Obesity myth

[Gabe]

about those scientific studies. They actually indicate that it's not bad to be fat (especially one by epidemologist Katherine Flegal).
The reason I think fat people are being scapegoated is the one thing that poor americans consume (or just appear to consume) more of is unhealthy food. Which means that in the U.S now skinniness is undoubtedly a status symbol!
Which why I think this is about singling out people much more than it ever might've been about compassion.

 

[The Ü™]

I read that a "beer belly" is what causes long-term cardiovascular problems.

 

[Ivy]

I read that a "beer belly" is what causes long-term cardiovascular problems.

Or, the propensity toward forming a beer-belly is caused by the same underlying systemic conditions that also lead to cardiovascular problems.

 

[nightning]

I read that a "beer belly" is what causes long-term cardiovascular problems.

beer belly is essentially affect hip to waist ratio which has been correlated to increase risk of cardiovascular disease. No causation can be made at this point.

Back to obesity myth... I don't get why genes can only be passed on the maternal side. That doesn't make much sense from the genetics point of view... unless it's a difference in mitochrondria dna?

I'm uhhh underweight accord to the norms. 5'3" and 90ish pounds. I tried stuffing myself... it makes no difference. I get my skinniness from my father's side... he and one of my aunts are thin. Not sure how that fits into the model.

 

[runvardh]

Back to obesity myth... I don't get why genes can only be passed on the maternal side. That doesn't make much sense from the genetics point of view... unless it's a difference in mitochrondria dna?

I'm uhhh underweight accord to the norms. 5'3" and 90ish pounds. I tried stuffing myself... it makes no difference. I get my skinniness from my father's side... he and one of my aunts are thin. Not sure how that fits into the model.

Well, mitochondria are an integral part of respiration for complex multicellular life forms...

Don't get too concerned about being too skinny either, just make sure you're not letting your sugar, iron, and B vitamins get too low...

 

[nightning]

Well, mitochondria are an integral part of respiration for complex multicellular life forms...

Don't get too concerned about being too skinny either, just make sure you're not letting your sugar, iron, and B vitamins get too low...

True... and its also the only "genes" that are passed purely from mother to child. Although multiple/no set number of different copies of mitochondria dna are passed on during cell divisions... Hmmmm also probably a ton of other factors involved. Whatever! It's not worth wasting brain cells over.

Oh... and runvardh...

 

[chasingAJ]

Ohhhh Goodie! I love statistics!

The question of obesity causing disease is tough to answer but it is RELATED to disease. The problem is that what actually causes the disease may also CAUSE obesity. This reminds me of the questions from grade school about smorfs being blue and all smorfs are wags... are all wags blue? I don't know...

If you're "obese" because you have a naturally big body you do not have the same health risks as someone who is "obese" because they like McDonalds.

 

[wildcat]

..is the name of a book from 2005 about how 'obesity' was never a serious health risk, and how it's all just an excuse to rag on fat people. (which I have always suspected)

what do you think?

I think Henry pleads guilty.

 

[Mondo]

Being ridiculously fat does lead to greater health risks- like it or not.
It's not good to go to the other extreme either, of course.
However, being very fat is not considered healthy by any standard!!

The author of the book seems to be considering the consequences to be the cause.. which is poor logic.

 

[wildcat]

Being ridiculously fat does lead to greater health risks- like it or not.
It's not good to go to the other extreme either, of course.
However, being very fat is not considered healthy by any standard!!

The author of the book seems to be considering the consequences to be the cause.. which is poor logic.

The consequence is the cause.

 

[Oberon]

I tend of think of obesity as a symptom. It's one aspect of a bigger health issue, which is that most people in the US don't have the healthiest eating or exercise habits. Also, I think our diet as a rule includes too much in the way of refined carbs. This tends to creat a population that carries too much weight.

At 5'10" and 220 pounds I'm considered obese. Yes, I am carrying too much belly. I could lose 40 pounds and not be overly thin. At the same time, I am not a person you would look at and think "Wow, he's fat!" Rather, I just look kind of thick all over. I am physically capable of doing most anything normal people can do.

And, by itself, I don't think this degree of obesity apart from my dietary habits and exercise regime significantly shortens my lifespan or reduces my quality of life. My obesity is the result of my lifestyle, but not a significant problem of itself. Rather, my lifestyle is actually the problem, and will result in serious health consequences if I don't make some changes.

