"A tsunami of obesity" is how an editorial last week in the British medical journal The Lancet described the latest worldwide statistics. One in three people on Earth is overweight, one in nine people is obese. That this could happen in previously healthy, relatively isolated populations is indeed quite shocking. Even more frightening is the fact that the percentage of obese individuals doubled since 1980. "Worldwide" now has another meaning.
No one in the United States will be surprised since here the percentages of overweight and obesity are both 33%. We always stay ahead of the pack! At least initially, because residents of Pacific island nations currently have the highest BMIs on the entire planet. If Mutiny on the Bounty were being filmed today, the romantic scenes might not seem as glamorous.
Everyone will have his or her own explanation of this sorry state of affairs, whether socioeconomic, geopolitical, culinary, or biochemical. That doesn't change the fact that this "tsunami" is a mere harbinger of worse to come. As reported by various experts in the American College of Physicians, obesity is a risk factor for 40 illnesses in 9 different organ systems. Most people are aware of the most prevalent ones, namely hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and circulatory illnesses. Yet obesity is unique in being directed implicated in breast cancer and prostate cancer, diseases worsened by diametrically opposite hormones. Also on this list: asthma, atrial fibrillation, colon cancer, sleep apnea, mood disorders etc...Such is the nature of visceral fat, a topic covered in depth elsewhere on this website and on the WOR radio show.
"The Hidden Cost of Being Overweight" refers to the various medications, emergencies, and hospitalizations due to the aforementioned illnesses. There cannot be a price on human suffering, for every life is precious--and good health is a priceless gift. The media at times have raised fear of global warming to a near hysterical pitch. In epidemic obesity, we have a health crisis that will affect younger generations within several decades. Meteorology is a most elusive science. Internal medicine is not, and unfortunately, things may have to get worse before they get better.
Just this once, please don't think about the rest of the world. Think about yourself !
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment