Weight gain in new fathers is a “real phenomenon” that’s been subjected to a “striking lack” of research

Potential factors contributing to paternal obesity risk, from Saxbe et al, 2018 By Christian Jarrett The phenomenon of mothers gaining weight during and beyond pregnancy is well-researched and understood – much of it has to do with the hormonal changes that assist fetal growth and preparation for lactation. Less researched and recognised, other than through jokes about “dad bods”, is that many expectant fathers also gain weight, and that the pounds tend to stay on (one study found that fathers weigh, on average, 14 pounds more than childless men). In Health Psychology Review, a team led by Darby Saxbe at the University of Southern California highlight the evidence for perinatal weight gain in fathers, and they review  seven potential casual mechanisms for why it happens, which they hope will stimulate further research. The lack of empirical research on this phenomenon before now “is striking”, they write. Weight gain in fathers-to-be and new fathers is a serious public health issue, the researchers point out, because while this added size may have had adaptive benefits in our evolutionary past (for instance, by helping the new father cope with food shortages and deter aggressors), in the modern, sedentary world it is only likely to be associated with health problems, such as increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Saxbe and her team first considered three potential behavioral mechanisms behind paternal weight gain, beginning with lack of sleep. N...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: biological Gender Health Source Type: blogs