A Big Problem for the U.K.

Hopes for a healthy future are looking dim for our friends across the pond. According to recent data studies by the Health Survey for England, one third of the adult population of the United Kingdom will be obese by the year 2012. Not only do these statistics point to a scary prospect, they also indicate important distinctions between the obesity levels of different occupations and social classes.

One In Three U.K. Adults Will Be Obese By 2012

ScienceDaily (Dec. 12, 2008)
One in three UK adults—or 13 million people—will be obese by 2012, finds research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

And almost half of them will be from low income and disadvantaged communities, widening the health gap between the haves and have-nots even further, say the authors.

The researchers draw their conclusions on an analysis of annual data between 1993 and 2004 from the Health Survey for England.

This samples a nationally representative cross section of households, and includes information on occupation and social class.

The analysis included almost 128,000 adults with valid weight and height measurements, from which a body mass index (BMI) can be calculated. A BMI above 30 denotes obesity.

The authors then calculated the likely prevalence of obesity by 2012, using three different approaches.

These included straightforward year on year increases, and assuming that the trends remain constant; allowing for a speeding up or slowing down in the rate of change; and linear trends for the six most recent years only. More...

Does Gender Make A Difference?

As a young woman myself, I've always wondered whether gender makes a difference in the obesity levels of young men or women. According to recent studies by the Korea Association of Health Promotion, the differing lifestyles between the sexes does make a difference.

Obesity Rate Up for Young Women, Down for Young Men
ARIRANG NEWS

New analysis shows that obesity rates are rising in Korea among younger women.

The Korea Association of Health Promotion says the obesity rate for women under the age of 40 has increased, while it has decreased for men in the same age group.

The obesity rate for women in their 20s and 30s rose by an average of 2.3 percent this year, while the rate for men decreased marginally by 0.25 percent.

Roughly 36 percent of Korean men and 12 percent of women in their 20s and 30s suffer from obesity.

To Weigh, or not to Weigh?

Does weighing yourself, as a teen help? Some say that it helps teens become more aware of their weight and that they will not snack as often if teens weigh themselves weekly. Some say that it won't make a difference if they are weighed or not. But some kids still have fears of the scale, and to see what it tells them, even if they are visibly loosing weight.

Can a Scale Solve Teen Obesity? Not So Fast
Obesity Experts Debate Findings of New Study
By NICOLE MARTIN, M.D.
ABC News Medical Unit

Nov. 20, 2008—

Brandy Cruthird, owner of Body by Brandy Fitness Studio for children in Roxbury, Mass., is no stranger to the power of the scale when it comes to obese teens.

"There's an intimidation factor with scales," says Cruthird. "Kids who are overweight don't like to weigh themselves. I've seen kids run from the scale...I've seen kids cry."

Recently, she says, one of her students pleaded, "Please don't put me on the scale," even though it was clear she had lost weight.

Still, with rates of teen obesity on the rise, new research suggests that a weekly appointment with the bathroom scale may be a low-tech, low-cost tool for helping teens maintain healthy weights.

But some experts caution that weigh-ins should be only one part of a multifaceted approach to weight management. More...

Obesity at a Young Age

The amount of obesity in toddlers is raising higher faster. Though you may think that it is just baby fat, have you ever hear heard of a four year old boy weighing 85 pounds? That's the same as an 11 year old boy. New studies have shown thats its never too early to watch a child's diet and help them learn about eating healthy, to help create a healthier lifestyle.

Obesity Epidemic Spreads to Toddlers
Parents Monitor Children's Weight to Prevent Health Complications
By GIGI STONE

Aug. 18, 2008—

John Presley is a playful 4-year-old from Marshfield, Mass., who loves the beach and video games. But, at 86 pounds, John weighs as much as a typical 11-year-old, which raises real health concerns.

"It made me feel worried and sad because you want him to fit in and not be discriminated against," said his mother, Theresa Presley.

John falls into a category that doctors have labeled "super obese;" part of a new epidemic of children as young as 2 and 3 years old who are extremely overweight.

"It's hard as a mother. I feel like I was footing the blame for a lot of it, even though I honestly felt like I was doing the right thing for him," Presley said. More...

Do Fast Food Commercials Really Contribute to Obesity?

Studies have shown that fast food commercial actually do lead to childhood obesity. Some think that if the commercials were banned from childrens television programs, the ammount of obesity would drop. But obese children tend to spend more time in front of the television than other kids. About one-third of the children in America are obese and children are spending more time in front of the television instead of playing outside.

Do TV ads lead to childhood obesity? Economists say yes

Seattle - The more fast-food advertising viewed on TV, the higher the risk of childhood obesity, concludes a study published in the Journal of Law and Economics’ current issue.

If fast food commercials were banned during children’s television shows, the number of overweight or obese children would decrease 18% and overweight teens would decrease 14%, say the study’s lead authors, Lehigh College economist Shin yi Chou and Georgia State University economist Inas Rashad. More...

An Easy Solution to Obesity?

