more die from overweight/obesity ...

[Guest American Woman]

I found this almost unbelievable:

Remember those heart-tugging television commercials in which celebrities implored us to help fight world hunger? Well, we reached a strange tipping point recently. According to an October report from the World Health Organization (WHO), more people worldwide now die from being overweight and obese than from being underweight. Although world hunger remains a significant problem, it’s our appetite for prosperity and all its spoils that’s more likely to kill us now.

And it's a worldwide problem:

According to WHO, there are approximately 1.6 billion overweight or obese people in the world. Globally, at least 2.5 million deaths are attributable to these conditions annually. Nearly 18 million children under age five are estimated to be overweight. How long do you think it’ll be before some celebrity appears on TV showing pictures of plump toddlers and imploring us to help them fight fat?

link

I find it particularly troublesome that nearly 18 million children under the age of 5 are estimated to be overweight. The parents are to blame for that, yet I wonder how many families have both parents working and baby sitters that too often simply plunk the kids down in front of the tv and/or with video games. I also find it troublesome that as schools deal with budget cuts, classes such as gym are cut along with after school sports programs. We need to be dealing with this with the seriousness that the problem requires.

Edited January 31, 2010 by American Woman

[Smallc]

On the other hand, you had a very conclusive study last week (that built on many others) showing that people that are in the overweight category live longer than people in the normal weight category.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8483456.stm

Edited January 31, 2010 by Smallc

[blueblood]

On the other hand, you had a very conclusive study last week (that built on many others) showing that people that are in the overweight category live longer than people in the normal weight category.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8483456.stm

The BMI is a useless way of determining obesity. If that were the case, then football players would be all morbidly obese, which they aren't.

If your going to suggest that an overweight and sedentary lifestyle is the way to go, I'm going to have a laugh.

There is no excuse to live that garbage lifestyle, it is a drain on health services, and plugs up hospitals with people having an entirely preventable problem. One day obesity will be the new smoking and that day can't come soon enough.

[Smallc]

I didn't say anything about obesity or inactivity. If you read the story in fact, you'll see that it doesn't promote either of those things. Having some body fat and muscle and staying relatively active seems to be the best way to go based on numerous studies that have been done.

[Topaz]

First, the process food producers have to take some of the blame for the overweight people in North America. There's too much salt and sugars, which are empty calories and put the weight on. Secondly, since the invention of the VCR, computer etc., people are/were sitting around watching TV eating whatever. I do think now the baby boomers are paying attention about their weight and as far as the kids are concerned, I understand why if both parents are working then they go to the drive-through to get dinner. I think the schools should invest in gym equipment for kids to work on and in health classes I think there should be more on what foods are better, less calories but how NOT to over do it especially the pre-teens. There's a program on the BBC, called "How young is your body" There they have people in there 20's who have abused their bodies with food, alcohol and drugs and they should them there "insides" and what going to happen to them if they don't quit over doing it. If we get to the kids at a young age I think they could control the obesity better than anyone.

[bill_barilko]

I find it particularly troublesome that nearly 18 million children under the age of 5 are estimated to be overweight.

I don't.

It's Darwin @ Work-the strong survive the rest become fertiliser-deal with it!

[bloodyminded]

I don't.

It's Darwin @ Work-the strong survive the rest become fertiliser-deal with it!

Darwin never suggests that "the strong survive" and the rest don't. That's not how natural selection works.

There's a tendency to equate "fittest" with "strongest," but it's big mistake.

Edited February 1, 2010 by bloodyminded

[EyesWideOpen]

Also, a lot of this can be blamed on the use of high fructose corn syrup.

Soft drink manufacturers, etc. KNOW our bodies can't digest this the same or regulate the rate of sugar absorbtion in our blood stream from this product. BUT, it's cheaper, easier to transport, and in many countries (such as the US) a combination of subsidies and tariffs make it cheaper to use/produce.

Look at the diabetes stats. It will scare the crap outta ya.

[Guest American Woman]

On the other hand, you had a very conclusive study last week (that built on many others) showing that people that are in the overweight category live longer than people in the normal weight category.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8483456.stm

That study was just for the elderly, not the general population.

Moderately overweight elderly people may live longer than those of normal weight, an Australian study suggests.

It was a study of "over-70s."

[Guest American Woman]

First, the process food producers have to take some of the blame for the overweight people in North America. .......

I just want to point out that overweight/obesity is a worldwide problem, and that's what the article is in reference to. It's not just North America.

[Topaz]

Since WE live in North America and stats proof that more people are overweight and have Diabetes2. I'm more concern for the young people here than around the world. The TV programs like "Drive-ins, Diners and Drives" show the high fat, high sugar people are eating, especially the portions! A sandwich 8 inches think with meat, everything fried and the people eating there for years are oversized themselves.

[blueblood]

Since WE live in North America and stats proof that more people are overweight and have Diabetes2. I'm more concern for the young people here than around the world. The TV programs like "Drive-ins, Diners and Drives" show the high fat, high sugar people are eating, especially the portions! A sandwich 8 inches think with meat, everything fried and the people eating there for years are oversized themselves.

Stats also show that obesity is a world wide problem, just take a look at the WHO website. Junk food has been around for a long time, why is it an epidemic now? ----> laziness.

[Smallc]

That study was just for the elderly, not the general population.

This study was, but I have seen other studies showing that people in the overweight category live longer than people in the ideal weight category.

[blueblood]

This study was, but I have seen other studies showing that people in the overweight category live longer than people in the ideal weight category.

And numerous more studies show that being overweight with a high body fat % is extremely unhealthy and a drain on the health system.

[Guest American Woman]

This study was, but I have seen other studies showing that people in the overweight category live longer than people in the ideal weight category.

Well, perhaps you could cite some of them.

In the meantime, this article points out that more people are dying from complications of being overweight/obese world wide than they are from being underweight. So if you want to argue their statistics, you'll have to provide some proof that they are wrong.

[Smallc]

And numerous more studies show that being overweight with a high body fat % is extremely unhealthy and a drain on the health system.

I'm not talking about obese people....this is about people in the overweight category, who don't weigh all that much more than people of normal weight.

[Smallc]

Well, perhaps you could cite some of them.

In the meantime, this article points out that more people are dying from complications of being overweight/obese world wide than they are from being underweight. So if you want to argue their statistics, you'll have to provide some proof that they are wrong.

The research is not the first to suggest that those who carry a little, but not too much, extra weight tend to survive longer than people who don't.

CDC researchers found the same thing in a widely reported study published in 2005, and last month a separate group of investigators reported that overweight heart patients live longer than lean ones.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20090625/study-overweight-people-live-longer

I swear, it's like people think I'm lying, or making thing us.

Edited February 2, 2010 by Smallc

[blueblood]

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20090625/study-overweight-people-live-longer

I swear, it's like people think I'm lying, or making thing us.

The problem is that being overweight is related to obesity. You can't use overweight because of the "reputation" it uses. Had you said simply have more muscle mass, then you wouldn't have this issue. That's why I don't like the BMI because it puts football players in the same league as morbidly obese people.

[Smallc]

But more muscle mass isn't necessarily the answer. One can have more than normal body fat without being obese. What is shown is that people that are simply overweight (whether because of muscle or fat) are better off.