Would you like large fries with that study?

If you were at the European Congress on Obesity in Amsterdam today like I was, you would have heard about a new study out of Australia proving that American are obese purely because they eat too much.

Which is to say, it's not a lack of exercise causing the problem. 

"There have been a lot of assumptions that both reduced physical activity and increased energy intake have been major drivers of the obesity epidemic. Until now, nobody has proposed how to quantify their relative contributions to the rise in obesity since the 1970s. This study demonstrates that the weight gain in the American population seems to be virtually all explained by eating more calories. It appears that changes in physical activity played a minimal role," said the study's leader, Professor Boyd Swinburn, chair of population health and director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University in Australia.

That's great news! I don't need to exercise after all! If you need me, I'll be enjoying a guilt-free 3-hour session of Guitar Hero followed by a 12-hour Simpsons marathon.

Thanks for Science Blog for the heads up.