Obesity is a disease that occurs when there is an abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that poses a risk to health. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC define obesity as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher for adults. A BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. Morbid obesity is defined as a BMI of more than 40, which is roughly 80 pounds overweight for women and 100 pounds overweight for men. You can calculate your BMI here: https://www.forhers.com/tools/bmi-calculator.
A primary care physician who is, herself, an SR reader sent me this, and wrote that in the 30 years of her practice her patients, young and old have become ever more obese, and would I publish this in SR to warn people they needed to talk with their physicians about how to lose weight because their lives depended on it. As I thought about this study I realized she was right, and that it is a growing problem shaping the American culture. I have already published in SR that Americans have much shorter lives — typically about seven years shorter — than people in other developed democracies, and that obesity resulting from poor diet is one of the major causes of this shortened life span. If this is an issue for you, or someone you know please do help them get the assistance and guidance they need.
Results from the 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), using measured heights and weights, indicate that an estimated 42.5% of U.S. adults aged 20 and over have obesity, including 9.0% with severe obesity, and another 31.1% are overweight. Body mass index (BMI), expressed as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (kg/m2), is used commonly to classify overweight (BMI 25.0–29.9), obesity (BMI at or above 30.0), and severe obesity (BMI at or above 40.0). Age-adjusted trends in overweight, obesity, and severe obesity prevalence from 1960–1962 through 2017–2018 are shown in Table 1. Because surveys before 1988 did not include persons over age 74, Table 1 shows the prevalence for adults aged 20 and over since 1988, and for adults aged 20–74 for all survey periods dating back to 1960. The age-adjusted sex-specific trends of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity among adults aged 20–74 from 1960–1962 through 2017–2018 are shown in the Figure. Table 2 contains the prevalence of obesity by age for men and women since 1988–1994, and Table 3 contains the […]
Albus Eddie
on Monday, September 23, 2024 at 4:51 am
Excellent article. These findings are a result of the food industry moving to a model with prioritizes profit over everything else. As a consequence, we have seen a rise in the sugar content of food as well as the addition of preservatives, emulsifiers, etc… for what has become labeled as “Ultra-processed Food”. You can eat it, but it’s not really food, it has calories yes, but nutrition, no. This is the behavioral example and consequence of regulatory capture. Think outside the box.
sam crespi
on Monday, September 23, 2024 at 3:17 pm
They need a physician who will investigate the emotional reasons behind weight gain. I believe that’s particularly true in these times. With the rise of fear, rage and violence, we need to come together in community and in schools to begin a dialogue that addresses this issue, alongside the highly processed foods.
That said, it’s important to call up and demonstrate new trends. New old ways of communities coming together to share time and expense for healthy food.
Lots of people believe healthy eating costs alot. But there are ways to eat a healthy diet without paying big $$.
There is a growing emphasis on connection among gardeners, with a rise in mobile apps and virtual garden communities fostering a sense of community for like-minded individuals.
Growing your own food is gaining popularity, with traditional vegetable gardening, no-dig methods, and creative integration of edible plants into borders or containers.
The trend towards wildlife gardening and the acceptance of messy areas within the garden is becoming more common,
When the gardening is done in community, with neighbors etc. the shared work makes it easier and enhances human connections. There are schools accross the US where students are creating gardens for food. In L.A., on Whidbey Island and elsewhere. I always take headlines with a grain of salt, as news is a profit business that still functions on the credo of the first major US publisher, Wm Randolph Hearst… ‘if it bleeds, it leads’.. In other words more often that not, headlines emerge based on bad news. Sensationlism gets more attention.
Excellent article. These findings are a result of the food industry moving to a model with prioritizes profit over everything else. As a consequence, we have seen a rise in the sugar content of food as well as the addition of preservatives, emulsifiers, etc… for what has become labeled as “Ultra-processed Food”. You can eat it, but it’s not really food, it has calories yes, but nutrition, no. This is the behavioral example and consequence of regulatory capture. Think outside the box.
They need a physician who will investigate the emotional reasons behind weight gain. I believe that’s particularly true in these times. With the rise of fear, rage and violence, we need to come together in community and in schools to begin a dialogue that addresses this issue, alongside the highly processed foods.
That said, it’s important to call up and demonstrate new trends. New old ways of communities coming together to share time and expense for healthy food.
Lots of people believe healthy eating costs alot. But there are ways to eat a healthy diet without paying big $$.
There is a growing emphasis on connection among gardeners, with a rise in mobile apps and virtual garden communities fostering a sense of community for like-minded individuals.
Growing your own food is gaining popularity, with traditional vegetable gardening, no-dig methods, and creative integration of edible plants into borders or containers.
The trend towards wildlife gardening and the acceptance of messy areas within the garden is becoming more common,
When the gardening is done in community, with neighbors etc. the shared work makes it easier and enhances human connections. There are schools accross the US where students are creating gardens for food. In L.A., on Whidbey Island and elsewhere. I always take headlines with a grain of salt, as news is a profit business that still functions on the credo of the first major US publisher, Wm Randolph Hearst… ‘if it bleeds, it leads’.. In other words more often that not, headlines emerge based on bad news. Sensationlism gets more attention.