The Costs Of Obesity

By Sharon Begley

April 30 (Reuters) - The incidence of obesity in the United States has soared from 13 percent to 34 percent over the last 50 years, while the percentage of Americans who are extremely or "morbidly" obese has rocketed from 0.9 percent to 6 percent.

Although the epidemic of obesity is well-known, the costs are not -- and in many cases are significantly greater than estimated even a few years ago. Some examples of obesity's economic impact:


* $190 billion in annual medical costs due to obesity, double earlier estimates.

* $1,850 more per year in medical costs for an overweight person than for someone of healthy weight, among employees at the Mayo Clinic and their adult dependents. $3,086 more per year in medical costs for a Mayo worker with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 to 40.

* $5,530 more per year in medical costs for a Mayo worker with a BMI above 40. By comparison, smokers' medical costs were only $1,274 a year higher than nonsmokers', who generally die earlier.

* $5 billion annually for additional jet fuel needed to fly heavier Americans, compared to fuel needed at 1960 weights.

* $4 billion annually for additional gasoline as cars carry heavier passengers.

* $1,026: annual cost of absenteeism per very obese male worker (BMI > 40). $1,262: Annual cost of absenteeism per very obese female worker.

* $277: annual cost of absenteeism per mildly obese (BMI 25 to 29.9) male worker.

* $407: annual cost of absenteeism per mildly obese female worker.

* $1,056: cost of a "bariatric chair," able to hold 500 pounds.

* $1,049: cost of a bariatric toilet rated at 700 pounds.

Source: Reuters reporting (Reporting by Sharon Begley)

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Comments

[jbrice1982]

03:09 PM on 06/14/2012

I recommend everyone go to Youtube and search for Weight of the Nation. Best documentary ever! Its a four part series so enjoy!

[beauley]

07:20 AM on 06/05/2012

We are not alone with an obesity epidemic here in the US.
Obesity: The Reason it Exists Worldwide
For decades now, the average weight of our citizens here in the U.S. has been on a gradual increase. The question of course, what is the root cause?
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2963736/obesity_the_reason_it_exists_worldwide.html?cat=5

[Jerry Bourbon]

11:41 AM on 05/08/2012

I drink about 6 cases of Mexican Coke a month, consume 100 or so beers a month, eat a lot of pizza and red meat.

I also bike 500 miles a month and do half an hour a day on my step climber. I am "underweight" by government standards.

[Jerry Bourbon]

11:32 AM on 05/08/2012

I'm a disgusting fatbody and it is all McDonalds' fault!

[earthgrrl64]

01:14 PM on 05/02/2012

Emotional eating is not cured by any diets either. You can be vegetarian and still eat for reasons other than hunger.

Read It's Not About Food by Laurelee Roark and Carol Emery Normandi

[earthgrrl64]

01:12 PM on 05/02/2012

The unbiased research is by Linda Bacon phd. Her book with her research findings is called

Health At Every Size: the Surprising Truth about Your weight.

It is true the diet industry wants us all on their diets, getting weight loss surgery and thinking we are unhealthy because of our fat. The truth is fat is not the cause of illness. Unhealthy lifestyle is. Please read so we can stop this shameful attack on our bodies.

[Deadliftmcgee]

01:37 PM on 05/02/2012

Fat is the consequence of an unhealthy lifestyle. You don't need to buy some fancy diet book, or join some fancy fitness program like crossfit, or buy fancy processed food. All one needs to do is eat less food, move more, and do this consistently, day in and day out, till you can't anymore.

Linda Bacon and the FA movement is doing something good in regards to fat shaming, but doing way more harm ignoring or glossing over the negative effects of carrying too much fat.

[Alvarask]

05:09 AM on 05/02/2012

You got to love a society that tells people to eat the very foods that will MAKE THEM OBESE and tells them it's their fault that they became obese and then berates them for being obese and accuses them of being weak-willed sinners when they cannot lose the weight following the very instructions they are given because the recommended diet causes obesity.
And THEN, lousy corporate science tells everyone that obesity is the cause of other diseases (which it is NOT), and encourages the demonisation of the obese, as does this article. Nice job HuffPo.

[Jerry Bourbon]

11:33 AM on 05/08/2012

You have to love people who are too weak to resist societal urges.

[Carbon Forteetoo]

05:55 PM on 05/01/2012

Seeing that bacon from regular pigs is so delicious, how good must be bacon made from the Long Pig.

Soylent Bacon?