 

[The Decline]

Obesity has long been studied and has shown to be a risk factor in a number of diseases, CVDs being the most important. Obesity is associated with the primary risk factors of heart disease (see below) and other important diseases. So basically you can go ahead and say that there's a moderate relationship with obesity being a risk factor itself, but it doesn't always match up. If you could find me studies indicating that some obese people don't have high levels of the other risk factors, you may be onto something.

Prediction of Coronary Heart Disease Using Risk Factor Categories -- Wilson et al. 97 (18): 1837 -- Circulation

Conclusions—Recommended guidelines of blood pressure, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol effectively predict CHD risk in a middle-aged white population sample.

 

[laughingebony]

Or, the propensity toward forming a beer-belly is caused by the same underlying systemic conditions that also lead to cardiovascular problems.

Thank you for bringing the third (or fourth, or fifth...) variable into the picture.

It simply doesn't make sense that obesity, itself, would cause any health problems other than, perhaps, joint problems and impaired mobility. What aspect of weight makes it inherently bad for us? What makes more sense to me is the possibility that the health problems associated with obesity are caused by the behaviors and genetic dispositions that lead to obesity.

 

[tinkerbell]

Obesity kills far more slowly than anorexia....

Actually if you stack up some of these conditions...

Anorexia can kill people very early on
Obesity take a few years of life expectancy
Smoking take of a few les years than obesity but still kills ya

Although this is based on memory of statistics so might be skewed to my brain thinking it up

 

[Magic Poriferan]

It simply doesn't make sense that obesity, itself, would cause any health problems other than, perhaps, joint problems and impaired mobility.

No, it makes perfect sense that obesity in and of itself would increase risk of heart failure. The human heart is suited to supply a certain number of blood vessels over a certain area. The area and number of blood vessels go well over the adapted amount when a person becomes obese, so the heart has to hustle 24/7. Also, the whole added weight thing produces sheer stress on the body. This is a reason that fat people tend to get winded way faster. It takes much more force and energy to move that mass around. The pressure itself is condusive to heart attacks.

 

[laughingebony]

No, it makes perfect sense that obesity in and of itself would increase risk of heart failure. The human heart is suited to supply a certain number of blood vessels over a certain area. The area and number of blood vessels go well over the adapted amount when a person becomes obese, so the heart has to hustle 24/7. Also, the whole added weight thing produces sheer stress on the body. This is a reason that fat people tend to get winded way faster. It takes much more force and energy to move that mass around. The pressure itself is condusive to heart attacks.

Good point. How did I miss that?

 

[tinkerbell]

Laugh - do you understand the impact of Cortosol on the body?

Stress causes the release of the hormone cortizol which causes the central boday to lay down layers of fat... this is basically your torso and beer belly. The type of fat stimulated by cortizol increase fattening by multiple effect, thus increase the fat. The heart/cerntal organs get coated with this nasty fat - which can expand and hold fat much longer than perifferals which adds additional work for the heart to do... hence adds strain, the excess fat also helps to lay down fat withn the blood vessles themselves - creating long term arterial scleroisis - unltimately ending in strokes.

Then you move into increased risk of type II diabetes, which is excaserated by Insuline over productctio = which creates cravings which creates ecessive eatting which increases insulin production, eventually your pancrease packs up and stops playing. Diabetes has a huge number of side effects including lowering circulation and body temperatures creating problems in the body's perrifferals, ultimately it causes problems with extremity of limbs and sometimes eye sight.,

L

 

[Thalassa]

It's not a myth. I see people who are truly obese struggling to breathe, let alone do anything else. It puts stress on the lungs, heart, and joints. I see people in their 20's with Type 2 diabetes. I see people who should still be walking around riding around in those little golf carts at the grocery store because they're so fat it hurts their back to grocery shop.

It's not a myth. True obesity is unhealthy. Now, as for being slightly overweight, I do think that's been hyped up to the point of ridiculousness. I will say that being in the "normal" overweight range (not obese) is probably not as unhealthy as some people would make it out to be, no more than an overly skinny person, as some have already pointed out.

This all has a lot to do with things like trans fat and lack of fiber, which are dietary problems that can exist in a person even if they aren't overweight. A person who is naturally predisposed to be slim can have high cholesterol because of a bad diet, so...

 

[Alwar]

Anyone who doesn't believe obesity is an issue in the US hasn't had the dubious pleasure of walking through Walmart on the weekend.

 

[Nonsensical]

Oh, Obesity is real. I've seen it.