If you look hard enough, there are signs that Americans are finally getting the message about how heavy and out-of-shape they are.
Consumption of diet drinks is increasing, and the calories Americans consume from regular sodas are on the way down.
More than half of Americans (55%) say they are trying to drop some weight, up significantly from 43% in 2011, according to a recent survey conducted for the International Food Information Council Foundation.
But while the concern about obesity may have hit the national consciousness, it hasn't really shown up on the bathroom scale for most Americans yet.
The reality is that the nation is now entering a fourth decade of weight gain. The obesity rate — those who are 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight — stayed fairly level at 15% from 1960 to 1980.
Since then it climbed to 36% in 2010, an all-time high. If it continues to grow, about 42% of Americans may end up obese by 2030, according to a projection from researchers with RTI International, a non-profit organization in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park.
"If you go with the flow in America today, you will end up overweight or obese, as two-thirds of all adults do," says Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Obesity is "one of the few things that has gotten worse quickly," he says. "It really is a very serious health problem."
Obesity takes a huge toll on people's health. "Obesity is not just a cosmetic problem. It contributes to a long list of serious health problems — diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver problems, degenerative joint disease, and even cancer," says Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.
Those extra pounds rack up billions of dollars in weight-related medical bills. It costs about $1,400 more a year to treat an obese patient compared with a person at a healthy weight, Frieden says. It costs $6,600 more a year to treat someone with diabetes, he says.
So where did we go wrong, and what will it take to reverse the trend?
National obesity experts say that over the past three decades, Americans' eating habits have changed dramatically. Food marketers, manufacturers and restaurants are selling us more food in bigger portions — and we're happy to wolf down much more than we used to.
The culprit behind the epidemic is that "we are eating significantly more calories now" than 30 years ago, Frieden says. "At its most basic level, obesity is a problem of calories."
A number of observers cite a litany of changes that have reshaped food consumption: Fast-food chains are pushing bigger hamburgers, beverages and servings of french fries; restaurants have doubled the portion sizes of their meals.
Meanwhile, jobs put fewer physical demands on workers, and physical education has been squeezed out of many schools.
These and many other changes, big and small, have led to "the perfect storm that has caused the obesity rate we have today," says James Hill, executive director of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center at University of Colorado.
States, cities and communities have taken action across the country to reverse the trend. Schools are being pushed to offer healthier foods to kids, and programs such as first lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move are trying to get them to exercise more.
In one of the most high-profile efforts, New York City is putting a 16-ounce cap on sweetened bottled drinks and fountain beverages sold at city restaurants, delis, movie theaters, sports venues and street carts.
Though many people consider sugar one of the big villains, it doesn't bear sole responsibility, Hill says. "I'm not here to defend sugar," but the causes of obesity are more complex than just sugar intake, he says. Many Americans are following high-fat, high-calorie diets, and they are not moving nearly as much as they should, he says.
"There's a lot we don't know about obesity," Frieden adds.
Consumption of diet drinks is increasing, and the calories Americans consume from regular sodas are on the way down.
More than half of Americans (55%) say they are trying to drop some weight, up significantly from 43% in 2011, according to a recent survey conducted for the International Food Information Council Foundation.
But while the concern about obesity may have hit the national consciousness, it hasn't really shown up on the bathroom scale for most Americans yet.
The reality is that the nation is now entering a fourth decade of weight gain. The obesity rate — those who are 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight — stayed fairly level at 15% from 1960 to 1980.
Since then it climbed to 36% in 2010, an all-time high. If it continues to grow, about 42% of Americans may end up obese by 2030, according to a projection from researchers with RTI International, a non-profit organization in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park.
"If you go with the flow in America today, you will end up overweight or obese, as two-thirds of all adults do," says Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Obesity is "one of the few things that has gotten worse quickly," he says. "It really is a very serious health problem."
Obesity takes a huge toll on people's health. "Obesity is not just a cosmetic problem. It contributes to a long list of serious health problems — diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver problems, degenerative joint disease, and even cancer," says Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.
Those extra pounds rack up billions of dollars in weight-related medical bills. It costs about $1,400 more a year to treat an obese patient compared with a person at a healthy weight, Frieden says. It costs $6,600 more a year to treat someone with diabetes, he says.
So where did we go wrong, and what will it take to reverse the trend?
National obesity experts say that over the past three decades, Americans' eating habits have changed dramatically. Food marketers, manufacturers and restaurants are selling us more food in bigger portions — and we're happy to wolf down much more than we used to.
The culprit behind the epidemic is that "we are eating significantly more calories now" than 30 years ago, Frieden says. "At its most basic level, obesity is a problem of calories."
A number of observers cite a litany of changes that have reshaped food consumption: Fast-food chains are pushing bigger hamburgers, beverages and servings of french fries; restaurants have doubled the portion sizes of their meals.
Meanwhile, jobs put fewer physical demands on workers, and physical education has been squeezed out of many schools.
These and many other changes, big and small, have led to "the perfect storm that has caused the obesity rate we have today," says James Hill, executive director of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center at University of Colorado.
States, cities and communities have taken action across the country to reverse the trend. Schools are being pushed to offer healthier foods to kids, and programs such as first lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move are trying to get them to exercise more.
In one of the most high-profile efforts, New York City is putting a 16-ounce cap on sweetened bottled drinks and fountain beverages sold at city restaurants, delis, movie theaters, sports venues and street carts.
Though many people consider sugar one of the big villains, it doesn't bear sole responsibility, Hill says. "I'm not here to defend sugar," but the causes of obesity are more complex than just sugar intake, he says. Many Americans are following high-fat, high-calorie diets, and they are not moving nearly as much as they should, he says.
"There's a lot we don't know about obesity," Frieden adds.
ArturoRodriguez, MD
md@thebariatric.comhttp://www.thebariatric.com
http://www.bandstersforum.com
Phone: 011-52-81-8378-3177
Twitter: @bandagastrica
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