[ron calliou]

04:06 PM on 05/01/2012

So.. there are the wholefed.org people...already sprouting (see what I did there? :) ) off about their diet and how it will save your life... soon we should be seeing the P90X/Insanity/Turbo Fire crowd from beachbody.com coming along telling us how we should "join" them on their road to health so they can sell you something....

I tell you what... eat some veggies.. eat some meat.. have some starches... have it all in balanced moderation... work out more than 60 minutes per week and get plenty of sleep.. you should be good.. stick to the fundamentals...

And before anyone comments or asks.. yes.. I have done P90X/Insanity.. they weren't to shabby... and NO I won't go vegan.. it isn't has healthy as you want to believe it is.. you will end up losing muscle mass (which is where the real weight loss happens when you go vegan - go ahead look it up.. the interwebs will wait...) so don't go selling me a product and don't tell me that vegan is the only way to go...

... I sit at my desk eating my bag of carrots and eating my lean corned beef and swiss on rye sandwich...

[Alvarask]

05:11 AM on 05/02/2012

Just for your personal illumination let me inform you that your "everything in moderation" approach may very well work for you (especially if you are male) but it will not work for most obese people. Actually, moderation kills at the statistical level.

[michael medeiros]

08:35 PM on 04/30/2012

The biggest cost of obesity is your life, something you can not put a price on. A consistent exercise program, proper nutrition, and educating parents and kids the importance of these is a must.

Obesity in America: The Growing Dilemma
http://exerciseandnutritiontips.com/obesity-in-america-the-growing-dilemma

[Alvarask]

05:14 AM on 05/02/2012

I don't think obesity is a dilemma at all unless you buy into the eat less-move more mythology of losing weight. That is a recipe for failure.

[Make love not war]

06:18 PM on 04/30/2012

They should give pt several times a week to all full-time soldiers. I agree with Michelle Obama, it is a national security threat.

As for police, they should give some pt, at least to the day shift guys. The midnight shift guys need rest, but the day shift guys could do it. As for an agent that has a 9-5 schedule, they should definitely get exercise several times a week, they could make time for it.

If anyone reads this and plans to punish me in the future by forcing me to exercise, that's fine with me. The saint I chose for confirmation was the African slave Simon the Cyrenean. I always liked the idea of being muscle-bound and tough.

[Orcas Island]

02:53 PM on 04/30/2012

Obesity won't be an issue within the next several years as the effects of human anthropogenic climate change continue. Another 1 degree change in average global temperatures should do it.

[Alvarask]

05:15 AM on 05/02/2012

We will discover at that point that it is possible to die of starvation and still be obese.

[Sping]

01:10 PM on 04/30/2012

Interesting statistics. I'd like to know the impact of obesity on insurance premiums. I'm pretty confident that we would pay a LOT less if more people would actually treat their bodies with respect. Its a shame that these articles wont have much of an impact on encouraging obese individuals to change their habits. I feel like this will have a greater impact on reinforcing an individual that has already decided to become healthier, which is definitely a good thing.

In my opinion, obesity is a choice and its tough to make the healthier choice. With all of the cheap, convenient, easily accessible and highly processed foods available, making the healthy choice is much more difficult.

[Alvarask]

05:20 AM on 05/02/2012

Your opinion is wrong. I don't blame you. You probably have never put any time or effort into learning the truth and just happened along here and decided to throw your uneducated two cents worth in. Most obese people do not CHOOSE to be obese. The reason there is a multi BILLION dollar weight loss industry is because so many people WANT to lose weight and have found the traditional methods fail them, so they start looking for the answer. Most do not find the answer. That's because they keep on believing what the fraudulent late 20th century scientists and politicians told them, which is that to lose weight they should eat less and exercise more, in spite of that being a proven method of not sustainably losing weight. What they need to find out is that saturated fats are good for you and if you eat less of them you will gain weight and probably become diabetic and get atherosclerosis. You shouldn't eat polyunsaturated fats as they contribute to diabetes and atherosclerosis as well as cancer. Sugar in all of its forms including starchy vegetables and so-called "healthy whole grains" will make you fat. Exercise will not only not make a person lose weight, it can stop you from losing weight. And it doesn't matter how many calories you eat as long as you get the right nutrition into you.

[Sping]

08:54 AM on 05/02/2012

Thanks for replying to my post. I agree and disagree with a few of your points. First of all, here are my credentials, 6'3, 168lbs, 5.9% body fat, 21.0 bmi and resting heart rate of 48 bpm. I am anything but uneducated on this topic. I am currently very healthy and in pursuit of living a long term healthy lifestyle.

