USA Obesity Epidemic - how fast it happened!!! 25 years!

[audreyh1]

I was watching this video by a Swedish GP doctor who uses LCHF diet with his overweight patients, and I'd never seen the data showing how incredibly fast obesity increased in the US from 1985-2010. I mean, I knew Americans were "fat", but this is truly an epidemic, and occurred at tremendous speed.

Data from the CDC - BRFSS, around the time that "low fat" diet advice was seriously pushed (started 1984).

• 1985 - many states didn't collect data as obesity wasn't a serious health concern, and <10 states has obesity rates >10%.
• 1987 - More states have data. More have obesity rates >10%
• 1991 - Most states have data. Over half have obesity rates >10%, five states have obesity rates >15%
• 1995 - Half the states have obesity rates >15%! All remaining states have obesity rates>10%. This is just in 10 years!
• 2001 - Half the states have obesity rates >20%, and one state has obesity rate >25%
• 2005 - Three states have obesity rates >30%, 14 states have obesity rates >25%, and most of the rest have obesity rates >20%!
• 2010 - Now 12 states have obesity rates >30%. Another 24 states have obesity rates >25%, and the remaining 14 all have obesity rates >20%!

In 25 years. Wow, just wow! I don't think people just suddenly lost their ability to "control" their appetite. This is clearly linked to the environment - i.e. what we eat and drink (and other possible environmental factors) and the impact it has on our metabolism. We are not comparing 2001 and 2010 to 1950 here, we're comparing it to 1985!!

Talk is from 2011. It's long, so I've selected a couple areas of interest:

Go to around 6:00 into the video, and you'll see the graphics that show the incredible increase in US obesity, increasing tremendously every 2 years.

Another interesting section starts at 27:47 where he compares the self-tested blood sugar response to a LCHF meal he calls a "dietician's nightmare", to the lunch provided at the International Congress of Obesity 2010, which says was the worst lunch he ate in years.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I think most of it has to do with how our food is processed (HFCS, anyone?) and how we have become...um, lazy. Many Americans just loaf around and don't even mow their own grass anymore. I am not sure how many of our parents contracted out the "work around the house" but I bet it wasn't very many. In my hood, I see nothing but contractors out doing grass...very rarely is it the homeowner.

 

[euro]

For another excellent review, see:

Gary Taubes - he also has a couple of extraordinarily well-researched books "why we get fat", and "the case against sugar" that make a credible attempt to explain the problem. You are absolutely right, clearly, we didn't just "forget" how to control appetite

 

[haha]

I don't understand any of this. Unless I go to 3rd avenue and Pine Street, I can go weeks without seeing anyone that I would know as "obese". otoh I may see some on the bus.

Have these terms been re-defined from before?

Ha

 

[Just_Steve]

I don't understand any of this. Unless I go to 3rd avenue and Pine Street, I can go weeks without seeing anyone that I would know as "obese". otoh I may see some on the bus.

Have these terms been re-defined from before?

Ha

Yeah, if you are not skeleton thin you are obese.

 

[GrayHare]

Probably several factors at work, three that come to mind are HFCS, antibiotics, and a large segment of the popular (boomers) aging concurrently.

 

[audreyh1]

I don't understand any of this. Unless I go to 3rd avenue and Pine Street, I can go weeks without seeing anyone that I would know as "obese". otoh I may see some on the bus.

Have these terms been re-defined from before?

Ha

No, these terms have not been redefined. If you look at statistics for Washington state, they are up there with the rest of the states. It may well be that fewer obese people live in your area for various reasons.

 

[audreyh1]

Probably several factors at work, three that come to mind are HFCS, antibiotics, and a large segment of the popular (boomers) aging concurrently.

Childhood obesity has been a rising epidemic as well, so you can't blame it just on the aging boomers.

Abundance of cheap, processed, high-carb food. I expect it's way overeating on carbs, which causes insulin levels to rise, which causes the body to pack on the fat stores AND make you hungrier, and at the same time makes your body insulin resistant, causing more insulin production to handle those carbs - which causes a vicious cycle.

Not just HFCS

But those are guesses.

 

[harley]

Fascinating! Thanks for posting it. I skipped to the 27 minute mark to see how the comparison was, but it's obviously good enough I'm going to watch the whole thing. I lol'ed at his comment about the homeopathic serving of tuna salad.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Childhood obesity has been a rising epidemic as well, so you can't blame it just on the aging boomers.

Not only to mention, when I am out and about, it's rare that I see an obese baby boomer (and I am in Georgia, where obesity is pretty much the norm) but folks under 50 years old? I would guess 70%+ of them are obese or damn close to it.

