Obesity Linked to Circle of Friends

Which is why parents should not let their kids have fat friends.

A Loyola study of high school students provides new evidence that a person's circle of friends may influence his or her weight.

Students were more likely to gain weight if they had friends who were heavier than they were. Conversely, students were more likely to get trimmer -- or gain weight at a slower pace -- if their friends were leaner than they were.

Results of the study by David Shoham, PhD, and colleagues are published in the journal PLoS ONE. Shoham is an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine & Epidemiology of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

Yep.