English people think that people will be able to fight obesity with a cookbook full of healthy foods to eat. However, there's pros and cons. It depends on how much the person eats so that they watch their daily intake of a suggested 2,000 calories. Also, will people have time to cook the food? This is kind of like taking a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

Teaching pupils to cook risotto and crumble 'will tackle obesity'
By Sarah Cassidy 12 September 2008

Every 11-year-old in England will receive a free cookbook under plans to tackle obesity by teaching children how to prepare healthy meals.

Pupils should learn how to produce healthy versions of such classic dishes as spaghetti Bolognese, risotto, roast chicken or apple crumble, the Schools Secretary, Ed Balls, said yesterday. More...

Taking Some Legal Action

Are parents to blame for childhood obesity in England? Is it truly neglect when their kid is not exercising for their own benefit? It's a different story in England. Kids are starting to get taken away because they're obese. The government thinks that they'll do better in keeping the kids a healthier weight but what about the children's feelings?

Fattest children to be taken away from their parents
By Nigel Morris Saturday, 16 August 2008

Dangerously overweight children will have to be taken from their parents and put into care because of Britain's worsening "obesity epidemic", council leaders have warned.

One million children will be clinically obese within four years on current trends, storing up future problems from heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure and diabetes. More...

A Warning

According to Reuters, those who are obese have more chances for asthma. From the previous posts of this blog, it is shown that obesity is often marked with other diseases that people don't want. This should be a warning (and motivation) to try to not be obese.

Obesity makes asthma worse

Thursday Sep 4, 2008 2:37pm

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For people with asthma, those who are obese are nearly five times more likely than their non-obese peers to be hospitalized for asthma, new research indicates.

The findings come from a study of 1113 members of a healthcare organization who were at least 35 years of age and had active asthma. More...

Macy's, Inc. Provides 15.3 Million Meals

Macy's reports another successful year of meals for those who are in need. Read about the results for this year's Bag Hunger.


Macy's, Inc. Bag Hunger: 15.3 Million Meals Provided This Year to Feeding America's Nationwide Network of Food Banks
Sep 03, 2008

Macy's, Inc. store and support divisions today announced the results of the 11th annual Partners in Time "Bag Hunger" summer national food campaign, benefiting many affiliates of Feeding America, the largest domestic hunger-relief charity in the United States (formerly known as America's Second Harvest). Macy's, Inc. employees in 225 cities organized food collections in an effort to "Bag Hunger" for children, resulting in food and equivalent donations to provide 10.2 million pounds of food or more than 15.3 million meals.

Since 1998, company volunteers have collected food and equivalent donations of 40.3 million pounds, or more than 62 million meals, for hungry families nationwide. More...

Don't Assume Things about Obesity and Diabetes

Things aren't always what they seem. Don't assume is a very important thing to live by. Check out this article and learn how obesity doesn't really help with finding diabetes.

Obesity not a red flag for spotting diabetes
Tue Sep 2, 2008 1:25pm

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obese people with diabetes are just as likely to go undiagnosed as their slimmer peers with the disease, Harvard Medical School researchers report.

It's well recognized that obesity increases the likelihood of developing diabetes, yet "obesity does not increase the likelihood that an individual's diabetes will be diagnosed," Dr. Christina C. Wee and her colleagues from Harvard and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston report. More...

Obesity affecting Children's Academics?

It's been said that kids' education has been dropping. Is it because of not very well educated teachers? Is it because of unmotivated kids? This study thinks that it could be a cause of obesity and low self-esteem resulting from that. Check out this article provided by the Los Angeles Times.

Weight issues can affect kids' performance at school
By Jeannine Stein July 28, 2008

OVERWEIGHT kids are at risk for a host of health complications, including elevated cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure. They also may do more poorly in school.

When grade point averages were compared among 566 middle school students in a suburb of Philadelphia, overweight students came in at about half a grade point lower than normal-weight kids. More...

Don't Blame Ads on Obesity

An Australian newspaper claim that ads and obesity aren't related. My opinion is that the company is just trying to make some money and that they shouldn't get slammed about the ads because it's the person's motivation and habit that causes how they look.

ACMA doubts ads and obesity link
August 27, 2008 - 8:16PM

The communications watchdog says it has found little evidence of an association between the advertising of junk food on television and obesity levels in children.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said it would not be recommending any general restrictions be imposed on food and beverage advertising targeting children. More...

Food Shortages

Warning to everyone: there is food shortage in Zimbabwe. This is the first of a very vicious hunger epidemic that may happen. Now is the time to donate some food the Red Cross if you can and it is even more essential to save food.

Food shortage hits Zimbabweans
28 August 2008, 08:57

The Red Cross federation has made an urgent appeal for $26,8-million (about R202-million) in emergency food aid for about 260 000 people in Zimbabwe, in a statement released late on Wednesday.

According to the United Nations, up to 5,1-million people, almost half of Zimbabwe's population, may be without access to food by the end of 2008, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies statement. More...

