Men gain twice as much weight than women freshman year: Study

Researchers at York University and Brock University published a study that supports the “freshman 15,” is a partly true phenomenon.

The study states the average Canadian female student gained about four pounds in her first year of University, while the average male gained roughly eight pounds.

The results were obtained by 301 first year students, all who attended Brock University in St. Catharines.

Diet quality decreased characterized by a reduced intake of healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, fish nuts and an increased consumption of unhealthy foods including donuts, fried chicken, beer and liquor.

The study conclusions “that young male and female students undergo unfavorable and differential changes to their dietary intakes during the transition to university life. These changes reflect a poorer quality diet for both sexes, but more so for males, and were accompanied by increases in body weight, BMI, waist to hip ratio and body fat, which could lead to possible longer-term health implications and increased disease risk.”

The study had plenty of limitations, researchers said, including its small sample size and the fact that respondents self-reported their own eating habits and weight gain patterns.