Usa #1, usa #1, usa #1, usa #1,

[dex]

Who says the USA is an empire in decline!

American Waistlines Expand Fastest Among Rich Nations - Bloomberg

About 68 percent of American adults are overweight, raising their risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer, according to the 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Almost 34 percent are obese.
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Study: Global obesity rates double since 1980 - USATODAY.com
Obesity rates worldwide have doubled in the last three decades even as blood pressure and cholesterol levels have dropped, according to three new studies
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[Rustic23]

Dex, you may be on to something. 34% obese and 34% don't have anything saved for retirement. Maybe there is a correlation?

 

[obgyn65]

I hope this thread is not going to become another Obamacare related discussion...

About 68 percent of American adults are overweight, raising their risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer, according to the 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Almost 34 percent are obese.

 

[ERD50]

I hope this thread is not going to become another Obamacare related discussion...

Because you don't like to hear the flaws of the bill discussed in the open?

-ERD50

 

[harley]

Dex, you may be on to something. 34% obese and 34% don't have anything saved for retirement. Maybe there is a correlation?

I suspect you are right. Sounds like the same guy made up both statistics. Definite correlation.

 

[dex]

Dex, you may be on to something. 34% obese and 34% don't have anything saved for retirement. Maybe there is a correlation?

I'm no expert but I'm guessing the trend will continue. I was surprised when I read Mexico is #2 in obesity.

I'm guessing the trend goes like this:
In a poor country the majority of the people do manual labor and eat higher caloric food.
As the country develops the manual labor declines; people continue to eat as in the past and adds more protein into the diet. People gain weight.
As the country continues to develop food costs becomes a smaller part of the family's budget. People eat more food. People gain weight.
It takes awhile to change that cycle.

In the USA we have regional differences in food types eaten also, the influx of illegal aliens could be affecting the numbers.
Also, people might want to blame R. Nixon for the problem. To fight rising food prices he instituted farm subsidies. Over time this drove down the price of grains, beef etc.

The trend in lower food prices has stopped and is one of the causes of the problems in Tunisia and Egypt. These problems will continue with population growth, countries cease food subsides and global warming.

In the USA, I'm guessing this will be reflected in the expansion of the food stamp program. The USA version of food subsides.

 

[ls99]

Seems to me both of the articles are off at full speed in all directions.

From the Bloomberg article:

"On average, Pacific Islanders have the highest body mass index in the world, reaching 34 to 35, 70 percent higher than countries in sub-Saharan Africa and countries in Southeast Asia. In Europe, Turkish and Czech women are the heftiest, while Swiss females were the slimmest."

"Western European countries including Greenland, Iceland, Andorra, and Germany led global cholesterol levels. African countries have the lowest cholesterol."

No discussion on these countries' mortality rates from the stated risk factors. And if these risk factors in the listed countries are actual causes. Of what?

The UsaToday article is in the same league. Looks to me like a bunch of drivel, both articles.

Now if they tabulated the risk factors of each location named, then described the death rate in each location as caused by the supposed risk factors, the articles might have been useful.

 

[haha]

This appears mostly to be an interesting hodgpodge of data, but what meaning is contained is another question.

The second study showed that blood pressure is highest in the Baltic region as well as East and West African countries. Portugal, Finland and Norway have the highest blood pressure readings of rich countries...<snip>The work is part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study, which is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The study also received funding from the World Health Organization.

The global burden of risk factors as reflected in high blood pressure readings must not weigh particularly heavily on Norway, which I believe is 2nd only to Japan in life extpectancy of adults.

Ha

 

[Purron]

I'm no expert but I'm guessing the trend will continue. I was surprised when I read Mexico is #2 in obesity.

Lots of rice, beans, and corn = tons of carbs.

 

[ziggy29]

Lots of rice, beans, and corn = tons of carbs.

Which isn't usually a big problem when the population is largely comprised of manual laborers and others doing physically exhausting work. But when the lifestyle becomes more sedentary with the advance of technology and education, and the diet doesn't change...

 

[obgyn65]

There are at least 6 reasons why I won't discuss this topic any longer:

1) many on this website have debated already and it's ok to agree to disagree, this is America;

2) I have joined this community to learn about ER, not to discuss my profession or healthcare-related topics;

3) I am not retired (yet), therefore I don't have much time to write long answers to postings / comments;

4) as someone else posted recently under another similar thread, I need to keep my BP low;

5) while you and others have spent much time debating here, I have been volunteering as a clinician many days every year here and abroad to take care of those who are uninsured or who are poor. So I see firsthand the devastation caused by lack of HC insurance - you don't;

6) unless you or your family are directly affected by a job loss and a serious illness for example, you have NO idea what it is like.

There will be no more postings from me under this thread.

Because you don't like to hear the flaws of the bill discussed in the open?

-ERD50

 

[Alan]

5) while you and others have spent much time debating here, I have been volunteering as a clinician many days every year here and abroad to take care of those who are uninsured or who are poor. So I see firsthand the devastation caused by lack of HC insurance - you don't;

7 years ago I had two surgeries on my shoulders and at one point the surgeon said he would be away for a few weeks. Just like the surgeon who had done my back surgery 15 years ago he and his team did about 6 weeks of "missionary work" each year. What surprised me this time was that he said that these days they didn't need to go to a 3rd world country, and did their work here in the USA.

 

[ERD50]

There are at least 6 reasons why I won't discuss this topic any longer:

Many of those reasons are exactly why your input would be valued, but if you don't care to post on the subject that is your decision and I have to respect it (and I do).

However, a couple things you mention seem to misrepresent my views, and I just wish to set those straight (and there's no need for you to reply):

... I see firsthand the devastation caused by lack of HC insurance - you don't;

6) unless you or your family are directly affected by a job loss and a serious illness for example, you have NO idea what it is like.

As I try to mention in almost every post I make on the subject - I'm in favor of reforms. I want improvements to the system. I want to see people taken care of more effectively and efficiently. The 'status quo' sucks. And I toughed out a job much longer than I wanted to, when I wanted to do something else, so that I could qualify for benefits - so yes, I've been affected. I didn't want to be one of the statistics, so I took the action that I could to avoid it. I was a hair away from losing those benefits for years, I know what it's like living on the edge, and there was a lot of luck between me losing and not losing those benefits, luck that could have gone the wrong way despite any efforts on my part.

One of the reasons I'm critical of the Reform Bill we got, is I think that sucks too. I'm not going to blindly accept it just because it purports to do good. We had to do 'something' doesn't cut it for me, unless that 'something' is clearly better. That bill is a mess, with the special deals, the 1099 fiasco, nothing substantial to control costs, and on and on.

I don't condemn the bill because I don't care about people. I condemn the bill because I do care about people. We can and we should do better.


-ERD50

 

[lets-retire]

Since the study relies on BMI, it is using flawed data. BMI simply is a height/weight ratio. It does not consider the make up of the weight gain or loss only that it is weight. I stopped after reading the BMI portion. When I read about a study that relies on BMI, I typically disregard any other information in it. BMI is not a valid indicator of fitness and treating it like it is valid is very unfortunate.

 

[Gone4Good]

BMI is not a valid indicator of fitness and treating it like it is valid is very unfortunate.

Yup. Anyone who does serious weight training will show up as being overweight, or even obese, according to BMI.