MSG Connected to Obesity

Beware of the MSG. MSG hasn't always really been in the spotlight and is not as important to people as calories. Now, here's a more reason to look on the menu to see if there's MSG so that you can cut down and not gain lots of weight.

Nutrition: MSG Use Is Linked to Obesity
By Nicholas Bakalar August 25, 2008

Consumption of monosodium glutamate, or MSG, the widely used food additive, may increase the likelihood of being overweight, a new study says.

Researchers studied 752 men and women in three villages in northern and southern China where most people use little commercially processed food, but where about 80 percent of people add MSG in cooking. More...

Little Actions, BIG Changes

Colleges around the United States want to make a big difference in saving the earth during hard times. Learn about how little things like getting rid of trays can go a long was from saving plastic to money. By this article, maybe you can think of ways to make big changes in the environment. Read the following article provided by Telegraph to learn how much people saved.

Cafeteria trays disappear in US bid to tackle obesity
By Tom Leonard in New York 26 Aug 2008

Trays are disappearing from college restaurants across America in a bid to tackle obesity, cut food waste and make campuses more environmentally sustainable.

Working on the principle that students tend to fill up a tray until there is no space left only to throw much of it away, a growing number of institutions are forcing diners to be more selective about what – and how much – they eat.

As well as helping to tackle obesity and soaring food prices, the measure also cuts down on washing up.

Trayless campuses have reported drastic savings. Georgia Tech estimates that it has saved 3,000 gallons of water a day by giving them up. More...

Rises at the Gas Pump, Supermarket, and Cafeteria?

When you think times couldn't get any harder, they have. Not in the workplace, or car, but at school. Cafeteria prices have risen due to lower education budgets in each state and the rising cost of food. Let your kids know that food prices are rising and to not waste food so that their meal is truly worth the higher price.

As Food Costs Rise, So Do School Lunch Prices
By Winnie Hu August 24, 2008

Gas pumps, grocery stores, and now school cafeterias.

Prices on some school lunch lines are going up this fall as school officials, like many others, struggle to pay higher prices and delivery fees for staples like bread, milk, fresh fruit and vegetables. The price increases, generally about 25 cents a meal, come as school districts in New York and across the country try to eke more out of already tight budgets, with some switching to four-day schedules to reduce utility and busing costs, and others asking more of their students to walk to school or limiting out-of-town games for athletic teams.

But for many parents, nothing hits the pockets quite like lunch prices. More...

This is an article written by a teenager for the magazine, Teen Ink to help raise awareness about starvation and obesity. This is a great article for kids to read with tons of facts and simpler language so that it doesn't seem like they're reading out of an encyclopedia. After reading this article, kids can be inspired and want to want to help raise awareness too!

Ending Starvation
By Colleen B., Hull, MA

Starvation can be found everywhere and is a seemingly never-ending battle that could be solved with help from our country. Americans, for the most part, are able to get what we want when we want it, whether it is spending ridiculous amounts of money on clothing or buying candy bars we really don’t need. We are the kings of waste. If we took a look at any third-world country, we would realize how little effort it would take for us to save lives.

Although it exists all over the world, starvation is more prevalent in areas like Africa where 30 million people are at risk of starvation or death from malnutrition. This is one of the facts of which World Message Day (worldmessageday.com) is trying to remind everyone. They are also making people aware of the astonishing rate at which people die from starvation: every 3.6 seconds someone will die, a quarter of whom are children under the age of five. This could change if Americans gave up a fraction of what we take for granted. Coincidentally, two of the items Americans abuse most - cigarettes and food - are the leading causes of preventable death in our society. The money we spend slowly killing ourselves with these things could be used to save lives. More...

A Natural Way to Burn Calories

Did you know about brown protein cells that can burn calories and body fat? It's true and it's almost too much of a good thing. Scientists are going to start a different type of obesity treatment involving many brown protein cells so that fat can burn. But meanwhile, eat some protein so that you'll gain more brown protein cells.

Obesity: Scientists identify a protein that promotes the burning of body fat
Alok Jha Thursday August 21 2008 11:40 BST

When given to mice the protein increases the production of brown fat cells – which burn calories. The discovery could lead to the development of new therapies for tackling obesity

Scientists have found a protein that can promote the burning of body fat – a discovery that could lead to new ways to tackle obesity.

Mice injected with a protein called BMP7 increased their production of "good" brown fat cells, while keeping their levels of the normal white fat cells constant.

Fat is a crucial part of the body's regulation of metabolism and body temperature. There are two types of fat cell with different functions: the well-known white fat cells, which store energy and contribute to obesity, and lesser-known brown fat cells that burn calories to generate body heat. More...

Help Fight Hunger!

Help fight hunger and you might ask how to do it but all it comes to is creativity! Some musicians in Oakland, CA came up with an idea to have concerts to raise money and they are doing successfully and are glad for any sort of contribution. You can help fight hunger by receiving donations whether it's running a bake sale, asking your friends, or even opening up a Guitar Hero party with a suggested donation amount. Start raising money to help fight hunger now with a pinch of creativity and fun.

Musiq 4 Hunger Tour fighting hunger one concert at a time
By Angela Woodall 08/22/2008

The sounds coming from the downtown Oakland recording studio Thursday night were music to the ears of Victoria Popejoy, whose Hayward charity Hope for the Heart was recently devastated by a three-alarm fire.

Behind the double doors of the Smash Hitz Studio, a group of Bay Area music and recording insiders helped raise $500 toward rebuilding the food bank's warehouse, destroyed July 31. The depot is the distribution center and hub for more than 40 organizations that work with the Cherryland District nonprofit.

The Thursday event was just one stop along the "Musiq 4 Hunger Tour," a coalition of music and recording industry individuals who banded together to fight hunger one concert at a time. More...

Kill Two Birds with One Stone

We've all heard of the proverb kill two birds with one stone. If you live in Alabama, there is an opportunity for you to do just that. This article provided by the International Herald Tribune states that people will need to pay extra money for insurance if they are overweight or obese. To those who'd like to avoid this, think shed pounds, save money.

Extra pounds may mean higher insurance costs
The Associated Press August 22, 2008

MONTGOMERY, Alabama: Alabama, pushed to third in U.S. obesity rankings by high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods, is cracking down on state workers who are overweight.

The state has given its 37,527 employees a year to start getting fit — or they'll pay $25 a month for insurance that otherwise is free.

Alabama will be the first U.S. state to impose a surcharge on overweight state workers who do not work on slimming down. A handful of other states reward employees who adopt healthy behaviors.

Alabama already charges workers who smoke — and has seen some success in getting them to quit — but now has turned its attention to a problem that plagues many in the U.S. South: obesity. More...

Don't Be Afraid of Fitness

This little kid here may be young and a master of Dance Dance Revolution but he is getting his fitness in! Don't forget fitness can be anything from dancing to walking a mile to doing 10 star jumps. Get a kick-start today and get out there and just move your body!

Watch the Video!

An Opposite Effect

This is NOT the direction that our country wants to go. According to the RobertWood Johnson obesity survey, this our country is becoming fatter and fatter. People yearn to become slim and working hard but despite ambitions, people give up and this leads to more of an epidemic. Read this article provided by Fox News

Report: Americans Fatter in 37 States
Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The waistlines of Americans continued to expand in 37 states over the past year, with no state seeing a decrease in obesity rates, according to a report released Tuesday.

More than 25 percent of adults are obese in 28 states, an increase from 19 states last year, Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reported in their fifth annual obesity survey. More than 20 percent of adults are obese — 30 pounds or more overweight — in every state except Colorado.

Nine of the Top 10 fattest states are in the south. Mississippi leads the pack with an adult obesity rate of 31.7 percent, according to the report, which is a follow-up analysis of the annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More...

Is Being Skinny Always the Best Thing?

People still judge books by their covers and they never think about what's on the inside. It seems to stretch people's minds to think that maybe a large looking stomach may be okay and better than a thin stomach. In this article from the New York Times, it seems that the tables are turned. It's not the outward appearance but their fitness level. This article can inspire to keep people exercising. To those who might think they're overweight, remember that muscle weighs more than fat. :)

Better to Be Fat and Fit Than Skinny and Unfit
By Tara Parker-Pope August 18, 2008

Often, a visit to the doctor’s office starts with a weigh-in. But is a person’s weight really a reliable indicator of overall health?

Increasingly, medical research is showing that it isn’t. Despite concerns about an obesity epidemic, there is growing evidence that our obsession about weight as a primary measure of health may be misguided. More...

Another Reason to Eat Vegetables

We can admit it. Not all of us like vegetables but we know that deep inside our hearts, we should eat them because they provide nutrients that our bodies need. Now there's another reason; mushrooms and help prevent obesity. Check out this article by Thaindian News.

Mushrooms may help prevent obesity (re-issue)
August 17th, 2008 - 5:53 pm ICT by ANI

Washington, Aug 17 (ANI): Eating mushrooms in large quantities can help prevent or treat obesity, says a new study.

According to the study, which was led by Dr. Cheskin, suggests that increasing intake of low-energy density foods, specifically mushrooms, in place of high-energy-density foods, like lean ground beef, is a strategy for preventing or treating obesity.

To reach the conclusions, study participants were randomly chosen to receive either beef or mushroom lunch entrees over four days lasagna, napoleon, sloppy Joe and chili. More...

Relating Ears to your Waistline

You might wonder how your ear might change your waistline. From this articles from the UK's Telegraph, it does prove that it can happen. There's a more reason to protect your ears so that you don't get an infection. When there's an infection, your taste buds aren't as sensitive so therefore people want sweeter foods and you can imagine that cycle. Protect your ears!

Ear infections increase obesity risk by damaging taste buds
By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor 1:14PM BST 14 Aug 2008

Children who suffer chronic ear infections are more likely to become obese because the infections damage their taste buds and change their food preferences, new research suggests.

Scientists found a history of ear infections in childhood can alter the sense of taste, leading to a preference for fatty foods which increases the risk of becoming overweight and obese later in life.

The findings come from a review of a series of studies presented at the American Psychological Association's 116th Annual Convention in Boston.

One study carried out on 6,584 people aged between 16 and 92 found that people with a moderate to severe history of ear infections were 62 per cent more likely to be obese. More...

A Way to Help

As this blog has veered toward the direction of obesity, we can't forget about those in starvation and hunger. There is a way to help those and without spending any money plus you can get a tad smarter by going to FreeRice.com

FreeRice.com is a website where you can donate rice to those who are hungry by simply answering vocabulary questions. The vocabulary contains SAT level words so it is a great study tool for those who are studying or just want to have a wider range of words. Every word you answer correctly, you donate 20 grains of rice. The rice is paid for by companies that put advertisements onto FreeRice.com.

So go to that website right now and start donating!
www.FreeRice.com

Is it Always 2,000 Calories?

Michael Phelps has been on a roll in the Beijing Olympics 2008 winning five out of eight gold medals so far. He has an intense 30 hour training schedule including cardio and weight lifting. But what does he eat? He eats a whoppin' 12,000 calories a day! He burns it all off with his training. Bottom line: It doesn't matter how much you eat as long as you can remain healthy, fit, and burn it off. Check out this article provided by Yahoo news.

Michael Phelps eats 12,000 calories per day
By Chris Chase Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 9:15 pm EDT

After he retires from swimming, Michael Phelps might want to try his hand at competitive eating. The Olympic star recently said he consumes 12,000 calories per day, or 9,500 more than the FDA recommends for an active, young male.

Phelps has to keep his intake up in order to compensate for all the calories he burns during the 30-hours per week he spends in training. He told NBC that an average day might have the following menu: More...

Can You Have a Large Waistline and Still be Healthy?

The Answer is yes! NBC has an article that it's possible. Just because you may look a little overweight doesn't mean you can't be healthy. After all, having a healthy inside, a beating heart, and the fact that you're alive is better than asking how much you weigh. Take a look at this article.

Fit and fat: Study shows it's possible
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It may be possible to be both fat and healthy, researchers reported on Monday, for at least half of overweight adults, and close to a third of obese men and women, have normal blood pressure, cholesterol and other measures of heart health.

And being lean does not necessarily protect people, either. Close to a quarter of normal-weight U.S. adults in one study had risk factors for heart disease or diabetes.

"We really don't know as much about obesity as we think we do," Judith Wylie-Rosett of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, who oversaw the study, said in a telephone interview.

"A considerable proportion of overweight and obese U.S. adults are metabolically healthy, whereas a considerable proportion of normal-weight adults express a clustering of cardiometabolic abnormalities," Wylie-Rosett and Rachel Wildman and colleagues wrote in their report, published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. More...

No Excuses

If you're a woman who's pregnant, don't let your weight slide. Sure you'll have a big belly and you need to eat more but make sure that you're not eating more than is recommended. Help out the demographic and you can be the one that lowers the percentage of morbidly obese pregnant woman. Check out the New York Times article for more information.

Too Fat and Pregnant
By Annie Murphy Paul 13 June 2008

The offices of Dr. Mark Chames, an obstetrician at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, are outfitted with some special equipment. The blood-pressure cuffs used on patients’ arms are actually thigh cuffs, originally designed to strap around a leg. Standard scales, which measure up to 350 pounds, have been supplemented by ones that accommodate 880 pounds. Before the new scales arrived, some patients were weighed at the hospital loading dock.

After decades in which the obesity epidemic spread to every demographic group in the nation, it has also ended up here: the maternity ward. One in five women who give birth in the U.S. is obese, according to Susan Chu, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And doctors are seeing more pregnant women who are morbidly obese, weighing 400, 500, even 600 pounds. More...

Weight Loss Blues

Have you ever tried losing a couple pounds? Whenever I've tried, I lose the pounds but they seem to slip right back! Read through this article to see why we can't seem to keep the waistlines we want. (Blame it on physiology.)

Why It's Hard to Maintain Weight Loss
By Shari Roan June 2, 2008

IN HER 39 years, Claudia Hallblom has, by her own estimation, lost and regained about 1,000 pounds.

Her success at losing weight was always driven by a goal, such as looking nice for her graduation or wedding. Her tactics usually included strict calorie-counting. But success on the scales was always fleeting. Sooner or later, she would revert to her old habits and no longer feel motivated to change.

"I didn't know how to lose weight and keep it off," the Downey woman says.

Most people can lose weight. But few can maintain their new weight for long.
More...

An Obesity Report Card?

At school, some kids get an academic report card which is already nerve-racking. On top of that, they get an obesity report card. That's so not cool. Kids have different emotions on this and the report cards can be confusing! It has even resulted in a girl not eating! Check out this video slide show about some kids and their obesity report card.

The link is http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/us/20070107_OBESITY_FEATURE/blocker.html

Are We All At Risk?