I have read a little bit on the subject and I can also understand that it would show up in the younger kids, too. The numbers really escalate when HFCS started taking off, McD's switched to veggie oil instead of beef fat, and video games were the choice activities after school instead of playing in the dirt. The county started Spring Break this week and although the weather is terrible today, yesterday was beautiful and I didnt' hear one single kid outside. So, none of this is surprising to me...kind of like the "AH HA!" moment folks had when they realized that smoking IS bad for you!

Not just HFCS

.

Perhaps not, but almost ALL of the processed food out there either has A) HFCS (or similar dirivitive that is terrible for you) or B) loads of sodium which is also terrible for you.

 

[harley]

Probably several factors at work, three that come to mind are HFCS, antibiotics, and a large segment of the popular (boomers) aging concurrently.

I don't think that any of that has much to do with obesity. While correlation doesn't necessarily imply causation, I think the medical and governmental push for low fat high carb diets are the obvious suspect. Just cutting out non-veggie carbs has resulted in a 20+ lb weight loss for me, with no increase in exercise and absolutely no calorie counting. I can eat any amount of food I want and still lose weight, as long as I avoid the processed carbs like bread, pasta, and starchy vegetables. And sugar, of course.


Edit: I left out my main point, which is that the low fat, lot's of healthy whole grains push correlates pretty absolutely with the obesity epidemic, along with the diabetes increase. In this case, I'm pretty positive the correlation is the causation.

 

[audreyh1]

I think most of it has to do with how our food is processed (HFCS, anyone?) and how we have become...um, lazy. Many Americans just loaf around and don't even mow their own grass anymore. I am not sure how many of our parents contracted out the "work around the house" but I bet it wasn't very many. In my hood, I see nothing but contractors out doing grass...very rarely is it the homeowner.

There were lots of desk jobs in the 70s and 80s. And lots of television watching.

Maybe we do less yard work.

 

[euro]

Childhood obesity has been a rising epidemic as well, so you can't blame it just on the aging boomers.

Abundance of cheap, processed, high-carb food. I expect it's way overeating on carbs, which causes insulin levels to rise, which causes the body pack on the fat stores AND make you hungrier, and at the same time makes your body insulin resistant, causing more insulin production - which causes a vicious cycle.

Not just HFCS

But those are guesses.

Audrey, I think those are VERY GOOD guesses!

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

There were lots of desk jobs in the 70s and 80s. And lots of television watching.

Maybe we do less yard work.

And I will add something else, how about the large numbers of folks at those desk jobs smoked? I don't have the statistics, but I do know that most folks that quit smoking complain of weight gain...so is some of that because they snack more instead of smoke?

I think the big thing here is that it isn't any one (or two, or even 10) reasons for the epidemic. I think things are much different today that it was in 1980...even 1990 and one of the downfalls is a bunch of obese folks.

How do you fix it though? With a population that continues to grow at an (IMHO) alarming rate much of the food HAS to be processed in the manner it is today. Farming practices of the 1800's would not feed the population today.

 

[harley]

I don't understand any of this. Unless I go to 3rd avenue and Pine Street, I can go weeks without seeing anyone that I would know as "obese". otoh I may see some on the bus.

Have these terms been re-defined from before?

Ha

It could just be that you don't recognize the limits of overweight/obese. I'm 6'1" and weigh (currently) ~230 lbs. I am in my height's obese category, but I doubt many people would look at me and think "obese". I've got a belly, but the rest of it is spread out pretty evenly. I would have to get under 189 lbs to not be overweight, with 162 lbs. being my supposed "ideal" weight. That would be pretty thin, IMO. I have a friend who is my height and around 185, and most people call him skinny/scrawny.

I suspect that we've become used to people carrying more weight around, and don't think "obese" unless someone is extremely overweight.

 

[tinlizzy]

Is obesity equal among genders?

I just read an article that said women have become more pear/apple shaped in the last 40 years and their feet are also bigger. The foot size threw me and I wondered if genetic diversity or sexual preference was also playing a part in the change (at least for women).

 

[harley]

And I will add something else, how about the large numbers of folks at those desk jobs smoked? I don't have the statistics, but I do know that most folks that quit smoking complain of weight gain...so is some of that because they snack more instead of smoke?

I think the big thing here is that it isn't any one (or two, or even 10) reasons for the epidemic. I think things are much different today that it was in 1980...even 1990 and one of the downfalls is a bunch of obese folks.

How do you fix it though? With a population that continues to grow at an (IMHO) alarming rate much of the food HAS to be processed in the manner it is today. Farming practices of the 1800's would not feed the population today.

Just don't eat the processed carbs. We don't have to grow veggies like we did in the 1800s, just stop eating so much bread and pasta and rice and cupcakes and such. Have your plate be 70% non starchy veggies, served with plenty of butter or other delicious rich sauces. Some meat, some cheese, pretty much whatever you want as long as it doesn't come from a grain or isn't made with sugar. It's not that hard, but it's not what we've been told to do for the last 30 years or so.

