Smartphone Addiction May Make it More Difficult to Lose Weight

If you ask most users, the smartphone is the single greatest invention in recorded history. It lets them check their email, surf the web, send messages, play video games, and much, much more. However, it may not be good for their health. No, there’s no evidence that the device itself is inimical, but over usage just might be.

With the help of 300 students, researchers at Kent State University found a strong link between heavy smartphone usage and poor fitness. Split into two groups, the heavy users were in worse physical shape than the light users, who only average about 90 minutes of phone use per day. But the heavy users, some of whom used their cell phones almost every waking hour, up to 14 hours a day, were mostly out of shape.

The authors of the study and its participants offered many plausible explanations for these results. First and most obviously, smartphones have been found to disrupt regular physical activity, which can and often does encourage a more sedentary lifestyle where exercise is not a part of a person’s daily routine.

With that said, there are plenty of popular smartphone apps that physically active folks use during their workouts.

Author

Dr. Charles Goldsmith Dr. Charles Goldsmith started his career as an OB/GYN over 30 years ago. He ran a successful practice but noticed his clients consistently requesting assistance with weight loss. After countless hours of research and studying the numerous aspects of weight loss, Dr. Goldsmith determined that weight loss is very complex and needed to be supervised by a physician.