Why does it seem like in everything we do, we are all at risk in becoming obese? It seems as if now days people are getting too comfortable with their lifestyles of just sitting on the couch. Once you sit down in your familiar spot, it's hard to get back off it but you yourself need to do something about fighting off the extra pounds. Change your bad example into a good one so that exercise will become a natural part of your your life and your offspring's.

STATISTICS ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY

From How to Teach Nutrition to Kids by Connie Liakos Evers, MS, RD:

In 2002, data showed that 15% of children and teens are considered overweight, a tripling since 1980. An additional 15% of kids and teens are considered "at risk" for becoming overweight.

"This epidemic increase in childhood overweight is particularly prevalent among African American and Hispanic children, with more than 21% of these groups meeting the classification of overweight. It is estimated that about half of overweight school-agers and 70% of overweight teens will remain obese into adulthood."

"While the CDC and other organizations recommend that children participate in physical activity a minimum of an hour daily, kids are actually engaging in less physical activity, particularly as they approach adolescence."

"More than 75% of children ages 6-11 do not eat the minimum of 3 servings of vegetables or 2 servings of fruit daily."

More...

Is it Obesity?

Some people are not sure if they are obese or not. People would like to know but people also want to help those in the generation after them. They would like to help their children know if they have obesity so that they don't encounter the same problems. What are the signs of obesity in children? Here is an excerpt from the San Francisco Children's Hospital that you can check out.

Childhood Obesity
May 8, 2008 Reviewed by: Healthcare Specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital

Signs and Symptoms

The causes of obesity are complex, including genetic, biological, behavioral, nutritional and cultural factors. Obesity occurs when a person eats more calories than the body burns up. The root causes of obesity are excess consumption of food, a lack of physical activity or both.

If one parent is obese, there's a 50 percent chance that his or her children will be obese. When both parents are obese, their children have an 80 percent chance of obesity. More...

Obesity Medicine: Does It Really Help?

People have made medicine to help cure obesity. Some work but there has been some concerns. In England and Scotland, there is a drug that has recently been released but it resulted in five deaths. Bottom line: watch out for what type of medicine to use!

Death Linked Obesity Drug
June 28, 2008

An anti-obesity drug implicated in the deaths of five people is being handed out to Scots in contravention of advice from medical authorities.

Rimonabant - also known under the brand name Accomplia - has just been given the go-ahead for general use in England, even though it was linked to two fatal heart attacks, one suicide and a death from unknown causes since its launch in 2006. These deaths were recorded by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Mental health implications - which include a heightened risk of mental illness and suicidal thoughts, particularly in those already on anti-depressants - led to the decision by the Food and Drug Administration in the US to refuse its approval. More...

A Smaller Stomach?

Here's a positive side to the issue of obesity. You can get rid of it without the liposuction. All it simply is a piece of your small intestine getting cut out to make your stomach smaller so that you eat less calories. Would you make the choice of getting gastric bypass surgery?

Gastric bypass
April 20,2007 by: Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS

(Web MD) Gastric bypass surgery makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass part of the small intestine. You will feel full more quickly than when your stomach was its original size, which reduces the amount of food you eat and thus the calories consumed. Bypassing part of the intestine also results in fewer calories being absorbed. This leads to weight loss.

The most common gastric bypass surgery is a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

In normal digestion, food passes through the stomach and enters the small intestine, where most of the nutrients and calories are absorbed. It then passes into the large intestine (colon), and the remaining waste is eventually excreted.

In a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the stomach is made smaller by creating a small pouch at the top of the stomach using surgical staples or a plastic band. The smaller stomach is connected directly to the middle portion of the small intestine (jejunum), bypassing the rest of the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine (duodenum). More...

Generations of Obesity

Many people believe that their obesity only affects themselves. However, it can affect other. It's been found that women who are obese when they have babies make the babies more vulnerable to be obese. Watch out for not only your weight to look slim and sharp. Watch it to improve the lives of future people.

Obesity Linked to Increased Health Risks and Birth Defects

Monday, March 03, 2008 by: Lynn Berr

(NaturalNews) Obesity rates are increasing in Australia with over half of Australian adults overweight (Australian Bureau of Statistics). More disturbing are studies finding that overweight women giving birth are more likely to have children that become overweight as well. This is in addition to increased health risks to both mother and baby.

Research based on over 14,000 pregnant women found that increasing BMI (body mass index) corresponded to an increase in longer terms in hospitals, and an increase in gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes, chronic hypertension, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. More...

Middle Class Seeking Help From Food Bank

It's tough to decide whether you would rather live with a roof over your head or have a full stomach. Middle class people now are seeking more help from food banks to keep their stomachs from roaring.

Coping with soaring prices for the basics
LA Times, DAVID LAZARUS:CONSUMER CONFIDENTIAL 27, 2008

Steven James, 43, works in finance, has multiple cellphones clipped to his belt and projects the air of a hardworking, successful sort of guy. And yet there he was last week, buying day-old bread at the Oroweat thrift store in South Pasadena.

"Food's just so expensive," James said. "It's going up faster than salaries." He said he now seeks bargains like day-old bread wherever he can find them. More...

