3 January 2013

'How our fear of fat can make us unhealthy' - Café Science Extra on January 9th

Most people would agree that exercise is good for you and fat is bad for you, but is a misinterpretation of this message actually causing problems for a generation of young women?

That's the question that will be asked at the next Café Science Extra event to be held in Dundee. 'How our fear of fat can make us unhealthy' takes place at Dundee Science Centre on Wednesday, 9th January.

Morgan Windram-Geddes, a postgraduate researcher at the University of Dundee, will draw on interviews with girls aged 11-14 to reveal how our beliefs about health are putting more and more girls off sport, while leading others to engage in unhealthy practices in their eating and exercise habits.

"Encouraging people to exercise more and eat healthily is obviously a good thing, but our research has shown that when the message is distorted it causes problems for young girls," she said.

"Girls in the study are at an age when they are particularly body-conscious and mixed messages about diet and health can significantly compound the problem. We have a very fixed belief about what fat is but some fats are essential for good health. At the same time, a lot of girls think that if they simply cut out fat, or eat less then they won't need to exercise.

"They are many factors working together to entrench this problem, such as the idea that sport is not feminine, but the challenge we face is how to tackle preconceptions about fat and exercise and get across the message that a lot of the 'healthy' choices that young girls are making are in fact damaging their health."

More than 3000 visitors have attended Café Science and Café Science Extra events since their launch in January 2008. The monthly Café Science events are informal discussions led by leading local researchers that give members of the public the opportunity to learn more about the ground-breaking science happening in Dundee.

With Café Science Extra, the focus is on up-and-coming scientists from the University of Dundee, Abertay University and the James Hutton Institute.

'How our Fear of Fat can make us Unhealthy' takes place at Infusions coffee shop, Dundee Science Centre at 6pm on Wednesday 9th January. Doors open at 5.30pm, and the event is free and open to all. There is no need to book in advance but an early arrival is recommended.

More information is available at www.cafesciencedundee.co.uk.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277