How so is the Freshman 15 a myth?

This is timely enough, considering we’ve just come off Thanksgiving.

TommieMedia (of the University of St. Thomas) covers an Ohio State University study that says the Freshman 15 is a myth. What it finds:

Women 2.4 pounds, on average;
Men 3.4 pounds;
Weight gain does happen over a college career — 7-9 pounds on average for women, and 12-13 pounds for men;
College students really only gain a half pound more than peers who don’t go to school.

Read TommieMedia’s coverage of student perspectives here.

About the blogger

Alex Friedrich

afriedrich@mpr.org

Alex Friedrich reports on higher education issues for MPR News. Among the stories he has covered: the fall of the Berlin Wall, aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, 2003 Moscow suicide bombing and 2004 presidential elections in the Republic of Georgia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s in European political economy from the London School of Economics.