BusinessBusiness

The Real Reason Obesity Is So Bad For America

The Real Reason Obesity Is So Bad For America
Maxwell Strachan
By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

Commuters arrive for work in central London. The Government has released figures warning of the growth in obesity in British society, linked closely to unhealthy diet and a lack of exercise. Britain faces "terrifying health consequences" unless the problem is tackled, according to a report from leading doctors. *25/02/04: Rising obesity, binge-drinking and sexual disease were blamed on ministers ahead of a major new review on tackling the problems. Government "gimmicks" have done nothing to stop the mounting public health problems, opposition MPs said. 18/03/2004: Government efforts to tackle obesity, smoking and sexually transmitted diseases are doomed to fail unless there is a 'radical shift' to prevention rather than cure, a report said Thursday 18 March 2004. The King's Fund, a charitable foundation, said ministers needed to end their obsession with targets and waiting lists to look instead at practical measures to help people stay healthy. 20/03/04: Nearly half of Britons believe they are overweight, with northerners more concerned than those in the south, a survey revealed. Singletons are least likely to be paranoid about their size (29%), while 45% of couples are convinced wedded bliss or living together caused them to pile on the weight. People who eat meals with friends and family also thought they had a better chance of keeping the weight off, rather than munching great banquets alone. 05/05/2004 A new guide to make it easier for people to increase their intake of fruit and vegetables was launched by the Government today, Wednesday 5th May 2004. As efforts to tackle the emerging obesity epidemic continue, the free Five a Day Made Easy booklet aims to kick-start the nation's healthy eating habits. It includes money-off vouchers for fruit and vegetables and tips on how to make meals more interesting to ensure people eat the recommended five a day. *17/05/04: Some dieters may struggle to lose weight for the simple reason that their stomachs are larger than normal, scientists from the Union Hospital of Tongjii Medical College in China said. Experts investigating obesity have looked at a host of complex pathways and mechanisms involving genes and signalling proteins, as well as psychological factors. 20/09/04: An American study found that women living in households with four or more people were significantly more likely to be obese than those who lived by themselves. Married women were also more likely to be obese than those who remained single, according to research published in BMC Family Practice. 13/10/04: Carrying a lot of fat around the stomach could quadruple the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease, experts warned Wednesday 13 October 2004. Nearly half of all adults in the UK have a problem with their weight. Carrying too much weight can lead to serious health problems, including diabetes and heart attacks. Experts warn that it is not total weight but where people carry their fat that is the main threat to health.. Fat around the stomach could prove more deadly than the same amount of weight on the thighs.
Commuters arrive for work in central London. The Government has released figures warning of the growth in obesity in British society, linked closely to unhealthy diet and a lack of exercise. Britain faces "terrifying health consequences" unless the problem is tackled, according to a report from leading doctors. *25/02/04: Rising obesity, binge-drinking and sexual disease were blamed on ministers ahead of a major new review on tackling the problems. Government "gimmicks" have done nothing to stop the mounting public health problems, opposition MPs said. 18/03/2004: Government efforts to tackle obesity, smoking and sexually transmitted diseases are doomed to fail unless there is a 'radical shift' to prevention rather than cure, a report said Thursday 18 March 2004. The King's Fund, a charitable foundation, said ministers needed to end their obsession with targets and waiting lists to look instead at practical measures to help people stay healthy. 20/03/04: Nearly half of Britons believe they are overweight, with northerners more concerned than those in the south, a survey revealed. Singletons are least likely to be paranoid about their size (29%), while 45% of couples are convinced wedded bliss or living together caused them to pile on the weight. People who eat meals with friends and family also thought they had a better chance of keeping the weight off, rather than munching great banquets alone. 05/05/2004 A new guide to make it easier for people to increase their intake of fruit and vegetables was launched by the Government today, Wednesday 5th May 2004. As efforts to tackle the emerging obesity epidemic continue, the free Five a Day Made Easy booklet aims to kick-start the nation's healthy eating habits. It includes money-off vouchers for fruit and vegetables and tips on how to make meals more interesting to ensure people eat the recommended five a day. *17/05/04: Some dieters may struggle to lose weight for the simple reason that their stomachs are larger than normal, scientists from the Union Hospital of Tongjii Medical College in China said. Experts investigating obesity have looked at a host of complex pathways and mechanisms involving genes and signalling proteins, as well as psychological factors. 20/09/04: An American study found that women living in households with four or more people were significantly more likely to be obese than those who lived by themselves. Married women were also more likely to be obese than those who remained single, according to research published in BMC Family Practice. 13/10/04: Carrying a lot of fat around the stomach could quadruple the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease, experts warned Wednesday 13 October 2004. Nearly half of all adults in the UK have a problem with their weight. Carrying too much weight can lead to serious health problems, including diabetes and heart attacks. Experts warn that it is not total weight but where people carry their fat that is the main threat to health.. Fat around the stomach could prove more deadly than the same amount of weight on the thighs.

Last week there was a lot of fanfare over a new study showing that overweight people have less risk of dying than people of normal weight. Lovers of butter cookies and Popeyes the world over surely rejoiced at the news. But at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association over the weekend in San Diego, health economists I spoke with expressed dismay over the study's fiscal implications.

Read more on The New York Times

Related

Business
|
Submit a tip

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot