Obesity

Have you heard about the Surgeon General’s “Call to Action” to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity?

I hadn’t either.

So the Surgeon General must not have done a lot of “calling.”

Or, more likely, he realized that the “call” was based on such shaky evidence, it didn’t deserve much effort.

Like almost all public health policy related to the increased incidence of overweight and obesity, this “call” tell governments, communities and schools to “take action to assist Americans in balancing healthful eating with regular physical activity.”

So, where is their evidence this will work? Sure, it seems logical but, as I’ve said in previous blogs, the data just isn’t there to support it. But that doesn’t keep the health policy folks from offering up ideas on how to make these things happen — for example:

* Daily gym in school
* Reduce TV time
* Ensure that people get 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week (have you heard this one before/)
* Create more opportunities for physical activity at worksites
* Make community facilities available for physical activity
* Promote healthier food choices — including 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day
* Ensure schools provide healthful foods

Don’t get me wrong, these are all great ideas — but for reasons other than addressing the “obesity epidemic.”

Doing things to help American increase their physical activity is a wonderful idea — if the goal is to improve American’s fitness.

And, doing things to help Americans eat healthier food is a wonderful idea — if the goal is to improve American’s nutrition.

However, these two objectives are the WRONG place to focus if the goal is to prevent overweight and obesity.

Allen Oelschlaeger
Author of Finally, the Straight Scoop About Weight, Nutrition, and Fitness

It seems like the media is constantly reporting on obese people dieing who are in their 20s, 30s, or 40s.

The assumption is that obesity is a killer disease.

Despite what the media says, the truth is that there’s a huge controversy about obesity’s real impact on people’s health.

I’m not going to go into all the research here. Just understand that the evidence related to obesity’s impact on health is VERY INCONSISTENT.

However, I found an obituary back in December pretty interesting.

Do you know the name Rosalie Bradford?

I didn’t until I read this obituary.

It turns out she holds the Guinness Book of Records for being the world’s heaviest person. In 1987, she weighed 1,050 pounds. At that weight, she was 8 feet wide and took 90 minutes to bathe.

Then she discovered Richard Simmons, the television fitness character — and by 1992 she held a second Guinness world record.

Yep, she lost 736 pounds, dropping to a weight of 314 pounds at the age of 49 (about 3 pounds lost per week).

Sadly, she died when she was 63 — but she lived a whole lot longer than most people would probably have predicted.

Here’s the reality — a lot of extra weight probably isn’t good for your health, but it probably isn’t the killer it’s often made out to be.

Allen Oelschlaeger
Author of Finally, the Straight Scoop About Weight, Nutrition, and Fitness

Since 1999, the International Food Information Council Foundation has tracked the media coverage of the obesity issue.

Last month, I read an article with the quarterly tracking chart included.

Yikes!

The chart only went back to the year 2000 — in which there were about 4,000 articles published (annual rate of 16,000 per year!).

I would assume the numbers prior to 2000 are far lower — and, if you went back far enough in time, probably nonexistant.

Well, the number of articles has gone up each year since 2000.

Not a big surprise — but would you have quessed a THREE TIMES increase to about 12,000 articles (48,000 per year) in just four years!!

Is this crazy or what?

No wonder we have an obesity problem.

You may have seen the new movie called the “Secret.” It’s message — you attract what you think about. In other words, if you think good things are going to happen, they’ll likely happen (e.g., power of positive thinking). However, the opposite will likely occur also.

Maybe if we all thought a lot less about the “obesity epidemic” because we didn’t have to read as much about it, we would all lose weight.

Allen Oelschlaeger
Author of Finally, the Straight Scoop About Weight, Nutrition, and Fitness

A recent study lists the United States as having the 9th highest percentage of people who are overweight or obese.

Yep, according to the authors of this study, 74.1% of the U.S. population is overweight or obese.

Here are the countries who were listed higher: Nauru (94.5%), Federated States of Micronesia (91.1%), Cook Islands (90.9%), Tonga (90.8%), Niue (81.7%), Samoa (80.4%), Palau (78.4%), Kuwait (74.2%).

When I first heard we were 9th, I didn’t think that sounded so bad. But, then I saw this list. Niue, Palau, Nauru — I didn’t even know these countries existed!

But what about our peer countries?
* Japan — 22.6%
* China — 28.9%
* France — 40.1%
* Germany — 60.1%
* Canada — 61.1%
* United Kingdom — 63.8%

Once I saw this list, being 9th doesn’t look so good — does it?

Allen Oelschlaeger
Author of Finally, the Straight Scoop About Weight, Nutrition, and Fitness

Obesity has been implicated as a contributor to almost every disease known (not always correctly).

Now, one blogger is suggesting that obesity actually contributes to global warming.

Here’s the logic:

* People eat in excess and get bigger
* Overweight people ride instead of walk and, thus, contribute to the greenhouse effect
* The greenhouse effect leads to more rain which causes more grass to grow
* Cows eat the grass and increase in size and number which results in lower beef prices
* Lower beef prices result in people eating more — and the cycle starts again

Obviously, this is a joke. But the logic isn’t too much worse than the explanation of how obesity contributes to 400,000 deaths per year in the US.

Recently, a researcher reviewed the rationale for this huge number and concluded that actual number is more like 26,000 deaths.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Obesity is a real problem and we should be trying to lower its incidence. I just don’t think we need to overstate the statistics in order to get obesity classified as a disease.

Yep, I’m pretty sure that’s what is happening here. See, pharmaceutical and weight-loss companies don’t get reimbursed for drugs/procedures which change appearance. Health insurance companies only want to pay for the treatment of a real disease.

Allen Oelschlaeger
Author of Finally, the Straight Scoop About Weight, Nutrition, and Fitness

The World Health Organization announced this month that one billion people in the world are overweight, while only 800 million are malnourished.

Even in China, over 20% of the people in certain cities are seriously overweight.

The WHO believes this problem constitutes a global epidemic which could, one day, cripple economies.

Yikes! This sounds like a problem we should be trying to solve.

Well, that was the purpose of a four day conference on the treatment and prevention of obesity which was organized by the North American Society of the Study of Obesity.

I haven’t seen any reports as to what they came up with. However, with over 2000 “experts” attending, I’d expect it’s something pretty good.

I’ll keep my eyes open and report their findings when they’re ultimately released to the public.

Allen Oelschlaeger
Author of Finally, the Straight Scoop About Weight, Nutrition and Fitness

Between 1990 and 2005 the percentage of Virginians who were obese went from 9.9 percent to 23.7 percent. That’s one of the largest increases of any state in the U.S.

So, what are they doing about it? They’ve implemented the CHAMPION obesity initiative which is collecting ideas at regional forums.

So far, they’ve received suggestions from more than 800 people which will be summarized in a report to be released next summer offering state-wide strategies for curbing obesity.

Some of the ideas so far include higher taxes for fatty buffets, mandatory gym classes, and tax incentive for healthy workers.

I’m sorry, but I don’t believe this initiative is going to work. The answer to obesity is in understanding and listening to our bodies — not in the ideas from regional forums.

Allen Oelschlaeger
Author of Finally, the Straight Scoop About Weight, Nutrition, and Fitness