 

[GrayHare]

I don't think that any of that has much to do with obesity. While correlation doesn't necessarily imply causation, I think the medical and governmental push for low fat high carb diets are the obvious suspect. Just cutting out non-veggie carbs has resulted in a 20+ lb weight loss for me, with no increase in exercise and absolutely no calorie counting. I can eat any amount of food I want and still lose weight, as long as I avoid the processed carbs like bread, pasta, and starchy vegetables. And sugar, of course.

Bread, pasta, and starchy vegetables were readily available 25 years ago whereas the switch to or addition of HFCS to foods and beverages was starting to boom then. Re overweight youngsters, they sit and stare at display screens far more and run around playing far less than kids of 25+ years ago.

 

[harley]

Bread, pasta, and starchy vegetables were readily available 25 years ago whereas the switch to or addition of HFCS to foods and beverages was starting to boom then. Re overweight youngsters, they sit and stare at display screens far more and run around playing far less than kids of 25+ years ago.

I know the foods were available, but they didn't make up the majority of most people's diets. As far as the kids running around, people are getting arrested and losing their children to CPS for letting them walk down the street to the playground. We've made unorganized active playing illegal and immoral. Plus, most kids still are active, just in organized and closely monitored activities. I played some when I was a kid, but spent many hours every day sitting around and reading books and comics. I was skinny as a rail, though. I didn't have a McDonalds nearby, and there were never cookies and cakes around to just snack on. If I got hungry, what I heard was "tough, dinner's not until 6. And no dessert unless you eat your vegetables." There's a lot of food always available now. And most of it's carb heavy.

 

[MRG]

It's amazing that with the increasing size of our waistlines the diet industry has grown.

There a new theory every week or so. "Doctor's" who get rich by misleading people with their newest book. After following the rich docs and their silly advice eat this not that I learned what does.
Funny thing is I see hundreds of people who lose weight just by counting calories.

Of course Lazyboy has great ideas too.
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/lazyboy/underweargoesinsidethepants.html


Americans, let's face it: We've been a spoiled country for a long time.
Do you know what the number one health risk in America is?
Obesity. They say we're in the middle of an obesity epidemic.
An epidemic like it is polio. Like we'll be telling our grand kids about it one day.
The Great Obesity Epidemic of 2004.
"How'd you get through it grandpa?"
"Oh, it was horrible Johnny, there was cheesecake and pork chops everywhere."

Nobody knows why were getting fatter? Look at our lifestyle.
I'll sit at a drive thru.
I'll sit there behind fifteen other cars instead of getting up to make the eight foot walk to the totally empty counter.
Everything is mega meal, super sized. Want biggie fries, super sized, want to go large.
You want to have thirty burgers for a nickel you fat mother ****er. There's room in the back. Take it!
Want a 55 gallon drum of Coke with that? It's only three more cents.

 

[Fedup]

I was definitely much more active or hyper than my kids. Up until 4-5 years ago I could climb wall and they couldn't. That because I climbed lots of trees in my youth, none of my kids can and they are reasonably athletic. Not the couch potato type.

 

[Walt34]

The county started Spring Break this week and although the weather is terrible today, yesterday was beautiful and I didnt' hear one single kid outside. So, none of this is surprising to me...kind of like the "AH HA!" moment folks had when they realized that smoking IS bad for you!

There is that - when I take my walks around the neighborhood I only rarely see kids outside playing. When DW and I were that age we were told to "Go out and play and come back when the street lights come on" unless the weather was extremely cold or pouring rain.

But the difference between photos of crowds from the 1970's and before, and now, is stark. In photos of people from 45 years ago you almost have to look hard to find anyone overweight.

Like most things with people it is probably a combination of things happening - little exercise, HFCS & sugar, lots more fast food and restaurant food vs home made meals, things like that.

 

[H2ODude]

Let's face it. Part of it is that bad food is cheap and convenient. DW and I stopped for lunch at the local Earthfare that has a salad bar. Two plates of good food and two waters were about $15. Could have gone to McD's for less than that with nice sugary Cokes and probably even supersized fries, been in and out in less time. Of course would've felt pretty miserable after lunch.

 

[haha]

Oh man this is superb! (The underwear goes inside the pants.) Interesting thing I notice occasionally is the hold the underwear, ass goes above the pants look.

 

[Amethyst]

Exercise is actually more popular now, or at least socially more acceptable.

I remember going for long walks for exercise in my teens and 20's, and being jeered and snarked at for it. Now the young people are all, "Sitting is bad for you! Gotta get my 10,000 steps!"