--- title: We're Getting Fatter Because Our Food Is More Energy-Dense, Study Says description: More calories in our food supply means more overeating canonical: https://time.com/3941710/this-kind-of-food-is-why-america-is-so-fat-study-says/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-30T22:15:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T08:40:19.392Z article:section: Health og:title: We're Getting Fatter Because Our Food Is More Energy-Dense, Study Says og:description: More calories in our food supply means more overeating og:url: https://time.com/3941710/this-kind-of-food-is-why-america-is-so-fat-study-says/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta3205ed9ad17943c/6987788fa988ca67746abbdd/food-candy-snacks-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock photos Food Snacks Candy Chocolate og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: We're Getting Fatter Because Our Food Is More Energy-Dense, Study Says twitter:description: More calories in our food supply means more overeating twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta3205ed9ad17943c/6987788fa988ca67746abbdd/food-candy-snacks-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Kind of Food Is Why America Is So Fat, Study Says > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jun 30, 2015 10:15 PM UTC  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jun 30, 2015 10:15 PM UTC Worldwide, countries are dealing with a serious obesity problem. In the U.S. alone, more than [two thirds of adults are overweight or obese](http://time.com/3929990/americans-overweight-obese/). Now[ a new study](http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.14.150565) suggests it likely has a lot to do with the make up of our food. The new study, published in the _Bulletin of the World Health Organization,_ looked at both the obesity rates and the supply of energy-dense—meaning high-calorie—foods in 69 countries, and found that both body weight and calories had increased in 56 of those states since 1971. The finding was especially notable in high-income countries. “This suggests that, in high-income countries, a growing and excessive food supply is contributing to higher energy intake, as well as to increasing food waste,” the authors write. In the U.S. alone, the food energy supply went up by 768 calories per person between 1971 and 2008. A wide reduction in physical activity may also be a contributing factor, the authors note, however, the surplus of available calories is likely leading people to overeat which in turn is adding on pounds for a lot of people. Other factors like pollution and gut bacteria should also be further studied to understand how they may contribute to weight gain as well, the researchers argue. To combat the problem, the researchers argue that comprehensive approaches will be necessary. For instance, nation-wide policies should restrict the marketing of unhealthy food to young people and more packaged foods should have front of box nutritional labeling. As always, eating more fresh foods rather than processed and exercising are two healthy habits worth adopting. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3941710/this-kind-of-food-is-why-america-is-so-fat-study-says/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3941710/this-kind-of-food-is-why-america-is-so-fat-study-says/"},"headline":"This Kind of Food Is Why America Is So Fat, Study Says","datePublished":"2015-06-30T22:15:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T08:40:19.392Z","description":"More calories in our food supply means more overeating","url":"https://time.com/3941710/this-kind-of-food-is-why-america-is-so-fat-study-says/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","diet","Food","calories"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta3205ed9ad17943c/6987788fa988ca67746abbdd/food-candy-snacks-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta3205ed9ad17943c/6987788fa988ca67746abbdd/food-candy-snacks-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TIME.com stock photos Food Snacks Candy Chocolate","caption":"TIME.com stock photos Food Snacks Candy Chocolate","creditText":"Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3941710/this-kind-of-food-is-why-america-is-so-fat-study-says/","name":"This Kind of Food Is Why America Is So Fat, Study Says"}}]}] ```