Two-thirds of American adults are too fat

Two-thirds of American adults are too fat, and a major overhaul of US policies -- from schools to restaurants to urban planning -- is needed to stem the epidemic, medical experts said Tuesday. In a hefty, 400-plus page report, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) called for urgent action to reverse national obesity trends that are costing the US $190.2 billion a year in illness-related costs.

Peppered with terms like "synergies," "empower" and "systems approach," the report called for a renewed focus on schools as the place where eating habits take hold for life, noting that 17 percent of US children are obese, a figure that has tripled in 30 years. Offering lunches packed with veggies and whole grains and limiting access to sugar-sweetened drinks were among the recommendations for kids age six to 18.

"Action must occur at all levels -- individual, family, community, and the broader society."

Obesity kills

"Being fat takes the fun out of being a kid," read graphics of a TV ad in which a young girl tells of how she doesn't like going to school because she's bullied over her weight. It is part of a video and print campaign to combat childhood obesity in Georgia, which has one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the nation. But could the ads end up stigmatizing overweight kids instead of solving the problem? "Blaming the victim rarely helps," said Dr. Miriam Labbok, director of the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "These children know they are fat and that they are ostracized already."

Obesity: again and again and again

The growing threat of obesity to the nation's health has been revealed in an astonishing survey which shows four areas in England where at least 30 per cent of adults are defined as such. This is the average level predicted across Britain but only by 2025 or 2030. The four local authority areas named in the Department of Health report are Gateshead; Tamworth, in the West Midlands, and Swale and Medway, both in north Kent.

Obesity: again and again

The world is becoming a heavier place, especially in the West. Obesity rates worldwide have doubled in the last three decades even as blood pressure and cholesterol levels have dropped, according to three new studies. People in Pacific Island nations like American Samoa are the heaviest, one of the studies shows. Among developed countries, Americans are the fattest and the Japanese are the slimmest. "Being obese is no longer just a Western problem," said Majid Ezzati, a professor of public health at Imperial College London, one of the study's authors. In 1980, about 5% of men and 8% of women worldwide were obese. By 2008, the rates were nearly 10% for men and 14% for women.

Obesity: again

A man who once weighed nearly 70 stone is to launch legal action against the NHS, claiming they failed to help him as his size soared. Former postman Paul Mason received life-saving gastric surgery last year binge-eating his way to gargantuan size. But the 50-year-old, who now weighs in at a comparatively small 37 stone, said he should have been helped years ago. Mr Mason, who was eating 20,000 calories a day at his heaviest, claims he sought help from his GP after ballooning to 30 stone. Instead of receiving a treatment programme to manage his weight, he has complained he was told in 1996: 'Ride your bike more.'

Obesity: again

Burger King has been blasted by health campaigners over its 1,010-calorie hamburger. The fast food chain is facing criticism for introducing its Three Cheese Double Angus as child obesity is on the rise. A person who eats with fries and a cola would need to run 17 miles to burn off the 1,733 calories and 21/2oz of fat. It would provide an adult woman with her entire daily saturated fat allowance and half her daily calorie limit,” the Daily Express quoted Dietician Victoria Taylor as saying. A spokesman for Burger King said: “We believe our food is seen as a treat and eaten in moderation may form part of a balanced diet.”

Obesidade nos EUA

Fonte: aqui.

In 31 states, more than one in four adults are obese, says a new report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Health economists once made the harsh financial calculation that the obese would save money by dying sooner. But more recent research instead suggests that better treatments are keeping them alive nearly as long — but they're much sicker for longer, requiring such costly interventions as knee replacements and diabetes care and dialysis. Medicare spends anywhere from $1,400 to $6,000 more annually on health care for an obese senior than for the non-obese.

Obesidade: mais uma vez!

Fonte: aqui.

Pedestrians walk across the street near Times Square in New York. About two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, putting them at an increased risk for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, osteoarthritis, stroke, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems and even some cancers. Those who are extremely obese, about 100 or more pounds over a healthy weight, could be shortening their lives by as many as 10 years.

