-Caveat Lector-
Begin forwarded message:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: April 10, 2007 11:42:11 AM PDT
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Virtually "Overnight," Millions Suddenly Becoming Obese --
"For No Reason"
MORBID OBESITY AFFECTS MORE AMERICANS
By Nanci Hellmich
USA Today, April 10, 2007
http://news.aol.com/partners/usa-today/_a/morbid-obesity-affects-
more-americans/20070410094109990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
The prevalence of American adults who are 100 or more pounds over a
healthy weight has risen dramatically since 2000, a study released
Monday shows.
About 3% of people, or 6.8 million adults, were morbidly obese in
2005, up from 2% or 4.2 million people in 2000, says Roland Sturm,
an economist with the RAND Corp., a non-profit think tank.
The evidence of such a significant increase in the number of
Americans who are extremely heavy "is mind-boggling," he says.
Sturm analyzed government data on about 1.5 million people who
reported their own weights and heights. Participants were
categorized as severely or morbidly obese if they had a body mass
index (a height-weight ratio) of 40 or higher.
According to government data, about 66% of people in the USA are
now either overweight or obese, which is defined as 30 or more
pounds over a healthy weight. Obesity increases a person's risk of
contracting numerous diseases, including diabetes, heart diseases
and cancer.
Sturm's study, which was released Monday on the website of the
journal Public Health, shows that 24.6% of people were obese in
2005, up from 20% in 2000. That's an increase of 24%.
People usually under report their weight, so the percentage of
people who are morbidly obese is actually higher than 3%, Sturm
says. A large government survey in which people are actually
weighed and measured suggests that about 5% of U.S. adults are
morbidly obese and a third are obese, Sturm says.
He says his analysis highlights the dramatic increase in the number
of morbidly obese people over a relatively short period of time.
"Even though we've had an explosion of bariatric surgery in that
time, it doesn't seem to have made a dent in these numbers," he
says. Bariatric surgery often reduces the size of the stomach.
For years, some experts believed that severe obesity was a rare
condition that affected a fixed percentage of the population that
might be more predisposed to weight gain for genetic or metabolic
reasons, Sturm says.
"But these numbers show the trend is really paralleling what is
going on in our society," he says. To help reverse the numbers, "we
need to move to a healthier environment with friendlier staircases
and more walkable environments," Sturm says.
George Blackburn, associate director of nutrition at Harvard
Medical School, calls the increase in the percent of severely obese
people a catastrophe.
"It is an emergency because the disability, the discrimination and
the health care costs for this population are enormous," he says.
AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's
free from AOL at AOL.com.
www.ctrl.org
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substanceânot soap-boxingâplease! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'âwith its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright fraudsâis used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/
<A HREF="http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/";>ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
