From Your Health Journal…..”Today’s review of an article is from Scientific American about obesity in our country. Scientific American is a great blog with some quality articles, so please visit their site (link below). The number of obese adults in the US are on course to increase dramatically in every state over the next 20 years. By 2030, 13 states could have adult obesity rates above 60 percent, 39 states could have rates above 50 percent, and all 50 states could have rates above 44 percent. This is very alarming news, as diabetes and heart disease are on the rise at alarming rates all over the world The articles discusses the solution is balancing calories in versus calories out, but it may not be that easy. Educating families on the importance of healthy lifestyle, and taking ‘baby steps’ towards better health is important. Change is not going to happen overnight, but with a little effort, change is not impossible. Please visit the Scientific American web page for the full story.”
From the article…..
According to a recent report, “F as in Fat” by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “The number of obese adults…are on course to increase dramatically in every state in the country over the next 20 years.” According to their analysis of government data, “If obesity rates continue on their current trajectories, by 2030, 13 states could have adult obesity rates above 60 percent, 39 states could have rates above 50 percent, and all 50 states could have rates above 44 percent.”
This sobering news has doctors, health care providers and politicians asking the same questions: how do we prevent this scenario from happening, and how do we help people take control of their health?
America has a long history of solving complex problems. And while obesity is a complex problem about which not everything is understood, it is not beyond the grasp of better understanding and prevention. Over the last several decades, many factors have converged: a reduction in the amount of exercise we get (especially children) fueled by sedentary jobs and the elimination or reduction of P.E. in schools; the explosion of entertainment options that keep us indoors; growing safety issues for children that keep them from being outdoors; and a change in our diets that includes an increase in the number of dietary calories; as well as cultural changes that have led to more dining outside the home.
Despite these environmental changes, one thing remains constant: Weight loss and gain is about energy balance – calories in, and calories out. Recently this point was reinforced on NOVA’s website by two obesity experts, Marion Nestle and Malden Nesheim, who wrote, “The easiest way to prevent weight gain is to eat less by choosing smaller portions, fewer snacks, and healthier meals in general. It also helps to be physically active and to monitor weight status with regular weighing.” They went on to write – and this is important – “Until research convinces us otherwise, we believe a calorie is a calorie.”
These two statements are critical and must factor into the current national policy debate about how we help people understand calories and whether or not government has a role in restricting consumer access to certain calories.
To read the full story…..Click here