990WBOB
  • WBOB Radio
  • Crush Cancer
  • Past Casts
  • Weather
  • Contact
  • About
    • WBOB Press Releases
    • Join Our Team!
    • CHARITY GALA

Obesity a Threat to Recent Lifespan Gains

4/8/2016

Comments

 
Picture
Anne Carter

The significant increase in the average life expectancy during the 20th century was seen as one of the greatest achievements of modern society -- but now, the global obesity epidemic has placed that achievement in jeopardy. 

Those born in the early 20th century could look forward to an lifespan of approximately 50 years. Though now, the world leader, Japan, boasts an average expectancy of 83 years. This change has been brought about by many factors, including advances in medicine and technology, better living standards, more nutritious diets, and pure drinking water, which significantly reduced infection and death rates among children.

​Unfortunately, one epidemic could seriously reverse the advances made: that of obesity. In the U.S., nearly 78 million adults and 13 million children are affected by 
this problem.
 According to researcher Dr. David S. Ludwig, who specializes in obesity prevention at Harvard Medical School and the Boston Children’s Hospital, in the first nine months of 2015, more Americans of all ages died because of obesity-related issues, than in 2014. Deaths caused by heart disease and diabetes rose by one per cent, liver disease deaths by three per cent and stroke deaths by four per cent. Deaths related to Alzheimer’s disease, meanwhile, rose by an alarming 19 per cent in the same time period. Not many people are aware of the fact that Alzheimer’s is linked to midlife obesity.

Dr. Ludwig notes that no technological advances or medications are capable of reversing the trend caused by obesity. In an article entitled Lifespan Weighted Down by Diet, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, he states that while between 1961 and 1983, life expectancy increased consistently throughout the globe, it decreased between 1983 and 1999. This downward trend is bound to continue, he warned, given the fact that children today have higher body weights than ever before, and often enter into adulthood with an obesity problem.

The problem is not only health-related; economic costs related to obesity are also high, with direct medical costs estimated to have reached $190 billion per year (this figure does not even take into account the costs of lost productivity). These expenses and the lost tax from lower productivity, warns Dr. Ludwig, are bound to increase the national deficit and take up a significant percentage of the already drained coffers of Medicaid, Medicare, as well as private insurers.

The problem seems to have an easy enough solution: consume less calories and get more exercise. However, it is easier said than done; the body’s regulation of the food we consume is a highly complex process and recent studies have shown that obese people have a lower ability to resist food cues. Moreover, when we eat less, we magnify the body’s appetite regulating signals and as we lose weight, our appetite actually starts to increase!
Dr. Ludwig notes that for too long, the responsibility for obesity has been placed on the individual, yet the food industry is to blame to a great extent. Individuals are encouraged to reduce their intake of calories, yet food manufacturers are free to continue making and marketing low quality products. Very few people can actually keep their caloric intake to a minimum over a sustained period of time, because the metabolic rate slows down and hunger levels rise. He says, “recent research has shown that food affects hunger, hormones, and even genetic expression in ways that cannot be explained by consideration of caloric balance alone.”

In other words, what you eat matters at least as much as how much you eat. Thus, products which are refined and high in sugar, are linked to weight gain, while many foods which are high in calories and fat (such as nuts, dark chocolate and olive oil) are not linked to weight gain or Type II diabetes.

A new national strategy is required which places due importance on public health, if the obesity epidemic is to be put to an end. The public should be encouraged to consume high quality proteins, seasonal produce, legumes, whole foods and nuts, and to avoid processed foods which are high in sugar, especially all products containing high fructose corn syrup. Children at school should be educated on food nutrition and should be fed nutritious meals; they should also be offered a wealth of opportunities for sport and other physical activity. Greater pressure needs to be placed on companies that aggressively market unhealthy food products. Finally, parents need to work hard to ensure that their children have access to an array of healthy, delicious foods at home. When it comes to voting, we should support politicians who place food health high on their political agendas.
Comments

    WBOB
    Original
    ​Reads

    Picture

    Unbiased, Unfiltered. WBOB's Original Reads feature our brightest and boldest personalities, offering their two-cents on the goings on of news, sports, politics, entertainment, and business. -- Are our opinions always PC? Nope. Are they always perfect? Nah. But, are they always 100% authentic? Absolutely!


    LISTEN
    ​TO WBOB ORIGINAL PODCASTS

    Picture
    Listen to
    ​Past BOBCasts

    WBOB 
    Best Reads
    Brought To You By
    TripAdvisor.com

    Picture

    Celebrating David Clyde: A Wild Passionate Friend To All


    Picture

    Search 
    The Archives


    Reads From Our Friends

    Picture

    The Best Game Development Tools: How to Make Your Own Game


    Contact Us
    [email protected]


    Archives

    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

Search For Your Favorite WBOB Author,
​or BobCast

990WBOB 
An Independent Media Outlet.

The views opinions and thoughts expressed do not  reflect those of 990WBOB, its management or its staff. All Rights Reserved 990WBOB.com 2007-2020
​
Contact WBOB HERE
Photo from nzhamstar
  • WBOB Radio
  • Crush Cancer
  • Past Casts
  • Weather
  • Contact
  • About
    • WBOB Press Releases
    • Join Our Team!
    • CHARITY GALA