Sleep Off Obesity

There is mounting evidence that lack of adequate sleep is associated with obesity and possibly other physical ailments.

Children: Study Ties Too Little Sleep With Too Much Weight

New York Times, By NICHOLAS BAKALAR,Published: January 1, 2008

A study of 7-year-olds has found that sleeping less than nine hours a night was associated with being overweight or obese, even after accounting for amounts of television watching and physical exercise.

Stuart Goldenberg

The study, being published Tuesday in the journal Sleep, also found that short sleep duration was associated with mood swings. The researchers had followed the subjects — 519 children in New Zealand — since birth, making periodic health and developmental assessments and interviewing their parents. More...

U. K. National Obesity Knowledge Week

Childhood Obesity: Surveillance and Prevention National Knowledge Week 2008 - Content page, 8th April - 2nd May 2008

Some In Africa See US as The Problem

In this opinionated article, the author, from Africa, squarely pins the blame for world food price increase, food shortage and starvation squarely on the Americans. While not completely agreeing with her perspectives, many of the issues she eluded to ranging from U. S. energy policy, Wall Street greed to how people in America taking food for granted all resonate with many hungry people outside of the United States.

America causing world food crisis and starvation
Penny Hess — Opinion, The Zimbabwe Guardian, Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:31:00 +0000

IN AMERICA—especially in white America—we take food abundance for granted. From sushi to steak to salad and smoothies, countless food choices are part of our daily routine and a key component of our leisure and fun. One hundred and thirty-four million of us—75 percent of the adult U.S. population—are obese or overweight.
Even the choice to be slim and fit based on a healthy diet is an option not available to most of humanity. For the majority of us hunger is no more than a momentary pang endured until the next refrigerator, restaurant, deli or grocery presents itself. More...

High Food Prices Hurt More Than Just Africa

There will be more blood:

New Zealand Herald, 5:00AM Saturday April 26, 2008, By Catherine Masters

Starvation in African countries often stems from food shortages caused by war. Now people in some of the poorest countries in the world fear starvation for another reason - globally spiralling food prices.

Already there have been riots in the streets and high-level warnings of massacres to come.Africa is not alone. Strife has broken out over pasta prices in Italy, tortilla prices in Mexico and tofu products in Indonesia.  More...

Wonders of the Animal World

Just for fun... be amazed!

A Short Glossary

How do people define obesity? Starvation? Here's a list of definitions.

From Merimam-Webster:
Obesity: A condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body
Starve: To perish from lack of food; to suffer extreme hunger

From Wikipedia:

Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and other mammals, exceeds healthy limits. It is commonly defined as a body mass index (weight divided by height squared) of 30 kg/m2 or higher.

A BMI less than 18.5 is underweight

A BMI of 18.5–24.9 is normal weight

A BMI of 25.0–29.9 is overweight

A BMI of 30.0–39.9 is obese

A BMI of 40.0 or higher is severely (or morbidly) obese

A BMI of 35.0 or higher in the presence of at least one other significant comorbidity is also classified by some bodies as morbid obesity

While India's School Children Gain Weight, Others Die of Starvation

World's starvation problem appears not due entirely to food shortage.  From the same news source, The Times of India, where one article discussed the dawning obesity problem among school children, another article described a woman's death from starvation.  The mal-distribution problem happens not only in parts of the world but can also occur in different parts of the same country.  Even a wealthy country like the United States still has pockets of people suffering from starvation.

Another Paharia woman dies of starvation
THE TIME OF INDIA, 23 Apr 2008, 0539 hrs IST,Rajesh Kumar Pandey,TNN

DUMKA: The visit of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, coincided with the starvation death of a Paharia community woman thus putting a question mark on the tall claims being made by the UPA government to have introduced different social security schemes for the downtrodden. 

One Kaiti Pujaharin of the village Thari under Ramgarrh block of the district and belonging to the one of the most primitive tribal groups, Paharia, died in Dumka Sadar Hospital on Sunday as she was admitted here in a critical situation due to starvation for the last several days.   More....

India Facing Childhood Obesity

18 % Delhi school kids are overweight 

TIMES OF INDIA, 25 Apr 2008, 0015 hrs IST,Risha Chitlangia,TNN 

DELHI: Obesity among children is growing and needs to be checked at the earliest. A study has revealed that 18% of schoolchildren in Delhi, between 10 and 14 years, are overweight and prone to various health problems like high blood pressure, insulin resistant diabetes, cardiac problems etc. To address the issue, the ministry of women and child development organised a seminar on Thursday. 

"Obesity in children is growing alarmingly and it is high time we act. We have to take the initiative to ensure our children eat healthy and exercise daily," said Renuka Chowdhury, minister of state for women and child development.   More....

Obesity Costs U. S. Economy $45 Billion Annually

CNBC "Big Bottoms and the Bottom Line" Video

Discussing the cost of obesity, with Glenn Gaesser, University of Virginia; Linda Barrington, The Conference Board and CNBC's Mark Haines

Brazil Halts Rice Exports to Boost Domestic Supply

Brazil Halts Rice Exports to Boost Domestic Supply

FOXBusiness Apr. 24 2008

Brazil has temporarily stopped rice exports in order to preserve domestic supply in the face of rising worldwide prices for food and grain.  More....

