Does the Environment or the Food Explain Obesity in Italy?

In the midst of a lot of blather that assigns magical medical properties to food, its downright refreshing to read reflections from Tamar Haspel on the nature of food in Italy – and how people enjoy their food in that country. It is the food environment in Italy, not the food itself, that seems to explain a lower rate of obesity there, she writes:

“However it happened, there’s no question that food, and a way of eating it, is central to many Italians’ sense of Italianness. And a cuisine that forms part of a national identity is something America, a nation of immigrants, doesn’t have. Although I’m a big fan of a patchwork food culture where I can enjoy food from around the world, food here is something we eat, not something we are, so we never had that bulwark against the incursion of cheap, junky food everywhere.”

A Culture of Enjoying Food Matters

It is not as if Italians are immune to obesity. The measured prevalence of obesity in Italy is approximately 24%. Though that compares favorably to the 40% prevalence in the U.S., it is rising in Italy, as is the prevalence of overweight.

We find Haspel’s speculation to be quite believable. Perhaps a culture of enjoying food of a high quality in civilized ways is more important than constantly chasing after faddish notions of “superfoods” and the healthiest possible snacks to eat. In fact, Haspel notes that Italian food culture does not encourage snacking.

More Than Food

We also suppose that other dimensions of culture, besides food, are important, too. A more humane and less stressful culture would help. So would an environment that does not bathe us in endocrine disrupting drugs and chemicals. Communities that presume our lives will be active and make it normal could be helpful as well. If you take in the pattern of life in Italy, at least some of these positive influences are evident.

All of this suggests that food itself might not explain everything about our risk of obesity. Many more factors come into play.

Click here for free access to Haspel’s excellent commentary in the Washington Post.

Treccioni, photograph by Popo le Chien / Wikimedia Commons

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July 6, 2025