EON

Boston (EON) – A new study has shown that obese friends can actually increase your risk of being obese or overweight in any capacity.

The study was published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine and shows that obesity can spread almost like a virus or bacteria can spread from one person to another. A person who is obese can likely get his friends and siblings to be obese as well due to eating habits.

James Fowler of the University of California San Diego stated that “We were stunned to find that friends who live hundreds of miles away have just as much impact as friends who are next door.”

The fact that friends may share ideas about what type of weight is healthy could cause this.

They found tha when a person becomes obese, the chances of a friend becoming obese increase by 57% with siblings at 40% and their spouses at 37%.