Video Contest To Help Fight Childhood Obesity

Help Fight Childhood Obesity
Wednesday, April 23, 2008; 3:26 PM

Washington Post - Welcome to the Public Service Announcement ("PSA") Contest 2008, sponsored by Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive ("WPNI" or the "Sponsor"), 1515 North Courthouse Road, Floor 11, Arlington, VA 22201, through which eligible entrants may submit videos that highlight the problem of childhood obesity, and/or possible solutions. By mailing your video submission to WPNI and complying with the rules and conditions below, your video will become eligible win the PSA Contest 2008 and, if selected, will be posted for public viewing on WPNI's website, www.washingtonpost.com (the "Site"), subject to the rules and conditions described below. Please read these rules carefully BEFORE sending your video. More....

Egypt Faces Food Crisis

Haiti Food Riot; Poor Resort to Eating Dirt

4 killed as Haitians riot over soaring food pricesViolent protesters storm U.N. compound and open fire on peacekeepers
MSNBC, updated 1:09 a.m. PT, Sat., April. 5, 2008

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) - Four people were killed in Haiti when demonstrators protesting the high cost of living clashed with security forces, a local official said on Friday.The United Nations said protesters rioted in the southern town of Les Cayes on Thursday, burning shops, shooting at peacekeepers and looting containers at a U.N. compound. More....


Haiti’s poor resort to eating mud as prices riseCookies made of dried yellow dirt become sustenance, livelihood, concern
MSNBC, updated 3:43 p.m. PT, Tues., Jan. 29, 2008

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - It was lunchtime in one of Haiti's worst slums and Charlene Dumas was eating mud.With food prices rising, Haiti's poorest can't afford even a daily plate of rice, and some take desperate measures to fill their bellies. More....

Some U. S. Retailers Limit Rice Sales

Sam's Club, Costco limit rice purchases as prices rise By MARCUS KABEL, Seattle PI Last updated April 23, 2008 10:26 p.m. PT
AP BUSINESS WRITER A sign informs customers of a purchase limit on bags of rice at a Costco store in Mountain View, Calif., Wednesday, April 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) The two biggest U.S. warehouse retail chains are limiting how much rice customers can buy because of what Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., called on Wednesday "recent supply and demand trends." More....

Rising food and energy costs

Here are some price charts to show the rising costs of food and energy. If people in the U. S. are having difficulty coping with these high prices, imagine what they are doing to the poorest parts of the world.

Corn Price Chart

Rice Price Chart

Crude Oil Price Chart

NBC Nightly News: Life Expectancy Declining in Deep South

NBC Nightly News: Oil, Food Price Spikes Weigh On World's Hungry

No Just in the U. S.

Obesity is not just a problem in the United States. China, with it's new found wealth and importation of western diet, is increasingly dealing with the problem of obesity.

Obesity of China's kids stuns officials
By Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY
1/9/2007 9:15 AM ET

BEIJING — China is super-sizing its children as fast as its economy, prompting fears of an American-style obesity crisis here.

New figures from the Health Ministry show that urban Chinese boys age 6 are 2.5 inches taller and 6.6 pounds heavier on average than Chinese city boys 30 years ago.

China "has entered the era of obesity," says Ji Chengye, a leading child-health researcher. "The speed of growth is shocking."

More....

Much is given much is required...

My sister Hanna, a 10th grader in high school started the "Malawi Club" in her high school earlier this year to help raise money for the poverty stricken children of Malawi, the second poorest nation in Africa.

My father, a doctor has been informing us over the recent past that the world hunger situation may get a lot worse because of the poor U. S. economy (normally the world's biggest giver), the falling value of the U. S. Dollar and the skyrocketing grain prices around the world. He is concerned that with any disruption in world weather or civil order, the poor of the world will suffer immensely.

This evening, while watching NBC News, I saw one story about how life expectancy in some parts of the United States is actually dropping in part because of obesity. Yet this story was followed immediately by another story about world food shortage and a possible 'perfect storm' for a worldwide starvation tsunami in the poor countries.

Sixty percent of the population in the U. S. are overweight and 30 percent are obese. We are increasingly dying in this country from gluttony - diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and cancer - all related to obesity. And we are not alone. China, the world's fastest growing economy is now facing a high trajectory growth of obesity in both adults and children due to their increasing wealth.

Hence this blog 'Too Rich, Too Poor' is created.

This blog will track news stories on the developing issue of global food shortage by comparing and contrasting between rich and poor nations and their peoples.

This blog is a hopeful one. It hopes to share with you ideas on how everyone can help.

Over a billion people on this planet live on 77 cents a day. With 31 cents one can provide food and clean water for one more person. More than 31 cents, the person can learn how to better him or herself through education.

How many of us can think of ways to save 31 cents a day?