I agree with you that many obese people WANT to lose weight. But there is a difference between wanting to and actually losing weight. Many people simply CHOOSE the wrong method. If conventional wisdom is failing them, why don't they make a different choice?

I also agree that it is difficult to find the healthier choice with all of the misleading information out there that comes from mainstream media, the government and the corporations with clever marketing campaigns to make consumers believe that their unhealthy products are healthy.

People need to make the transition from consuming cheap, convenient and highly processed foods (bread, pasta, rice, etc.) to a diet that comprises of all whole foods (vegetables, fruits, meats, seeds and nuts). A whole foods diet is easy to follow and requires minimal effort. Additionally, it increases energy levels and assists in weight loss.

With respect to exercise, exercise alone will not help anyone lose substantial weight. I would argue that as long as an individual follows a whole foods diet, only minimal exercise is needed. However, exercise is still an important aspect of living a healthy lifestyle.

[Deadliftmcgee]

01:34 PM on 05/02/2012

Obese people do choose to be obese. They weren't born that way. At some point, they started eating too much and being inactive. At yet another point, metabolic syndrome kicked in and their ability to lose weight easily diminished. But it was a choice.

Of course eating less in general, but more of the right kind of foods (whole foods, unprocessed), and moving more will help you lose weight. The reason why people regain that weight (as Fat Acceptance and HAES people are so fond of pointing out) is because they stop eating less and moving. It's not like they ate at their maintenance calorie level, ran and lifted weights, but the weight goblins came and put fat on them. The ate more, moved less, regained weight. Complaining that that approach is too hard is just childish - of course it's difficult, but most things worth doing are.

That said, though, you are right that we need to seriously rethink how we discuss and approach nutrition in this country.

[Greg BIS]

11:51 AM on 04/30/2012

There is allot of profit in obesity. Profit for the food industries, the medical industries, the pharmaceutical industries.

[Alvarask]

05:21 AM on 05/02/2012

Absolutely right there is. They have zero motivation to cure obesity.

[Ian Welch]

11:43 AM on 04/30/2012

http://wholefed.org/2012/04/30/we-are-what-you-eat/
By Ian Welch
www.wholefed.org

The simple act of eating is amazingly complex. Every decision you make regarding the food that passes your lips has a ripple effect in either direction.

The first ripple is inward and has everything to do with how your body interacts with the food. The second ripple is outward; it is the effect your food decision has on the environment.

The point of impact is your mouth.

We Are What You Eat

Ultimately, the decisions made at the point of impact, have profound implications beyond your own personal health. Your decision has a global reach.

The second benefit is the satisfaction received when you realize the effect your diet has on the environment. Livestock now use 30 per cent of the earth’s entire land surface.

The irony is the greatest single activity we can do for the environment is to adopt a Plant Based diet. The United Nations report, Livestock’s Long Shadow, states that the livestock sector is one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.

We are at an inflection point in our history. We need to support our own health. As I have stated before, prioritize your Body over your Mind.

Make a commitment to support your health by embracing a Plant Based diet.

[Greg BIS]

11:53 AM on 04/30/2012

All true. I lost 35 pounds so far eliminating meats and dairy from my diet. It takes a little research to eat well as a vegan, but for me at least the rewards are many.

[Ian Welch]

12:17 PM on 04/30/2012

I had 4 bypass surgery last year at 40 years old. I ran 29 miles yesterday in 4:45 hrs. The Plant Based diet is the way to go.

Ian
www.wholefed.org

[Alvarask]

05:27 AM on 05/02/2012

You're a male. Most men can lose 35 pounds by giving up dessert twice a week. Nice try though.

[Alvarask]

05:26 AM on 05/02/2012

Livestock do NOT use 30% of the land surface area of the Earth. What unmitigated rubbish. If you want to do something for the planet start working towards a smaller population, instead of telling people to eat an unhealthy diet. You damned vegan types tell such huge lies to try to get people into your religion. What causes damage to Earth is having too many people. We all cause damage no matter what we eat. However a person who eats a omnivorous diet from naturally grass-fed animals is doing much less damage to the environment than a person who eats lots of grains. End of story.

[Greg BIS]

07:04 PM on 05/02/2012

This is the most comprehensive information on the subject . It is presented by FOA (The Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations) It takes a while to read through but you may be very surprised by the information it provides. I encourage anyone interested in getting straight facts to check it out.

http://www.shabkar.org/download/pdf/Livestock_s_Long_Shadow.pdf