are some changes between what you’re used to eating at home and school, but with thought you can overcome it,” Drews said. “I see students here being very driven, being very aware of diet and exercise, especially exercise because it’s a great stress release. You guys function at a high level.”