Obesidade

Fonte: aqui.

Dormir diminui a possibilidade de obesidade

Fonte: aqui.

Há estudos para tudo. Agora, aparece-nos um estudo dos Archives of General Psychiatry, que nos refere que as crianças que dormem menos, são mais sensíveis ao junk food e logo também têm mais possibilidade de virem a ficar obesos:

• children who skip hours of sleep double their overall risk of being overweight, or obese.
• The basic premise is that children and adults who do not get enough sleep are more likely to snack on junk foods, and also have far less energy, meaning they are less likely to take part in regular exercise.
• They found that children are better off in terms of sleeping when they can have a regular time for bedtime, and waking up.

Ou seja, é importante dormir bem.

Cholesterol drugs recommended for children to fight heart disease

Fonte: aqui.

Food? Or junk food?

Fonte: aqui.

Obesidade

Fonte: aqui.

Obesidade: outra vez!

Fonte: aqui.

According to the results of a study performed by the CDC, the rate of childhood obesity in the US has leveled off for the first time in the last 25 years. They learned that from 1999 to 2006, for all intensive purposes the obesity rate in that age group remained the same. Researchers state that the plateau in childhood obesity rate is due to better education and the fact that more and more children are eating healthier foods.

Obesidade: a doença do Século XXI

Quando uma parte ainda significativa do mundo ainda não consegue alimentar-se convenientemente, as sociedades mais desenvolvidas esbanjam alimentos. O pior não é o efeito de desperdício e de perversidade que este contrasenso gera, é que comer demais é já uma doença epidémica, que até em termos económicos tem efeitos catastróficos.

Está a decorrer uma Conferência nos EUA, em que se avalia esta nova epidemia: Obesity Costs U.S. Companies as Much as $45 Billion a Year, The Conference Board Reports.

Impressionante. Vejamos mais detalhes sobre esta temática que nos fornece esta Conferência:

• The rate of obesity in the United States has doubled in the last 30 years, and those extra pounds weigh on companies' bottom lines, according to a new report from The Conference Board. Today, 34 percent of American adults fit the definition of "obese." Obese employees cost U.S. private employers an estimated $45 billion annually in medical expenditures and work loss.
• Obesity is associated with a 36-percent increase in spending on healthcare services, more than smoking or problem drinking. More than 40 percent of U.S. companies have implemented obesity-reduction programs, and 24 percent more said they plan to do so in 2008.
• Employers need to weigh the risks of being too intrusive in managing obese employees against the risks of not managing them. There is evidence that as weight goes up, wages go down. Employers should be fully aware of any potential discrimination risk before addressing employees' weight, whether for the employee's own good or that of the company.

Por cá, o problema não será tão grande, mas já é um problema de dimensões relevantes. Seria preciso olhar para a obesidade com tanta ou maior atenção como em relação ao tabaco ou ao alcool.

Tanta obesidade

É terrível estar perante o monstro da obesidade, num mundo em que milhares de pessoas morrem de fome, todos os meses.

É a sociedade de consumo que promove, através da forte promoção de má alimentação, a obesidade. Ou seja, dá muito lucro a muita gente, que hajam cada vez mais obesos.

A propósito, descobrimos que até há uma "Plataforma Contra a Obesidade", em Portugal, e que esta "Plataforma" é mais uma "Comissão" do Ministério da saúde. Tanta Comissão tem este Ministério. Não admira que o orçamento da saúde represente 10% do PIB!

O Responsável da dita "Plataforma" diz isto: Uma das prioridades é reduzir a prevalência do excesso de peso, designadamente no que respeita à obesidade infantil. Um terço das crianças portuguesas têm excesso de peso. Nos adolescentes, é um quarto.

Bonitas palavras de mais um Presidente de uma Comissão! E os bolos que se vendem nos hospitais, serão livres de gorduras? E as batatas fritas que se comercializam nas escolas terão pouco teor de sal?

Bem prega Frei Tomás!!!

Obesidade: lá como cá!

Fonte: aqui.