Clip this guide to facts on fat and obesity
As the American population grows fatter, rehabs will treat increasing numbers of obese patients. Obesity often leads to chronic diseases and conditions that require hospitalization and rehabilitation. Recent research highlights some startling trends and news about fat and obesity. Here are a few facts on the subject:
- An estimated 40 million adult Americans are at least 20% above their ideal body weight.
- As fewer Americans smoke, obesity is becoming one of the most important risk factors for the development of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.
- Clinical researchers now describe overweight and obese individuals by their body mass index (BMI), which is obtained by dividing the weight in
kilograms by height measured in meters, squared (W/H2). Men and women who have the lowest morbidity and mortality risk are those with BMIs of 22-25 kg/m2. Mortality rates increase substantially when a person is 20% overweight or has a BMI of 27 kg/m2.
- People who are 60% above their desirable weight, weighing a minimum of 100 lbs more than is healthy, have double the prevalence of all causes of morbidity and mortality.
- Researchers found that a human adenovirus-36 causes animals to gain excessive fat.1 That leads to speculation that a virus might explain some obesity in humans.
- The food now available to Americans represents a more than 15% increase in food energy per capita than what was available in 1970.2
- Americans spent 20% of their food expenditures eating out in the 1970s. By 1992, Americans were spending 38% of their food budget on restaurant food.2
- Although Americans increasingly are buying foods with lower fat and oils, they consume nearly 22% more fat and oil than they did in the 1970s because they’re eating out more often. Restaurant foods are high in fat and oil.2
- Research shows that obese, sedentary women can improve their cardiovascular performance by 13% if they focus on exercising for fitness rather than for weight loss. Those who followed a traditional exercise plan, focusing on weight loss, improved only 5% cardiovascularly.
- Overweight adults are six times more likely than normal-weight adults to develop arthritis in both knees, and obese people are eight times more likely to develop osteoarthritis in both knees.3
- Research shows that 22% to 25% of Americans are clinically obese, and 55% are overweight.
- Soft drinks and other foods, including syrups, table sugar, sweets, cereals, and chocolate milk, with added sweeteners account for 16% of the total calories Americans ingest.4
- A 20 lb weight gain in women contributes more to overall physical decline than does smoking. The weight gain will cause problems with routine activities, such as climbing stairs and walking the length of a parking lot.5
References
- Dhurandhar NV, Kulkarni PR, Ajinkya SM, et al. Association of adenovirus infection with human obesity. Obes Res 1997; 5:464-469.
- Harnack LJ, Jeffery RW, Boutelle KN. Temporal trends in energy intake in the United States: An ecologic perspective. Am J Clin Nutr 2000; 71:1,478-1,484.
- Sturmer T, Gunther KP, Brenner H. Obesity, overweight and patterns of osteoarthritis: The Ulm Osteoarthritis Study. J Clin Epidemiol 2000; 53:307-313.
- Guthrie JF, Morton JF. Food sources of added sweeteners in the diets of Americans. J Am Diet Assoc 2000; 100:43-48.
- Andersen RE, Wadden TA, Bartlett SJ, et al. Effects of lifestyle activity vs. structured aerobic exercise in obese women: A randomized trial. JAMA 1999; 281:335-340.
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